I have a little (138-word) ditty called ‘Just Like Enid Blyton’ (see below) which has been longlisted (sixth week in a row!) on https://adhocfiction.com/read/#FlashEbook. It’s quite near the beginning (fifth story): click until you get to ’77 more’. Clicking on the picture below will also take you there.
If you like it – I hope you do – please click on ‘Vote’. Voting closes midnight 11th/12th December. Thank you!
Hello everyone and welcome to the thirty-eighth month of this competition! Last month I received a whopping 62 entries from 34 authors for the theme of ‘departure’. So especially tough this month to pick a top thirteen (ish). In fact I didn’t so there are two seconds, two thirds and several more honourably mentions this month. 🙂 NB You can all send in three stories for a better chance of being picked! At the time of writing this (20th November), there have been eleven entries but then I do usually get a flurry towards the end of the month (and sometimes within the last couple of hours).
This time, one story was disqualified for being 104 words but fortunately the author had sent two other stories, one of which was my favourite of the three so no harm done. Another was 101 with no obvious reason for the extra word. Another was 97 because the author had counted a hyphen / dash as a word… or more likely, Word had counted the standalone – hyphens in the word count so that when I corrected them to the longer – dash, the word count dropped. 😦
A story was disqualified for being a tweaked version of a previously submitted story. The rules do state that the first version only will be accepted.
Another author submitting three stories had one disqualified for being 99 words. Another author submitting two stories had one of them with two words that should have been hyphenated taking the story down to 99 words. Another the opposite; had a hyphenated word where the description was an …ly adverb so no hyphen required, taking it up to 101.
Another story lost points for having ‘breathe’ (verb) instead of ‘breath’ (noun). The author had already sent in a different story which I preferred so ultimately it didn’t matter.
This probably all sounds very harsh but I need to be fair to everyone. Oh, and underfoot is one word not two. 😦
A little tip for you: where you have more than one character of the same gender in a story, do make sure that every time you have a ‘he’ or a ‘she’ it refers to the character just mentioned. Even if you don’t have any names,
The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way),or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly). Sometimes a story beats another because it has a stronger link to the theme so it’s worth writing a story to the theme rather than tweaking a story you already have to loosely fit it.
You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).
Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.
*The theme for November is ‘owing a debt’ – to be used however you wish – and you can submit your entries (and do send three) at any time up to midnight (UK time) on Friday 30th November. Details and entry forms on https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/100-word-free-monthly-competition. So without further ado, below are the successful entries this month.
First place (winning free access to three of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £60 / $60) or a free edit and critique of up to 2,000 words (worth £14 / $18):
Bridget Scrannage with ‘Checkmate’
The king had planned every move and counter move from the start. Seduce her. Get married. Mould her into who he wanted her to be.
He surveyed the emotional chessboard in his mind and considered options. If she did this next, then I did that, she’d be conquered. I’d declare victory. But what if she changed tactics? He pondered a myriad of scenarios.
Meanwhile, his opponent’s disengaged. The queen can move in any direction. She has. To a new town. A new life. Far from him. The deluded king, absorbed in his strategies, hasn’t realised he was always her pawn.
*
Joint second place (each winning free access to two of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £40 / $40) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,500 words (worth £11 / $14):
Celia Jenkins with ‘Departure from Reality as I Take the Big Black Dog for a Walk’
I know who I am. I wake, work, eat, sleep… live.
And then the transition from my normal mind, gloom at bay, just living my life, happens in a beating of charcoal wings, pure pitch darkness, every ounce of my being enveloped, the big black dog sighing on my chest once again; sinking, drowning, I’m lost in the fug, the haze, breath caught in my throat, catching, can’t think, can’t think, can’t breathe, I’m gone. Downwards. Spiralling. Despair.
Then suddenly, like a brick to the back of the head, the depression recedes and I return to who I was. Breathe.
*
Karen Lawrence with ‘Making Way’
She watched his chest rise and fall, holding her breath every time it seemed his stopped. At ninety-seven her father should be ready to leave. He had a firm belief in an afterlife, which gave Muriel comfort. Aware that her granddaughter was, at that moment, giving birth to the first of their next generation she found her emotions irrational, demanding he should wait to hear, impatient for him to depart. A sound signalled a text.
