Thanks for your patience, everyone. I also want to thank our writers for participating this month. It's a crazy one for both me and BunnyGirl, so we're just glad that you folks are still coming around and writing with us.
The beautiful and talented Ms Gwen Mitchell will be hosting the May FFC in her Writer's Retreat blog as BG and I will be really feeling the craziness of our work lives then. I aim to be back on board fully by the middle of May and BG hopes to be back in time for a Father's Day holiday FFC. If anyone wants to volunteer to run/host June's main FFC, please send me an email ASAP.
The theme, of course, for this month was the Elements: Fire, Water, Sky, and Earth.
Now then, in the order in which I received them:
God Has Given Me This Beautiful Thing by Mr Alex Watson (Please read and comment on this one first as I won't be able to moderate comments reliably for a few days after Monday morning due to circumstances beyond my control. VLee)
Reacquaintance by Kathleen Oxley
Turbulence by Susan Helene Gottfried
The Day After by Susan Helene Gottfried
Rain (a flashlet) by Susan Helene Gottfried
Chapeau by Susan Helene Gottfried
The Planter Box by Evilynne
In a Dry Land by Ann Pino
Muse by Andrea King
Elementary by A. Catherine Noon
The Element of Fire by Eaton Bennett
The Power of the Eclipse by ElizabethAnne
Please read everyone's flash and comment on those open to it. Feedback is our friend, after all.
Thanks again for joining us!
Showing posts with label dona nobis pacem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dona nobis pacem. Show all posts
Friday, April 18, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
April FFC Theme Announcement: Earth, Fire, Water, Air - The Elements
Sorry for the delay. Big changes are occurring in my life and as I could not find a host for April, I got behind.
At any rate, the rules for the April FFC are as follows:
1. There is a shorter writing span of TEN DAYS rather than two weeks. I apologize for this, but that is how it needs to be for this month. Hopefully May will be more normal. At any rate, your flash to be hosted here in the FFC blog or the link to your flash must be sent to me via the FFC email address by midnight on April 15th. Yes, I know that's Tax Day in the US, but my schedule is such that I have no choice. I will have the links and stories posted no later than noon on the 18th. I will try to post them earlier, but barring disaster, it shouldn't be any later.
2. Word limit is 1000 words. Please proofread for spelling and grammar. We are not your Mama or your English teacher. Thanks.
3. Your entry must be verifiable as belonging to YOU. Please submit via your main ISP email address if you are a new participant. The only Gmail entrants we'll accept will be those coming from previous participants or those with credible referrals. Yahoo email is acceptable, but only just. We are sorry if this inconveniences you, but for legal reasons it is necessary. I, as admin, must be able to verify who you are. And yes, the information will remain confidential.
4. I guess you're wondering what the theme is, huh?
THE ELEMENTS: Earth, Water, Fire, Air
Use them all or only use one. You can even do one flash per element and submit each one on its own. However you are inspired is what you need to do.
I chose this theme because of all the weird weather that comes with Spring.
What are you waiting for? Go WRITE!
At any rate, the rules for the April FFC are as follows:
1. There is a shorter writing span of TEN DAYS rather than two weeks. I apologize for this, but that is how it needs to be for this month. Hopefully May will be more normal. At any rate, your flash to be hosted here in the FFC blog or the link to your flash must be sent to me via the FFC email address by midnight on April 15th. Yes, I know that's Tax Day in the US, but my schedule is such that I have no choice. I will have the links and stories posted no later than noon on the 18th. I will try to post them earlier, but barring disaster, it shouldn't be any later.
2. Word limit is 1000 words. Please proofread for spelling and grammar. We are not your Mama or your English teacher. Thanks.
3. Your entry must be verifiable as belonging to YOU. Please submit via your main ISP email address if you are a new participant. The only Gmail entrants we'll accept will be those coming from previous participants or those with credible referrals. Yahoo email is acceptable, but only just. We are sorry if this inconveniences you, but for legal reasons it is necessary. I, as admin, must be able to verify who you are. And yes, the information will remain confidential.
4. I guess you're wondering what the theme is, huh?
THE ELEMENTS: Earth, Water, Fire, Air
Use them all or only use one. You can even do one flash per element and submit each one on its own. However you are inspired is what you need to do.
I chose this theme because of all the weird weather that comes with Spring.
What are you waiting for? Go WRITE!
Friday, March 14, 2008
March FFC: Letters and/or Numbers
When I chose the theme Letters and/or Numbers, I wasn't sure if I'd get much response. I couldn't have been more wrong. We ended up with a baker's dozen and at least a third of those I credit to Gwen Mitchell's influence. So THANKS, GWEN! You helped make this month's FFC a success.
Four stories are being hosted here at the FFC 2008 blog. Comments are open, so please share your thoughts. The authors of the remaining pieces have opted to host their works at their respective blogs. Please visit as many as you can and respond to those with open comments. Please be constructive not destructive, but do be honest.
