Flash fiction contest!

     Welcome to my new blog:
My last Blog French Sojourn . Blogspot was a journal of my family's trip and eventual move to the southwest of France. This blog is more about my writing. 


       This blog is a build up to a story I am working on with the goal of getting it published. I have been working on my writing for a few years and want to keep a timeline of events. (Just say F-ing diary Hank)

          I think it will be more of record of my writing progress, than as an assistance to other writers.  Maybe this in itself could be a cautionary example.

I am going to post my writing, as difficult as it may be to read for others. I hope it will be noticeable in its glacial progress.

I have learned so much recently by following "Query Shark" for the last three years.

Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary Management's blog has been the best teacher I have ever had in writing.
Of course that added bonus is that I don't get graded.

I had never heard of Flash Fiction Contests before a few months ago: This posting on her site hooked me.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Flash fiction contest!

Let's get the New Year off to a ROUSING start with a flash fiction contest!

I just read RATLINES by Stuart Neville and it's a sox knocker for sure!

Winner of the flash fiction contest gets my copy of the ARC of RATLINES!

Usual rules:

Write a story using 100 words or fewer.

Use the following words in your story:

ratline
asylum
lodger
swords
bond

Contest opens on 12/30/12 at noon


and closes at 12/31/12 at noon. All times are eastern shark time.

So I toyed with the five words for a while. I didn't want to go pirate-ey so I choose a tangential approach.

This is what I sent in:

 She blew out the cigarette smoke slowly. It drifted toward the ceiling fan, drawn like a ratline to a crow’s nest. She glanced at the pile of Polaroid’s strewn on the bedside table, her asylum of intimacy. What was his name?

He was a lodger from another time and had no bond to her dreams. He got up from the bed and tripped on one of the dead soldiers, it clinked against one that was half empty.

He bent down to pick it up, as though a couple swords had been slid into his kidneys. Christ what was her name?

Sorry for the font difference, I have a hard enough time with the keyboard, never mind formatting.

I liked it, and waited as the deadline approached, there were 91 entries. I didn't win, beginners luck and all, but I was blown away when she posted the results. There were twenty or so honorable like mentions, and I was one. Here is her comment about mine.

Probably the best use of POV in a flash fiction contest I've ever seen

French sojourn 6:55pm

My screen name is French Sojourn because of my other blog. My wife and I were ecstatic, i mean it was kind praise for someone I've followed for a few years. And in all honesty, I think it gave me the push I needed to write this blog.

My lesson: Well honestly after I sent it in I culled it a bit and tried to hone it. I think in the future I will review whatever I send out. Below is a finer version, I think. Like life there are no do overs. Good lesson for me.

She exhaled the cigarette smoke slowly. It drifted towards the ceiling fan, drawn like a ratline to a nicotine stained crow’s nest. She glanced at the pile of Polaroid’s strewn on the bedside table, her asylum of intimacy. What was his name?

He was a four hour temporary lodger. He got up from the bed and tripped on a dead soldier, it clinked against one that was half empty with amber bonding fluid.

He bent down to pick it up and felt a couple swords pierce his weakened kidneys. Christ what was her name?