Welcome to Flash Fiction Friday and the one hundred and fifty-sixth piece in this series. This week’s is the nineteenth 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
- Small lamps. Rangoli floor paintings. Deepavali.
- Re-igniting old pains. Past love.
- Sweet innocence. Ever-lasting marriage. Golden anniversary.
- Creaking doors. Pitter-patter footsteps. Mischievous poltergeist.
- Every morning. Unexpected roses. Secret admirer.
- To my beloved: no refund permitted.
- Tear-soaked face. Photograph. Departed lover.
- Two students. Holding hands. Puppy love.
- Anonymous donor. A blank cheque. Charity.
- Love misses a stop: my heart.
by Sal Buttaci finds humor in life
- Words of kindness transcend all tongues.
- In sleep no one is harmed.
- Life is measured with a thimble.
- The last great war was not.
- Counting to six, use both hands.
- Can “I do” be empty boasting?
- Find your purpose and live it.
by Mark K – a writer? Trying hard.
- Snail racing: Not an exciting sport.
- Twenty-twenty vision but he’s deaf.
- My Teddy bear died last night.
- Airline stewardess joins mile high club.
- When she went, my world stopped.
- Then diamond tears track furrowed cheeks.
- I’ll so miss her child-like smile.
- Her voice is like an angel’s.
- The door closed, my lips trembled.
- Sweet silence reigned, she’d left me.
by Samantha Wilcox, navigates life through writing
- Mix up, mothered the wrong child.
- Two men, three girls, one sigh.
- Her assistance declined, she left carefree.
- Ignored his call and walked away.
- Colorado snowfall brightened the dark firs.
- She failed and so I won.
- Excited, needed to share, chose you.
- Icy, moved fast, bad move, dead.
- Wrote this and more inspiration came.
- Degree’s done, job’s unfulfilling, still searching.
by Awen Thornber. Creative dreamer. Cancer survivor.
- Flash fiction. Short story. Became novella!
- Flees England, becomes Huguenot. Flees France.
by Geoffrey Iley: hedonist, romantic, aspiring wordsmith
- Will you… please? No! Goodbye.
- I demand your money! No! Bang!
- Where? Just here? ¾ enjoyable? Ooooh!
- Help! What? Can’t hear, sorry. Aaaaaargh…
- Candle snuffed… whose hand grips mine???
- (Enriched plutonium) + (psychopath) = extinction.
by James Holden works as a geek.
- But you were beautiful, back then.
by Mary Annie: writer at her best.
- The car screeched. And she screamed.
- Sang, danced, dined. To no avail.
by Suzanne, Pear-shaped, pushing 50, risking all
- Daughter bride chooses hyphen, maintains identity.
- Matriarch flees. Ocean restores. Family rejoices.
- Boy turned man. Loved her back.
- Grampa spoiled us flea market Sundays.
and then some from yours truly… Morgen Bailey, Morgen With an E
- Valentine’s Day. I’d expected something else.
- Generous lover, lonely wife, guilty feet.
- Concerto plays as he proposes. “No.”
- I love AC/DC. The band too.
- Watching movie, sinking into the sofa.
- Bought duct tape. Lover or killer?
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Thank you, everyone.
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 consideration for Flash Fiction Friday take a look here.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 6-word stories, 6-word story, 6-worders, 6-words, AC/DC, Alberta Ross, author, Awen Thornber, Bailey's writing tips, books, Chong Teck, Chong Teck SIM, creative writing, England, Ernest Hemmingway, flash fiction, Flash Fiction Fridays, Geoffrey Iley, Helen M Hunt, James Holden, Jane Hertenstein, Jessica Caudill, literature, Marie Annie, Mark K, micro fiction, Miriam Averna, Morgan Bailey, morgen bailey, Morgen with an e, novelist, Rebecca Barbee, Sal Buttaci, Salvatore Buttaci, Samantha Wilcox, Sarah Grace Logan, short stories, story author, story authors, twitter fiction, Valentine's Day, Warren Bull, writer, writing, writing advice, writing tips
Welcome to Flash Fiction Friday and the one hundred and fifty-fifth piece in this series. This week’s is a 193-worder by Angie Sargenti.
Josh’s Frog
“Don’t forget to save me a bullfrog.”
Josh grinned. “Will do.”
It all started when we were kids. They read us a story in class about a princess who kissed her way through hundreds of frogs, looking for a prince.
All through the years, every time Josh went gigging, he brought me back a nice fat frog, and every time I kissed it, nothing happened.
“That’s gross,” he’d say.
“You eat them,” I’d answer. “That’s even grosser.”