Now then, Ladies and Gentlemen, in alphabetical order by title, I present the March Flash Fiction Carnival: Letters and/or Numbers --
Carve Me, Carve You by Virginia Lee
Conversation With a Friend Over Coffee, Part 2: Snuffed Out by DT Kelly
Flight 1580 by Kathleen Oxley
Keeping Score by Gwen Mitchell
Numerology by orion_mk3
Regret by Eaton Bennett
Sacrificing Her Child by Padma Narayanaswamy
Untitled by A. Catherine Noon
Untitled by ElizabethAnne
The Written Word by Ann Pino (aka: BunnyGirl)
Four stories are being hosted here at the FFC 2008 blog. Comments are open, so please share your thoughts. The authors of the remaining pieces have opted to host their works at their respective blogs. Please visit as many as you can and respond to those with open comments. Please be constructive not destructive, but do be honest.
Now then, Ladies and Gentlemen, in alphabetical order by title, I present the March Flash Fiction Carnival: Letters and/or Numbers --
Carve Me, Carve You by Virginia Lee
Conversation With a Friend Over Coffee, Part 2: Snuffed Out by DT Kelly
Flight 1580 by Kathleen Oxley
Keeping Score by Gwen Mitchell
The Knockoff by Richard Badalamente
Letter G (the early days) by Susan Helene Gottfried
Numbers and Letters by Benjamin SolahNumerology by orion_mk3
Regret by Eaton Bennett
Sacrificing Her Child by Padma Narayanaswamy
Untitled by A. Catherine Noon
Untitled by ElizabethAnne
The Written Word by Ann Pino (aka: BunnyGirl)
March FFC: orion_mk3: Numerology
Numerology
by orion_mk3
The man was seated on the concrete lip of a planter, as he often was, paying no attention to the passing students and merrily belting out a tune with harmonica and washboard. The board at his feet often contained a message—Carrie could recall it saying "time well wasted" a few weeks ago, and the other day it had read "the devil always leaves the porch light on."
Today, though, there was nothing but a large inkjet-bright "2."
"I've been meaning to ask," Carrie said to her friend Amy as they neared the player. "Who's that?"
Amy shrugged. "One of the weirdoes big colleges invariably attract. Whenever the weather's good, he's out here banging and blowing like a trumpet in a trash compactor."
"Yeah, I've seen him a few times. But where's he from?" She noted his ill-fitting thrift store clothing. "Is he homeless?"
"I dunno."
"I'll ask him," Carrie said, veering toward the player.
"Carrie, don't!" Amy hissed. "He's probably crazy or diseased or both."
"Now, now, what's the first thing Dr. Himmel said in SCWK 102? Every encounter is an opportunity to help the invisible."
"Whatever you say," Amy sighed. "Just don't go getting yourself on 'America's Most Wanted' as the tragic victim." She kept walking.
Carrie politely waited until the one-man band had stopped playing, and sat down next to him.
"Hello," he said. "Lovely afternoon, isn't it?"
"It is!" Carrie said, beaming her best smile. "What brings you out here today, Mr…?"
"I'm just a humble instrumentalist," he replied. "And today I'm playing in honor of the number 2."
"Why 2?" Carrie asked. She thought she detected a fixation; maybe the man was schizophrenic.
"Because it's truly wonderful," the instrumantalist replied. "2's prime, so just about anything can be reduced to it that isn't prime itself. Go on, give me a number."
"88," Carrie answered, thinking of piano keys.
"2 times 44 is 88, 2 times 22 is 44, 2 times 11 is 22, and then you're down to primes! Just 2 and 11 left.”
"I see." Revising her initial estimate, Carrie settled on delusion with a hint of autism thrown in for flavor—that was the instrumentalist's problem, no question.
"2's the razor that separates every number in existence into evens and odds, even though it's a very odd prime number in and of itself!” he continued. “Every number in the world's got to be pounded against 2 to see which way it breaks!"
Delusions of grandeur, too; the inflating of everyday events to hyperbolic proportions. Carrie nodded, mentally refining her diagnosis.
"At the same time, 2 is the smallest base you can use to display a meaningful number. Binary—1's and 0's, you know—is base 2, but 2 isn't even present! In fact, it's the surest sign you're out of binary country, where there's no such thing as 2."
"Hm," Carrie murmured. Definitely some kind of delusion, compounded by strange and impossible claims. No such thing as 2? Maybe it had been stolen by the one world government or the black helicopters.
"And how's this for a trick? What's 2+2?"
"4." Maybe there was some sort of childhood trauma, a root cause.
"2 x 2?"
"4 again." Add obsessive compulsion to the mix.
"2-squared?"
"Still 4." Perhaps a trauma on a day with a prominent 2?
The instrumentalist laughed. "Only number in the world that's true for. But what's the square root of two?"
Carrie only remembered a smattering of roots from high school. "I don't know."
"Exactly! No one does for sure. The square root of two is an irrational number, a decimal that goes on forever without repeating."
The instrumentalist spread his hands, smiling; Carrie saw her chance. "So why do you know so much about 2? Did something bad happen when you were 2, or on the 2nd of some month? I'm here to talk if you need it."
"No, no, nothing of the sort," the instrumentalist laughed. "I did my thesis on the divisibility of irrational numbers by 2, especially Pythagorian and Erdõs-Borwein constants."
