Writing Update: Very Short Fiction, Contest Wins, and What Else I’m Doing

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about what I’m doing writing-wise. My laxity with the blog of late might suggest I’m not doing a lot. And there’s some truth to that. But let’s talk about the exciting stuff first.

Contest Wins

As I have mentioned more than once on the blog, I like to enter Literary Agent Janet Reid’s flash fiction contests. Janet runs these contests periodically throughout the year. They’re intended to help writers stretch their creativity (she imposes a 100-word limit, the pieces must be a complete story, and she supplies 5 words that have to appear), and for fun. There’s no cost to enter (aside from your time and brain cells), and she usually chooses a winner (or two) and sends them a book as a prize. Since Janet’s day job involves reading queries and manuscripts, and spotting killer sentences and to-die-for writing, her comments and praise can be both instructive and encouraging, especially to unpublished writers.

For this past weekend’s contest, she gave us these words: few, phew, flue, flew, and tsk. According to the rules, those words must be part of the story. However, the words can be part of other words (e.g., “influence”). The first words that came to me were “curfew” and “fluent.” From those two words, the rest of the story kind of fell into place, the way stories sometimes (sometimes!) do. I have to say, I liked the finish piece quite a lot. In fact, it seems Janet liked it too, because she named it the winning story. Here it is. See if you can spot the other three words:

We were breaking curfew to meet, but it was worth the risk. I crouched in the shadows of the ruined courthouse while searchlight beams flew overhead. In the distance I heard shots. Karen’s nephew was hit on the way last night. She won’t be out tonight.

I crept to the abandoned shack and slipped through the doorway. The others were already there, huddled close together. Flickering candlelight danced over our excited faces. Lin opened the book and, since only she could translate Chinese fluently, began, her voice quiet but strong:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…”

I liked the fact that, as Janet pointed out in her comments, there’s a whole story suggested here without actually being explicitly stated. Also, the idea that China might one day be sending Christian missionaries to countries where believers have to meet in secret appealed to me.

Here’s the link to the contest page where you can read all the other entries: https://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2020/07/flash-fiction-writingn-contest.html.

Here’s the link to the results page where you can see the entries Janet considered worthy of special attention: https://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2020/07/flash-fiction-contest-results-final.html

This is the sixth time I’ve won one of Janet’s writing contests. That sounds impressive, but bear in mind, this was my 135th entry over nine years. Yes, the contests teach you perseverance too! 🙂

Very Short Fiction

A few years ago, I took up the vss365 challenge on Twitter. This challenge involves writing a Very Short Story every day of the year (hence “vss365”). One of the contest hosts provides a prompt word each day, and participants have to write a tweet-sized story including or based on that word. I published some of those stories in a collection on Wattpad if you’d like to read them (https://www.wattpad.com/story/177171306-125-very-short-shorts).

A few weeks ago, I thought it might be fun to dip my toes back into the vss365 world. I don’t intend to participate every day, but I’ll contribute as I have time and inspiration. Here are some of the stories I’ve written for that challenge so far (the prompt words are hashtaged):

It took three solid hours of Tweeting before the message came: “Your account has been suspended.” Joe smiled. “At last. I’m #anathema. Now I can get some work done.”

###

After the break-up, rumors spread like a #pandemic. The truth behind the bruises too mundane. Tony enjoying the sympathy too much. Everyone distancing from Jane.

When Tony’s body turned up, CSI figured he was shot from 6 feet. Witnesses say his assailant wore a mask.

###

Shifting colors. Blobs of humanity.

I touch the surface.

A hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t.”

But the rainbow!

“It’s just #iridescence.”

But the people!

“They’re… dangerous. Not like us.”

Why?

“They think differently.”

But… “Just stay here. Where it’s safe.”

If you’re on Twitter, use the #vss365 hashtag to find more entries, and follow me (@colin_d_smith) to see if I’ve posted one.

What Else I’m Doing

I haven’t been doing a whole lot of writing this year, mostly because I’m catching up on studying. This includes keeping my biblical languages polished, reading church history and theology, and making sure I’m prepped for whenever we might start back with Sunday School at church.

I have ideas for short stories that I might try to get to at some point. But with family and work added into the mix, I’m taking each day as it comes and doing what I can. It’s not as if I have any deadlines or expectations at the moment with regard to my writing, so I’m enjoying the flexibility I have to write at my leisure.

If you enjoy my words, let me know. It’s always an encouragement to hear from you. Leave a comment, say hi on Twitter, or, if you’re feeling particularly flush, buy me a Ko-Fi! 🙂