‘Dad, he’s here now. A strapping boy, like you hoped. They’re calling him Alexander after you.’
He let go, making space for the new life.
*
Joint third place (each winning free access to one of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9):
Anne-Marie Latter with ‘Factor 30’
“I thought it would be hotter,” the woman said, as she leaned back and enjoyed the warmth on her face. “This is nice, but I just expected more heat.”
“It’s a common misconception about this place,” her companion replied. “It’s actually pretty comfortable all year round. You don’t want to burn or get heatstroke on your first day, do you?”
The woman smiled. She had been so worried about this trip but it was turning out to be quite pleasant.
The devil smiled too. He loved messing with the new people. Wait until she realised this room had air conditioning.
*
Rachel Barnett with ‘The Actor’
George Departure. You know? Foreign. Big nose. Acted in loads of eighties rom-com films, even though he resembles the back end of a bus.’
I shook my head. ‘No idea who you mean, sorry.’ I reached for my glass, draining it. ‘Give me another clue.’
‘You must know. He was in “Cyrano de Bergerac”.’
‘Steve Martin?’
Bernice frowned. ‘No. George Departure. He’s French. I told you.’
‘Hang on, do you mean Gerard Depardieu?’
‘Yes, that’s what I said. George Departure. Do you know who I mean now?’
I nodded, grinning as I lifted our empty glasses. ‘Fancy the same again?’
*
Highly commended (winning my Entering Writing Competitionscourse worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:
Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:
Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.
If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.
Welcome to Flash Fiction Friday (albeit on the Saturday!) and the one hundred and ninety-second piece in this series. This is the forty-fifth bunch of 6-word stories by a variety of authors, together with their 6-word biographies!
6-word stories
by Chong Teck SIM – aspiring Singaporean writer
Moonless night. Howling dogs. Quick footsteps.by Kathryn Jones, a mysterious Christian writer
by Lyndon Loweth, imagination is my escape.
Inserting the syringe, hope fills me.by André Lepine, just writing down dreams.
by Valerie Fish – Writing from the heart
No heartbeat, no life. Heartbreaking delivery.by Samikshya Mishra, writer of anything fiction
I hated because I saw myself.by Pippa Stroud, insomniac and mountain biker
by Anita Bowden – happy bunny in disguise
Old flame sent photo. Eyes missing.by Chris Tattersall, esteemed writer in waiting.
by Taj Fregene. Doctor. Writer. Musician. Dreamer
and then some from yours truly… Morgen Bailey, Morgen With an E
If you’d like to submit your 6-worders (up to ten per blog post, although you can send as many as you like and I’ll either pick the best ones or if I like most / all of them, schedule ahead) and / or 500-word max. stories for considerationfor Flash Fiction Friday take a lookhere.
Related articles:
Hello everyone. In the past I’ve talked very little about what I do but given that I’m now taking my writing more seriously, I thought I’d share my news with you. Yay. 🙂
I’ve started NaNoWriMo (for the umpteenth time) this month with the follow up to The Serial Dater’s Shopping List*, The Serial Dieter’s Shopping List, with Izzy’s sidekick, Donna, at the helm, and set in Hemel Hempstead and Tring (Hertfordshire) rather than Northampton, although Izzy, Hunky Dunky and other characters will make an re-appearance in this one.
By the way, if you’ve read this first novel, I’d be really grateful if you left a review on Amazon, Goodreads and / or wherever you purchased it. Thank you! Reviews can be make or… er, ticking along for authors.
I’m also writing a couple of standalone psychological thrillers, and another women’s novel, so will be cracking on with those, and hopefully the mix will keep my word count respectable. As of day 2, I’m a bit behind but am planning on catching up over the weekend.
If you’d like to be a Beta Reader for any of these, please sign up. Again, you will have my heartfelt gratitude… and a mention in the relevant acknowledgements.
My latest little (150-word) ditty called ‘Feeding Time’ (see below) has been longlisted on https://adhocfiction.com/read/#FlashEbook and you can vote for it (if you like it) – click until you get to ‘6 more’. If you like it – I hope you do – please click on ‘Vote’. Voting closes midnight 13th/14th November. Thank you!