Carrie blinked. "Thesis?" It was more serious than she thought; the man was a former academic fallen to insanity, like Kaczynski but hopefully without explosives.
"Yes, I did it at this very university in 1977; they offered me a research position as a result."
"Ah," Carrie said, hoping to probe deeper into the man's psyche. "Why'd you leave?"
"I didn't," the instrumentalist grinned.
"Y-you mean…?"
The man handed Carrie a piece of paper; unfolded, she saw it was a mathematics PhD. "Doesn't do me much good on the wall, does it?" he said. "I like to keep it on my person."
"But…but why the harmonica, the washboard, and the signs?"
"Great conversation starters," the instrumentalist replied. "And before you know it, you've learned something. Just look at how much you now know about the number 2. Every meeting is an opportunity to enlighten the ignorant, after all."
He leaned in closer. "And, just between you and me, I enjoy messing with people's perceptions a little; you learn a lot about what people are really like. And I love to play before an audience, too, even though I'm not terribly good even with years of practice."
Carrie couldn't think of a response.
"Don't say much, do you young lady?"
"I…I have to go now. I have class," Carrie said, standing. Every now and then, of course, there were people that just couldn't be helped. Yes, that was it—the instrumentalist's psychoses were so deeply rooted that there was nothing she could do. Best to write him off as a lost cause and move on, of course. She'd tried, after all, and couldn't very well be expected to make much of a difference in ten minutes.
"Of course!" The instrumentalist waved. "Come back next week. I think the sign'll say 'time's an allusion' then, or maybe 'space is infinitely spaced.' You'll get a kick out of those, you bet!"
by orion_mk3
The man was seated on the concrete lip of a planter, as he often was, paying no attention to the passing students and merrily belting out a tune with harmonica and washboard. The board at his feet often contained a message—Carrie could recall it saying "time well wasted" a few weeks ago, and the other day it had read "the devil always leaves the porch light on."
Today, though, there was nothing but a large inkjet-bright "2."
"I've been meaning to ask," Carrie said to her friend Amy as they neared the player. "Who's that?"
Amy shrugged. "One of the weirdoes big colleges invariably attract. Whenever the weather's good, he's out here banging and blowing like a trumpet in a trash compactor."
"Yeah, I've seen him a few times. But where's he from?" She noted his ill-fitting thrift store clothing. "Is he homeless?"
"I dunno."
"I'll ask him," Carrie said, veering toward the player.
"Carrie, don't!" Amy hissed. "He's probably crazy or diseased or both."
"Now, now, what's the first thing Dr. Himmel said in SCWK 102? Every encounter is an opportunity to help the invisible."
"Whatever you say," Amy sighed. "Just don't go getting yourself on 'America's Most Wanted' as the tragic victim." She kept walking.
Carrie politely waited until the one-man band had stopped playing, and sat down next to him.
"Hello," he said. "Lovely afternoon, isn't it?"
"It is!" Carrie said, beaming her best smile. "What brings you out here today, Mr…?"
"I'm just a humble instrumentalist," he replied. "And today I'm playing in honor of the number 2."
"Why 2?" Carrie asked. She thought she detected a fixation; maybe the man was schizophrenic.
"Because it's truly wonderful," the instrumantalist replied. "2's prime, so just about anything can be reduced to it that isn't prime itself. Go on, give me a number."
"88," Carrie answered, thinking of piano keys.
"2 times 44 is 88, 2 times 22 is 44, 2 times 11 is 22, and then you're down to primes! Just 2 and 11 left.”
"I see." Revising her initial estimate, Carrie settled on delusion with a hint of autism thrown in for flavor—that was the instrumentalist's problem, no question.
"2's the razor that separates every number in existence into evens and odds, even though it's a very odd prime number in and of itself!” he continued. “Every number in the world's got to be pounded against 2 to see which way it breaks!"
Delusions of grandeur, too; the inflating of everyday events to hyperbolic proportions. Carrie nodded, mentally refining her diagnosis.
"At the same time, 2 is the smallest base you can use to display a meaningful number. Binary—1's and 0's, you know—is base 2, but 2 isn't even present! In fact, it's the surest sign you're out of binary country, where there's no such thing as 2."
"Hm," Carrie murmured. Definitely some kind of delusion, compounded by strange and impossible claims. No such thing as 2? Maybe it had been stolen by the one world government or the black helicopters.
"And how's this for a trick? What's 2+2?"
"4." Maybe there was some sort of childhood trauma, a root cause.
"2 x 2?"
"4 again." Add obsessive compulsion to the mix.
"2-squared?"
"Still 4." Perhaps a trauma on a day with a prominent 2?
The instrumentalist laughed. "Only number in the world that's true for. But what's the square root of two?"
Carrie only remembered a smattering of roots from high school. "I don't know."
"Exactly! No one does for sure. The square root of two is an irrational number, a decimal that goes on forever without repeating."
The instrumentalist spread his hands, smiling; Carrie saw her chance. "So why do you know so much about 2? Did something bad happen when you were 2, or on the 2nd of some month? I'm here to talk if you need it."