As the years went by, the bullfrogs grew fewer and fewer, and once Josh went off to college, they stopped entirely.
Finally, he showed up at my door one day while he was on spring break.
“You got my frog?”
“That’s kids’ stuff,” he said, grabbing me off my feet and spinning me around. “It’s time you tried the real thing.”
So I kissed him, and all those years of kissing frogs must’ve had some effect, because suddenly I was hugging air and kissing the sky.
At my feet sat a big fat bullfrog, who promptly hopped away.
“Well, damn it all,” I told him. “What’s a girl got to do to find love around here?”
*
I asked Angela what prompted this piece and she said…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Angela R Sargenti, Angela Sargenti, Angie Sargenti, author, creative writing, cryonics, erotica, flash fiction, Flash Fiction Fridays, horror, John Henry, Josh, literature, micro fiction, Morgan Bailey, morgen bailey, Morgen with an e, novelist, romance, short stories, story author, story authors, twitter fiction, writer, writing, writing advice, writing tips
Late last month, Canadian western romance author Alison Bruce asked me to provide her with a piece of flash fiction that would be suitable for Valentine’s Day. I sent her a choice of three and she picked ‘Date Night’. She kindly posted it yesterday and you can read it here. To entice you, it starts…
Date night has become a weekly tradition you look forward to. Thursdays. When others go out with the lads… the girls… it’s just you and Evelyn. Your French Fancy. You think it’s corny but she finds it funny – even after all these years.
She acts differently on a Thursday morning. More loving. Like a teenager, even. She becomes your Frisky French Fancy.
… to read more click here. You may have noticed that this is a second-person viewpoint story (‘you’) and you can read more about this point of view here.
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Based in Northamptonshire, England, Morgen Bailey (“Morgen with an E”) is a freelance writer, editor, tutor, blogger, and speaker. Like her, her blog, https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com, is consumed by all things literary. Her debut novel, several short story collections, and writer’s block workbooks are available from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Smashwords.
Tags: Alison Bruce, creative writing, flash fiction, Flash Fiction Fridays, literature, micro fiction, Morgan Bailey, morgen bailey, Morgen with an e, novelist, short stories, story author, story authors, twitter fiction, Valentine's Day, writer, writing, writing advice, writing tips
A few days ago I received an email from the lovely Lauren Harsma of Inkitt who let me know about a new FREE competition they are running… for fans of horror, do read on. And if you don’t write horror, have a go. Writing dark is very therapeutic. I’m writing a series about a serial killer (yet I’ve not killed anyone in real life) so I should know. :)
Inkitt’s “Darkest Place” Horror Contest, starting 2nd Feb 2015 (ends 28th Feb)
What is Inkitt?
Inkitt is a free platform for writers to cultivate ideas and watch their stories grow. On our site, users collaborate with fellow writers and readers to give each other feedback and improve their work. Our vision is to help writers get the exposure they deserve and the publishing deals they covet without having to jump through the fiery hoops of traditional publishing, or wade in the shark-infested waters of self-publishing.
What is the theme of the horror contest?
“You are in the darkest place in the world.” (This theme can be interpreted literally or figuratively.) We want writers who will submit their blood-curdlers, spine-tinglers, skin-crawlers, and hair-raisers; writers who will make it their duty to scare and shock their readers; writers who can really take us to the darkest place in the world.
What are the guidelines?
It’s all about fiction: flashes and shorts up to 10,000 words, written from any point of view. Entries must be posted on the Inkitt contest page to be considered eligible. The contest opens on February 2nd and closes on February 28th. The contest is completely free to enter, and authors will retain all rights to any and all work submitted in the contest.
What are the prizes?
All entrants will have the chance to show their work to a growing community of authors and readers hungry for high-quality fiction and win the following prizes:
- 1st Prize: $25 Amazon gift card, Inkitt custom mug, Inkitt custom notebook, custom cover design for the Inkitt story of their choice (created by Inkitt’s designer).
- 2nd Prize: $20 Amazon gift card, Inkitt custom mug, Inkitt custom notebook.
- 3rd Prize: Inkitt custom mug, Inkitt custom notebook.
Contest URL: www.inkitt.com/darkestplace
Twitter Handle: @Inkitt
Hashtag: #DarkestPlace
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You can subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app via Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything.
You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my books (including my debut novel The Serial Dater’s Shopping List, various short story collections and writer’s block workbooks) and If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating. Thank you.
For anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.
If you would like to send me a book review of another author’s books or like your book reviewed (short stories, contemporary crime / women’s novels or writing guides), see book-reviews for the guidelines. Other options listed on opportunities-on-this-blog. And I post writing exercises every weekday on four online writing groups.