Speaking of flash fiction, the new rounds of my 100-word comp and BeaconLit’s 500-word competition are open.
I’m on schedule with my client Editing and Critique: one novel sent back yesterday (a day early) and three more booked in, taking me up to 7th December.
On a more personal level, but still writing related, I’ve had two new bookings in: Carlsberg Christmas Fair (mid December) and a talk to Barclaycard Pensioners Club (next July). Woo hoo! Oh, and I’ve got the date for my 15-minute audition with Bedfordshire Women’s Institute for next February. They’ll all be here before we know it.
I’ve updated my Morgen With An ‘E’ page with all these events and more: judging the Flash 500 short story competition (February), a local W.I. panel, and a talk about podcasting at Troubador Self-publishing Conference (both April) BeaconLit Literary Festival (workshops and panels) and a talk to Barclaycard Pensioners Club (both July).
So, all in all, it’s keeping me out of mischief… if only! 🙂
The day started off brilliantly with me finding out I’d been longlisted, with 121 others(!), for my 143-word story ‘Two Peas’, written especially for Ad Hoc Fiction for their theme of ‘door’. To read the story (and if you enjoy it please click on the ‘Vote’ button) please pop along to https://adhocfiction.com/read/#FlashEbook then keep clicking on the ‘xx more’ until it shows ’53 more’. (NB. there are only a few days to do so; the current theme is ‘Feed’ and then votes for that will open October 30th replacing this one.) Thank you!
Secondly, I’ve been interviewed over at TL Clark’s blog, and starts…
Author name: Hello. I’m Morgen Bailey.
Morgen with an E. Not to be confused with the handful of MorgAn Baileys (mostly American), including a rocket scientist, basketball player, Green politician, and transsexual porn star. I get some interesting Google Alerts!
Are you a traditionally published/indie/hybrid author?
I’m both. I self-published seven books between 2011 and early 2018, and my eighth, The Serial Dater’s Shopping List, was traditionally published, the first of a two-book deal, by Bombshell Books (part of Bloodhound Books) in July 2018. (Hello Betsy, Fred, team, and fellow Bombshells!) Self-publishing means the author has total control but not the support of a publisher or agent. I’ve been very lucky with Bombshell in that I got to choose the (fabulous) cover, and had a blog tour and review promotions upon release. These days it’s generally up to the author anyway to do most of the marketing and I’m hiring two marketeers to help with this.
Thirdly, I’m the judge for the annual Flash 500 Short Story competition! You have until the end of February to submit your stories but it’s never too early to start planning. Lorraine says, “We are looking for stories ranging between 1,000 and 3,000 words, with strong characters, a well-crafted plot and realistic dialogue (where used). Make us laugh, make us cry, but most of all, make us feel!” That’s exactly how I judge too! Click on the link or photo above to find out more.
Fourthly, I’m going to be one of The National Association of Writers Groups’ (NAWG) regular contributors to their bi-monthly ‘Link’ magazine. You can look forward to writing and editing tips, competition advice and more. Click here for more details.
And fifthly (not finally as the day’s far from over…), an anthology I contributed a (very British, based in Cambridge and inspired by Trinity College’s Great Run) story to is available for pre-order from Amazon. See https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cool-Weather-Warm-Hearts-Anthology-ebook/dp/B07G4LK4XQ for details. Clicking on the picture below will also take you there.
Hello everyone and welcome to the thirty-seventh month of this competition! In September I received 34 entries from 18 authors for the theme of ‘complex’. NB. You can all send in three stories for a better chance of being picked!
One was disqualified for only being 99 words with no apparent reason why. Another was the same but had a one-word title so I assume that had been included. It’s a shame as few competitions (if any) include the title in their word counts. Another was one word over because two words had been hyphenated that shouldn’t have been (light bulb, only hyphenated when preceding a noun, e.g. light-bulb moment). It’s a shame because it was really funny. I had to be fair to everyone and change it. Fortunately the author had already submitted another story which I’d scored higher anyway so no harm done but worth mentioning so you’re careful with your submission (and are aware how tough I am!).