"No, no, nothing of the sort," the instrumentalist laughed. "I did my thesis on the divisibility of irrational numbers by 2, especially Pythagorian and Erdõs-Borwein constants."
Carrie blinked. "Thesis?" It was more serious than she thought; the man was a former academic fallen to insanity, like Kaczynski but hopefully without explosives.
"Yes, I did it at this very university in 1977; they offered me a research position as a result."
"Ah," Carrie said, hoping to probe deeper into the man's psyche. "Why'd you leave?"
"I didn't," the instrumentalist grinned.
"Y-you mean…?"
The man handed Carrie a piece of paper; unfolded, she saw it was a mathematics PhD. "Doesn't do me much good on the wall, does it?" he said. "I like to keep it on my person."
"But…but why the harmonica, the washboard, and the signs?"
"Great conversation starters," the instrumentalist replied. "And before you know it, you've learned something. Just look at how much you now know about the number 2. Every meeting is an opportunity to enlighten the ignorant, after all."
He leaned in closer. "And, just between you and me, I enjoy messing with people's perceptions a little; you learn a lot about what people are really like. And I love to play before an audience, too, even though I'm not terribly good even with years of practice."
Carrie couldn't think of a response.
"Don't say much, do you young lady?"
"I…I have to go now. I have class," Carrie said, standing. Every now and then, of course, there were people that just couldn't be helped. Yes, that was it—the instrumentalist's psychoses were so deeply rooted that there was nothing she could do. Best to write him off as a lost cause and move on, of course. She'd tried, after all, and couldn't very well be expected to make much of a difference in ten minutes.
"Of course!" The instrumentalist waved. "Come back next week. I think the sign'll say 'time's an allusion' then, or maybe 'space is infinitely spaced.' You'll get a kick out of those, you bet!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In orion_mk3's own words: I'm a former student and teacher of literature who's driven by some inner madness to pen things at irregular intervals. I work it in between classes and during long stretches in the campus library.
March FFC: Richard Badalamente: The Knockoff
THE KNOCKOFF
by Richard Badalamente
Molly hung her purse over the ear on the back of her chair rail, making sure the Gucci logo was on the outside where everyone could see it.
Janice stared at the purse. Hmm, nine hundred bucks.
The bus boy came to the table with water. Molly kept talking while she checked him out. As he was walking away she turned to Janice and said in a stage whisper, “Nice butt.”
Janice raised a manicured eyebrow and smiled with just half her mouth.
Molly rose from her chair. “I have to pee so bad my crowns are rusting.”She took her purse from the back of the chair.
“I’ll watch your purse, if you’d like,” said Janice.
“Are you kidding? I’ve got my face in there,” Molly said, striking a dramatic pose, before turning and heading towards the Ladies.
Janice watched momentarily, then rose quickly and said to Molly’s retreating back, “I’ll go with you.”
Molly didn’t even turn around. Just raised her hand in acknowledgement. Janice made a show about checking her make up once in the Ladies, while Molly set her purse on the tile counter and headed for a stall.
As soon as Janice heard the tinkle of Molly’s stream, she grabbed Molly’s purse and holding the clasp so it wouldn’t make a snapping noise, she opened it. She checked the printing on the label, ran her thumb across it. She heard Molly’s stream stop and heard toilet paper being pulled from the roll. She hurriedly checked the label. The printing was clean. No misspellings as far as she could tell. She started to pull at it and that’s when the side pocket flipped open and she saw the gun.
The next sequence of events seemed to happen in slow motion for Janice. The purse fell from her fingers, hit the edge of the counter, turned over and spilled its contents to the floor; compact, lipstick, eye shadow pencil, wallet, and then the gun. Janice watched as the gun fell to the floor, hitting on its handle and going off with an ear shattering report that reverberated off the bathroom walls.
“Uh, oh,” was all Janice could manage.
She stared dumbstruck at the ugly, matte-black pistol lying on the tile floor next to a spinning lipstick -- Bubblegum pink. Then she heard a moan and a thud and looked at the door to the stall directly across from her. There was a neat, round hole in the door and beneath it Janice could see Molly’s elbow and the back of her head.
She picked up the purse. The label had pulled loose.
“Hah!” she said, “It is a knockoff!”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Badalamente writes fiction and non-fiction, sometimes confusing the two, especially when writing about politics. He completed a 120,000-word novel last year only to realize he’d have a better chance getting two 60,000-word novels published. He’s also written a novella, a novelette, numerous short stories, and many poems, some of which have actually been published. “The Knockoff” is his first foray into flash fiction. Per Richard, "It was fun."
March FFC: Padma Narayanaswamy: Sacrificing Her Child
Sacrificing Her Child
by Padma Narayanaswamy
Sita has no other alternative but to kill her son. The child who has suckled her breast drinking the very blood of her life has to be put away. She looked the last time at him.
He has taken after her, and looked pretty handsome for his age. He was just a toddler and looked at her with a confidence that a child has for his mother that she will protect him from evil and bad things in this cruel world. The child 's look at her, is what it hurt the most.
Her child was born to her after visiting so many temples and after so many prayers. He was the apple of her eye. He used to follow her holding the end of her sari, whenever she visited the nearby forest to pluck the leaves of the medicine trees, which grew there and watch her grind and give to the sickly poor persons who visited her in search of any cure for their ailments. She used to tell the future of some of her clients.
How happy she was with her husband? It looked just as if it was yesterday when her husband Ram brought to his village. He was quite handsome and hard working. They owned a small plot of land, not much just about three acres. He used to grow vegetables and wheat on their land. He also planted some of the herbal trees for her.
After two summers of marriage people began to talk her as barren. She than went with her husband and performed many pujas (rites performed by the Hindus ) .One of the elders suggested to her to tie a cradle on the banyan tree and circumvent the tree every Friday. To her joy she conceived and her joy knew no bounds.
However destiny started playing in her life. Her healthy husband suddenly took ill. She gave him her medicines. Finding that he became more ill, she took him to hospitals. There they diagnosed him with TB.
She became aware that he was finally dying. One night she dreamt that her husband was dragged away from her by Yama (a black figure riding a buffalo). She has to do something to save her sindoor. (Vermillion applied by Indian women in the parting of their hair to show their married status)
Being a widow is the most tragic part for any Indian woman. Being a witch she found that she could stop her husband dying if she could sacrifice the blood of a child to Goddess Kali (Indian Goddess). She has to somehow retain her sindoor as she cannot treat the sick, as she would lose the respect of the villagers and they would not come to her if she is a widow.
She than decided that she had no option, but to sacrifice her child to please the Goddess. She grinded some sleeping herbs and gave it to the child. She took the sleeping child to the Kali Temple at night. While it lay she cut the head and fell into a swoon.
The next day the villagers found a torso of a child, the head some distances away and a woman’s body near the temple and handed it over to the police.
***
From the author: I am Padma Narayanaswamy an Indian Freelance writer and Journalist. I am Passionate in all genres of writing and I have written a lot of short stories, poems, plays and a film script . I am a middle age lady with two grown up sons. My husband is working in a Bank. I aim to be a successful writer with the help of forums like (FFC 2008) and CC and I am sure I will succeed.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Spring Theme Carnival!
Is it Spring yet where you are? If not, it will be soon and what better time than now to start thinking about March holidays and the start of a bright new season?
Here are a few Spring Holiday Themes to get you thinking:
* Vernal (Spring) Equinox
* Spring Break
* St Patrick's Day
* Easter
Of course, you may have other holidays you're celebrating this month or the changing of the season might be inspiring you to write some other springtime tale. Any seasonally appropriate story is fine for this carnival. And don't forget it's also Women's History Month, so bring on your strong female characters!
Submit your flash fiction piece of 1,000 words or less no later than 10:00pm Friday, March 21 and it'll be posted sometime before the next morning. I'll post stragglers through the weekend of March 22-23 on an ad hoc basis.
If you are posting your story on your own website or blog, send the permalink via EMAIL. If you prefer your story be hosted here, send it as text in the body of an EMAIL and we'll get it posted. Do NOT post links to stories in the comments. If we do not have an email from your email address, we will not post a link to your story. This is a new rule necessitated by our need to confirm that we have full permission of the author to link to and/or post the author's work. This is non-negotiable. No link or story will be posted if the FFC admins cannot confirm its origin. No IP address, no participation. Thanks in advance for your cooperation and understanding.
Now get writing!
Here are a few Spring Holiday Themes to get you thinking:
* Vernal (Spring) Equinox
* Spring Break
* St Patrick's Day
* Easter
Of course, you may have other holidays you're celebrating this month or the changing of the season might be inspiring you to write some other springtime tale. Any seasonally appropriate story is fine for this carnival. And don't forget it's also Women's History Month, so bring on your strong female characters!
Submit your flash fiction piece of 1,000 words or less no later than 10:00pm Friday, March 21 and it'll be posted sometime before the next morning. I'll post stragglers through the weekend of March 22-23 on an ad hoc basis.
If you are posting your story on your own website or blog, send the permalink via EMAIL. If you prefer your story be hosted here, send it as text in the body of an EMAIL and we'll get it posted. Do NOT post links to stories in the comments. If we do not have an email from your email address, we will not post a link to your story. This is a new rule necessitated by our need to confirm that we have full permission of the author to link to and/or post the author's work. This is non-negotiable. No link or story will be posted if the FFC admins cannot confirm its origin. No IP address, no participation. Thanks in advance for your cooperation and understanding.
Now get writing!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
March FFC Theme Announcement: Letters & Numbers
First off, please excuse my not getting this posted sooner. I went to bed early last evening and actually managed to sleep through the night for once.
Now then, the theme for March is LETTERS and/or NUMBERS.
By letters, I mean alphabet letters. This can take you anywhere you can imagine and follow any genre. The numbers can be numerals of any flavor. Arabic numerals, Roman numerals, Mayan ones. Or even some system you create yourself.
The only limits to this topic are the ones you impose on yourself, so BE FREE!