Another author, who had fortunately submitted three stories, lost marks on one for the wrong word choice (boasting instead of boosting).
Sadly I had to disqualify one of my favourite stories because there were two words that should have been hyphenated (‘open-handed’ preceding a noun, not if alone), bringing the story down to 99 words. Fortunately, the author had sent another story so that went through to the scoring. Another 99-word story started as 100 words but hadn’t hyphenated ‘two hour’ which should have been hyphenated as preceding a noun.
Another (fabulous) story was disqualified for two unhyphenated words – sorry I’m being tough this month! When you talk about a person’s age, they are, for example six but calling him or her a six-year-old child then it’s hyphenated. This time, the author had sent two other stories but one of those was also disqualified for being hyphenated (something being fool proof rather than a fool-proof plan) so the remaining story went through. It’s clearly the month for hyphens!
At one point there were four winning stories, two second placed and three thirds so I had to do a lot of juggling, focussing on which fitted closest to the theme, while still ultimately choosing my favourites.
The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way),or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly). Sometimes a story beats another because it has a strong link to the theme so it’s worth writing a story to the theme rather than tweaking a story you already have to loosely fit it.
You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).
Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.
*The theme for October is ‘departure’ and you can submit your entries (and do send three) at any time up to midnight (UK time) on Wednesday 31st October. Details and entry forms on https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/100-word-free-monthly-competition. So without further ado, below are the successful entries this month.
*
First place (winning free access to three of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £60 / $60) or a free edit and critique of up to 2,000 words (worth £14 / $18):
Diana Hayden with ‘Broken’
Underneath our photo the brochure says, ‘Portugal’s premiere holiday apartment complex’. We are twenty luxury apartments ‘with stunning views and swimming pool’.
People were happy when they stayed inside us. We loved our families. Most stayed a fortnight. Some returned year after year and we recognised them.
But we’re abandoned and silent now. The pool is empty, and no children eat ice cream in the shade of our veranda. A little boy fell from the balcony of number sixteen on the first floor because our railing broke. He didn’t move. People cried.
It’s not our fault. Tomorrow we’ll be demolished.
*
Joint second place (each winning free access to two of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £40 / $40) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,500 words (worth £11 / $14):
Amberlie Robinson with ‘At the Bus Stop’
He wore silver braces to keep his Harlequin trousers suspended. On his feet he sported battered Converse trainers, rubber soles hanging at the toe. A striped sock was visible on his left ankle; however it appeared that his right ankle was bare. Perhaps it was out of solidarity with the foot that his chest was also naked. His arms had escaped this indignity as they were enshrouded in a moth-eaten woollen cardigan.
The man sat at the bus stop every day. He never got on the bus. Nobody ever spoke to him. He was a complex character.
To be avoided.
*
Karen Lawrence with ‘Death of a God’
She first spotted her mark strutting towards the pier. A good-looking man followed by a couple of lesser mortals.
‘Oh sorry,’ she purred as her manicured hand reached for the last Magnum in the freezer. ‘Did you want this one?’
‘Yes, er no … please you have it.’
Later, in a dimly lit restaurant, he chose a booth, dismissing his minders with a hubristic flick of his hand.
He talked about himself, his achievements. On and on.
As she pulled him close, readied the blade to slip between his ribs, she whispered, ‘My boss is right, you’ve a god complex.’
*
Joint third place (each winning free access to one of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9):
Jennie Cordner with ‘First Steps’
My layabout husband never worked but he wrote the rules, dictating economy and control.
I had two pairs of shoes: one for wear and a pair for spare. They lived in the hallstand.
Organising children, chasing dreams, I attempted to keep my complex world in order.
However, one evening, totally exhausted, my work shoes stayed where I stepped out of them.
The next morning, I found them rigid with cold, hidden in the freezer.
Softening the leather over the gas burner, I realised Preston had taught me a lesson.
I didn’t need shoes to walk.
So, I kept on walking.