Now for the nitty gritty:
1. You have two weeks to write and submit. I must receive a link to your story in your blog or elsewhere or en email containing the text for your story to be hosted here at the FFC blog by
12 pm US Eastern Standard Time on March 12th. Email your links and stories to me.
2. All genres and all writers are welcome.
3. Word count should NOT exceed 1000 words.
4. Please PROOFREAD before you send us a story to be hosted. I'm usually pretty nice about hollering at folks, but sometimes (like now) I have other things I'm doing and cannot be your mama or your English teacher.
That's about it. Please ask any questions in the comments. You are likely NOT the only one who has your question.
Ah, one more thing. Do NOT post links to stories in the comments. If I do not have an email from your email address, I will not post a link to your story. This is a new rule necessitated by our need to confirm that we have full permission of the author to link to and/or post the author's work. This is non-negotiable. No link or story will be posted if the FFC admins cannot confirm its origin. No IP address, no participation. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
Now then, GO WRITE!
Now then, the theme for March is LETTERS and/or NUMBERS.
By letters, I mean alphabet letters. This can take you anywhere you can imagine and follow any genre. The numbers can be numerals of any flavor. Arabic numerals, Roman numerals, Mayan ones. Or even some system you create yourself.
The only limits to this topic are the ones you impose on yourself, so BE FREE!
Now for the nitty gritty:
1. You have two weeks to write and submit. I must receive a link to your story in your blog or elsewhere or en email containing the text for your story to be hosted here at the FFC blog by
12 pm US Eastern Standard Time on March 12th. Email your links and stories to me.
2. All genres and all writers are welcome.
3. Word count should NOT exceed 1000 words.
4. Please PROOFREAD before you send us a story to be hosted. I'm usually pretty nice about hollering at folks, but sometimes (like now) I have other things I'm doing and cannot be your mama or your English teacher.
That's about it. Please ask any questions in the comments. You are likely NOT the only one who has your question.
Ah, one more thing. Do NOT post links to stories in the comments. If I do not have an email from your email address, I will not post a link to your story. This is a new rule necessitated by our need to confirm that we have full permission of the author to link to and/or post the author's work. This is non-negotiable. No link or story will be posted if the FFC admins cannot confirm its origin. No IP address, no participation. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
Now then, GO WRITE!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
FFC Hosts Needed!
DO YOU CRAVE POWER?
Are you interested in having a group of writers follow your lead? Do you feel up to the challenge of creating a theme for the next Flash Fiction Carnival? Finally, are you willing to put forth the time and effort to promote the FFC you host and gather the permalinks and stories to be hosted here at the FFC 2008 blog and then post them on the expected day? Shoot me an email and volunteer!
Seriously, we need hosts for the coming months. Also, if you are interested in hosting special FFCs, send me a proposal and I'll discuss it with my advisors (yes, I do have advisors) and if it flies we'll give it a go. As of now, I'm thinking that after a while I'd like to offer up themes for micro-flashes to be delivered in 24 hours. Traffic to our little FFC 2008 blog is increasing daily and as interest grows, hopefully the number of writers will as well.
Meanwhile, I have a theme in mind for March if no one else wants to do one. I do not know, as yet, if BunnyGirl is planning a St. Patrick's themed flash, but she'll let us know before long I'm sure. At any rate, I'll be posting the theme for March one week from tomorrow on the 27th and there will be a full two weeks to write this time. Cowardice did way better than I was afraid it might with only a week, but I do wonder how many more folks would have participated if they'd had the full fourteen days.
So holler if you want to host. Or, if you like, you can just send me some theme ideas. I'm open to suggestions.
Are you interested in having a group of writers follow your lead? Do you feel up to the challenge of creating a theme for the next Flash Fiction Carnival? Finally, are you willing to put forth the time and effort to promote the FFC you host and gather the permalinks and stories to be hosted here at the FFC 2008 blog and then post them on the expected day? Shoot me an email and volunteer!
Seriously, we need hosts for the coming months. Also, if you are interested in hosting special FFCs, send me a proposal and I'll discuss it with my advisors (yes, I do have advisors) and if it flies we'll give it a go. As of now, I'm thinking that after a while I'd like to offer up themes for micro-flashes to be delivered in 24 hours. Traffic to our little FFC 2008 blog is increasing daily and as interest grows, hopefully the number of writers will as well.
Meanwhile, I have a theme in mind for March if no one else wants to do one. I do not know, as yet, if BunnyGirl is planning a St. Patrick's themed flash, but she'll let us know before long I'm sure. At any rate, I'll be posting the theme for March one week from tomorrow on the 27th and there will be a full two weeks to write this time. Cowardice did way better than I was afraid it might with only a week, but I do wonder how many more folks would have participated if they'd had the full fourteen days.
So holler if you want to host. Or, if you like, you can just send me some theme ideas. I'm open to suggestions.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
February FFC: Cowardice
Welcome to the February Flash Fiction Carnival. I want to thank the writers who ran with the theme and sent in stories after just a week of writing time. I had no idea if this theme would work or not, but I'm very gratified that you all gave it a go.
HOORAY!
Now then, to business. Two stories are being hosted here at the FFC 2008 blog and the others are posted in the respective author's blog. Please read all of the flashes and make comments where they are open. As we have fewer than ten writers for this theme, commenting should not be an overwhelming task. I know I don't need to remind you, but it's my job so to do, please be constructive with your comments NOT destructive. Comments in this blog are now being moderated and will likely remain so indefinitely. I apologize for this inconvenience, but I promise that I will post comments with as much alacrity as I can muster.
In order of receipt, I present to you the flashers bold enough to address COWARDICE:
Cowardice by Unfocused Me in The Unfocused Life
A Tough Decision by Kathleen Oxley in Kathleen Oxley Erotica
Five Simple Words by Gwen Mitchell in Gwen Mitchell Fiction
15-and-4 by Arachne Jericho in Spontaneous Derivation
A Wee Bit Afeared by BenBradley at Absolute Write's blogging forum.
Good Enough, Close Enough by Genevieve Waller in FFC 2008
Going Home by Alannah Joy in AlannahJoy's Medazzaland
The Artifice of Sisterhood by Virginia Lee in FFC 2008
HOORAY!
Now then, to business. Two stories are being hosted here at the FFC 2008 blog and the others are posted in the respective author's blog. Please read all of the flashes and make comments where they are open. As we have fewer than ten writers for this theme, commenting should not be an overwhelming task. I know I don't need to remind you, but it's my job so to do, please be constructive with your comments NOT destructive. Comments in this blog are now being moderated and will likely remain so indefinitely. I apologize for this inconvenience, but I promise that I will post comments with as much alacrity as I can muster.
In order of receipt, I present to you the flashers bold enough to address COWARDICE:
Cowardice by Unfocused Me in The Unfocused Life
A Tough Decision by Kathleen Oxley in Kathleen Oxley Erotica
Five Simple Words by Gwen Mitchell in Gwen Mitchell Fiction
15-and-4 by Arachne Jericho in Spontaneous Derivation
A Wee Bit Afeared by BenBradley at Absolute Write's blogging forum.
Good Enough, Close Enough by Genevieve Waller in FFC 2008
Going Home by Alannah Joy in AlannahJoy's Medazzaland
The Artifice of Sisterhood by Virginia Lee in FFC 2008
February FFC: Genevieve Waller: Good Enough, Close Enough
Good Enough, Close Enough
by Genevieve Waller
"Robert, we have to leave as soon as possible. Tonight. They know you're here and they're going to be coming for us soon."
"I know, but I just can't decide which ones to take."
"You can't take any of them. Don't you realize that by now? Most of those images are too incriminating to survive. At the very least, they'll confiscate the negatives as we try to get out of here. At the most, they'll destroy them in front of your eyes. Probably burn them to ashes. And then throw you in prison. You can't take them with us."
"But I've worked so hard to get these. Don't you remember how it was? The Republicans wouldn't take me seriously when I first got to Spain. They thought I wanted to photograph their sunlight, their women. They placed bets on whether I'd keep up with their soldiering, whether I'd handle all the running and fighting and death. But I proved them wrong and won them over. And I've shown the world their story, as sad and violent as it's been."
"That's all true, Robert. But we're going to be on a ship for something like seven hours. The water, the salt. They'll be destroyed. You've got to leave them here."
"But who could I possibly trust with them?"
"What about Ricardo? He's not suspect. He's not Jewish. He's been a diplomat long enough to know how situations like these develop into chaos. With the war coming, I doubt he'll stay here in France much longer. He can take the negatives with him when he leaves."
"You're right, although if we waited until tomorrow night to leave, I could get them all together safely. Plus, I've only met the man once or twice. Would he remember me? Would he even agree to take them? How do I get them to him? And how would I get them back?"
"You're already asking too many questions. I'll contact his girlfriend. She's with him almost every night and if they're not together now she'll at least know where to find him. Quickly. I'm sure he'll do it. I saw him last week at the bar and he went on for almost an hour about how much he loves your photos, your philosophy."
"You're sure about this man?"
"I can't really think of anyone else on such short notice. Robert, look at all of this. There are so many here. Can't you leave some behind?"
"I don't think so."
"But…. But, I can't wait."
"What?"
"I want to leave tonight. I was hoping you'd decide quickly about the negatives and go with me. I've already got tickets for the two of us on the last ship out. I have to be on it, with or without you. I can't stay here. I can't do this any longer. Soon they aren't going to let me leave unless I start helping them."
"But you've just said you'd help me save these negatives. They're all I've got to show for the last three years of my life."
"I will help you, Robert. By contacting Ricardo's girlfriend. But I've got to go. They're after me as well, you know, for the photos I took in the cities while you were out in the countryside."
"Please. Stay. Just one more night. We'll leave together then."
"It's not a chance I can take. I'll make the call. That's good enough, isn't it? Then I've got to pack."
"I don't think I'll ever see you again, then."
"I don't think you will. That's something I realized when I started this conversation. But it's all the help I can give you."
"Then just make that call. And go."
Friday, February 1, 2008
February FFC Theme Announcement
The February FFC is LIVE ! ! !