*
Terri Mertz with ‘Writing for the Masses’
A compound sentence is made up of two simple sentences joined by a conjunction. Complex sentences contain an independent clause and at least one dependent clause. A compound-complex sentence is comprised of more than one clause joined by a conjunction, with at least one of those clauses being complex. In other words, it is a compound sentence with a dependent, or subordinate clause. So, if a person gets on a bus at 9 am traveling 50 miles per hour going to Newark, and stops for lunch twice, what color are the bus driver’s eyes, and where are the survivors buried?
*
Highly commended (winning my Entering Writing Competitionscourse worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:
Alan Barker with ‘Maze of Confusion’*
Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:
Celia Jenkins with ‘The Complex Nature of Middle Children’*
Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.
If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.
Hello everyone. Last month I received 29 entries from 17 authors. One was disqualified for only being 99 words because it was 100 words including the title. 😦 Another for being 98 words (100 including the title) which was a real shame because it was the author’s only entry and a newbie to this competition.
The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way),or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly). A tougher mix this month so
You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).
Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.
*The theme for September is ‘complex’ and you can submit your entries (and do send three) at any time up to midnight (UK time) on Sunday 30th September. Details and entry forms on https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/100-word-free-monthly-competition. So without further ado, below are the successful entries this month.
*
First place (winning free access to three of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £60 / $60) or a free edit and critique of up to 2,000 words (worth £14 / $18):
Lesley McLean with ‘Peeping Tom’
Mary scraped leftovers into the slop bucket. Her pigs would eat well tonight.
She locked the restaurant door and mopped the kitchen floor.
As she cashed up, she sensed Tom behind her. A swift flick of her mop had him on his back.
Pole positioned over his throat she jumped on it like a surfer mounts his board. Mary didn’t like being watched.
She strung her victim upside down from the pulley. Blood dripped from his slashed throat into the sink.
Eyeballs bobbed like ping pongs in the slop as Mary lifted the bucket to go to feed the pigs.
*
Two second place (both winning free access to two of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £40 / $40) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,500 words (worth £11 / $14) – in alphabetical order:
Hilary Ayshford with ‘Last One Standing’
She had always known she was not the same as everyone else. At school she was on her own at lunchtime or in the playground, the last to be picked for sports teams, the only one not to have a boyfriend.
Her mother told her that a time would come when being different would be a good thing.
She waited patiently.
When the epidemic struck, killing all those around her, she was left untouched.
She prayed that it would take her too, but here she was, standing alone surrounded by a sea of carnage, once again the one left over.
*
Patricia Cooksley with ‘Dad’s Café’
What would you call a new café on the Costa Del Sol?
It was Dad’s idea to call it ‘Las Sobras’, which he composed from the initials of his six grandchildren, as he wanted them to help out in their holidays in exchange for lodgings.
It had been his life’s ambition to develop a cafe in Spain and now, in his semi-retirement, ‘Las Sobras’ opened on a busy promenade in Fuengirola.
To his dismay, the café was not patronised.
While drowning his sorrows at a neighbouring bar, amidst peals of laughter, Dad learned the translation of his café’s name: leftovers.
*
Two third place (each winning free access to one of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:
Celia Jenkins with ‘ The Smallest Snips of Silk’
We got married in the spring. I’d spent the winter months making my wedding dress (having inherited my mother’s seamstresses’ fingers) and was surprisingly pleased with the result.
Silk is notoriously difficult to work with, but I’d ordered extra, just in case something went wrong.
We hadn’t planned on having a baby so soon, but that’s the way it happened. I made a tiny christening gown from my leftover fabric – the ivory bamboo silk was perfect. So delicate.
We used it as a burial gown, on a cold November morning, for a baby we hadn’t wanted until he was gone.
*
Laura Besley with Being Neighbourly
I know her husband has just died, but still. Opening the door at three thirty in the afternoon in your dressing gown. It’s not on.
I’m holding leftover curry in a Tupperware tub. Always make too much, I do.
Her hand shakes as she reaches out for it. ‘Thank you.’
‘A little advice, dear–’
‘No, thank you.’ She closes the door.
A sharpness around my stomach. I was only going to say. I could’ve been more help to her than she’ll ever know. Nothing beats first-hand experience.
Slowly, I walk back home. I hope I get my Tupperware tub back.
*
Highly commended (winning my Entering Writing Competitionscourse worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:
Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:
Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.
If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.