COWARDICE
I'm changing things up a bit for this FFC because of BunnyGirl's Valentine's FFC. Here we go:
1. You have SEVEN DAYS to write. The deadline is MIDNIGHT, February 7th, Eastern Standard Time.
2. The word count should NOT exceed 750 words, but 500 would be better.
3. Any genre is acceptable. Use this opportunity to stretch a bit if you wish. Get out of your comfort zone or try something new. It's entirely up to you.
4. EDIT your story before hitting send if you expect us to host it here at the FFC 2008 blog. We are not your mama nor your English teacher. What you send us is what we will post. I can assure you, however, if something is horribly wrong and it's not too late for you to fix it, I will send you an email to see if you want to edit your piece. I'm nice that way. I will not, however, fix it for you.
5. Comments are optional. We STRONGLY recommend that you open your story up to comments because constructive feedback is always a good thing, however, if you're new to this sort of thing and uncomfortable with that, it's okay to not have comments.
6. You ARE expected, however, to comment on the stories that are open for them. The rule of thumb is that you comment on at least 1/2 of the stories unless we have more than a dozen. Then you have to do at least eight, being careful to select stories with the fewest comments first. We want everyone who wants it to have feedback. NOTE: We can close comments on your story that is hosted here if you wish. We'd prefer to leave our comments open, but understand if you would prefer them closed.
7. Send your permalinks or flashes to me. If you want your story hosted here in the FFC 2008 blog, please include a brief biography.
That's it. Please ask any questions you have in the comments below. The odds are you aren't the only person with that question.
Thanks for playing!
NOTE: The FFC 2008 blog reserves the right to refuse to host or post any stories from certain parties. This is not a democracy. Thanks.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Support A Writer Day: Patry Francis - Liar's Diary
I blogged about Patry Francis a while back. She's a writer whose book, Liar's Diary, is coming out this week in paperback. She also has cancer, as I did not so long ago.
Patry is, I believe, an Everywoman. She worked and took care of her family, all the while, toiling away at her book. Everything I read about her by people who've met her and known her for some time is positive. That's rare, that is.
So why blog about this lady? Well, she's dealing with her cancer as I type and I feel for her. She's an amazing woman all the way around. And, she's a writer who could use a hand promoting her book, Liar's Diary, while she's focusing on her health. I daresay you'll run across her name all over the place too in blogs and articles and websites for a time as @ three hundred folks have signed on to give Ms. Francis a boost for her book, Liar's Diary.
Here's the press release:
THE LIAR’S DIARY
A Novel
By Patry Francis
By Patry Francis
“The new questions and revelations just keep coming…Readers will be heartily rewarded.”—Ladies’ Home Journal
When new music teacher Ali Mather enters Jeanne Cross’s quiet suburban life, she brings a jolt of energy that Jeanne never expected. Ali has a magnetic personality and looks to match, drawing attention from all quarters. Nonetheless, Jeanne and Ali develop a friendship based on their mutual vulnerabilities THE LIAR’S DIARY (Plume / February 2008 / ISBN 978-0-452-28915-4 / $14.00) is the story of Ali and Jeanne’s friendship, and the secrets they both keep.Jeanne’s secrets are kept to herself; like her son’s poor report card and husband’s lack of interest in their marriage. Ali’s secrets are kept in her diary, which holds the key to something dark: her fear that someone has been entering her house when she is not at home. While their secrets bring Jeanne and Ali together, it is this secret that will drive them apart. Jeanne finds herself torn between her family and her dear friend in order to protect the people she loves.
A chilling tour of troubled minds, THE LIAR’S DIARY questions just how far you’ll go for your family and what dark truths you’d be willing to admit—even to yourself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Patry Francis is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize whose work has appeared in the Tampa Review, Colorado Review, Ontario Review, and the American Poetry Review. She is also the author of the popular blogs, simplywait.blogspot.com and waitresspoems.blogspot.com. This is her first novel. Please visit her website at http://www.patryfrancis.com/.
Praise for THE LIAR’S DIARY:
“Twists and turns but never lets go.”—Jacquelyn Mitchard, bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean
“A quirky, well-written and well-constructed mystery with an edge.”—Publishers Weekly
“Outright chilling.”—New York Daily News
“Genuinely creepy…The unlikely friendship between a small-town school secretary and a flamboyant teacher proves deadly in this psychological murder mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A twisting ride full of dangerous curves and jaw-dropping surprises. This is one of my favorite reads of the year!”—Tess Gerristen, bestselling author of The Mephisto Club
“Francis draws and tense and moody picture of the perfect home and family being peeled back secret by secret…Four Stars.”—Romantic Times
THE LIAR’S DIARY
By Patry Francis
Plume Paperbacks / February 2008 / $14.00ISBN: 978-0-452-28915-4
For more information or to schedule an interview with Patry Francis, please contact Laurie Connors, Plume Publicity212-366-2222 / laurie.connors@us.penguingroup.com
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I don't know about you, but I'll be picking up a copy right quick.
Thanks for your kind attention. Go give someone you know who's been affected by cancer a real good hug and give them a copy of Patry's book. And HEY! Don't forget to get one for yourself too.
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