Tags: 6-word stories, 6-word story, 6-worders, 6-words, author, Bailey's writing tips, books, creative writing, flash fiction, Flash Fiction Fridays, Inkitt, literature, micro fiction, Morgan Bailey, morgen bailey, Morgen with an e, novelist, short stories, story author, story authors, twitter fiction, writer, writing, writing advice, writing tips
Welcome to Flash Fiction Friday and the one hundred and fifty-third piece in this series. This week’s is the eighteenth 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
- Looking back, his past suffocates him.
- Nyonya food. Pantuns. Music. Peranakan childhood.
- Beautiful lanterns. Delicious mooncakes. Mid-Autumn Festival.
- Overcoming hardship, he became a doctor.
- Long-haired beauty. Tender smile. My ex-girlfriend.
- Tired arms, bodies. Diligent house movers.
- Laughing children. Cakes. Games. Birthday party.
- I once loved him. No more.
- Joyous tears. Music. Dancing. Wedding party.
- Panic attack. Jumbled up answers.
- A scream. Midnight. Silent moving shadows.
by Sal Buttaci finds humor in life
- Love thrives where fear won’t dwell.
- Bodies break down just like machines.
- Tall trees conceal their year rings.
- My New Year’s resolution? Make none!
- We have shadows. We’re never alone.
- Cryos or Joyos, bios tell lives.
- To appreciate progress, look behind you.
- Paupers dream of food, not gold.
- Lose weight by shedding unnecessary frowns.
- Shattered hearts never mend quite well.
by Mark K – a writer? Trying hard.
- Ex-girlfriend expired. Police want her exhumed.
- Hammering rain—boring. Hammering skulls—fun!
- Dark wood, lonely girl, piercing screams.
- Psychopaths give knives a bad name.
- Water-pistols : not as affective as M16s.
- Robbie Burns – good : Acid burns – bad.
- Bored? Try wrestling a pit-bull terrier.
- “Publisher!… Read these, then call me.”
- My pen’s run out. Me too!
- Ten 6 worders? Morgen’s gotta die!
Thank you for that, Mark. :)
by Jessica Caudill – Famous in my head
- Phone rings. Don’t answer. Goodbye, Mom.
- Hell For Certain. Welcome to Kentucky.
by Miriam Averna – Making it all up
- You get nothing, the will read.
- My reflection changed overnight. No improvement.
- Work hard. Earn peanuts. Anaphylactic shock.
- New Year resolution: don’t make resolutions.
- Was lost for words. Two left.
by Rebecca Barbee – becoming my best me
- Home alone, the footsteps startled me.
- The locked door opened. I ran.
- I did. She did. We kissed.
- Pregnancy test. One line. Dreams crushed.
- He overslept and missed the plane.
- Wedding dress for sale. I didn’t.
- Sunset. Another day is gone.
- Sparkling cider, fireworks, a new year.
by Rosalind Minett – genre-less, quirky character-led fiction.
- Left home for independence. Breakfast first.
- Love you forever. He’s dishy, though.
- Quickstep, clinch, clasp, clutch, claustrophobic, collapse.
- Crossing that border, knife in hand.
and then some from yours truly… Morgen Bailey, Morgen With an E
- January’s a cold month but a great actress.
- X-Men’s dumped gay lovers are ex-men
- Cold shower? Prefer a warm bath.
- Sexy woman. Turned head. Clichéd lamppost.
- New beginnings. Exciting times. Realism dawns.
*
Thank you, everyone.
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 consideration for Flash Fiction Friday take a look here.
Related articles:
You can subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app via Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything.
You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my books (including my debut novel The Serial Dater’s Shopping List, various short story collections and writer’s block workbooks) and If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating. Thank you.
For anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.
If you would like to send me a book review of another author’s books or like your book reviewed (short stories, contemporary crime / women’s novels or writing guides), see book-reviews for the guidelines. Other options listed on opportunities-on-this-blog. And I post writing exercises every weekday on four online writing groups.
Tags: 6-word stories, 6-word story, 6-worders, 6-words, Alberta Ross, author, Bailey's writing tips, books, Chong Teck, Chong Teck SIM, creative writing, Ernest Hemmingway, flash fiction, Flash Fiction Fridays, Helen M Hunt, Jane Hertenstein, Jessica Caudill, literature, Mark K, micro fiction, Miriam Averna, Morgan Bailey, morgen bailey, Morgen with an e, novelist, Rebecca Barbee, Sal Buttaci, Salvatore Buttaci, Sarah Grace Logan, short stories, story author, story authors, twitter fiction, Warren Bull, writer, writing, writing advice, writing tips
Welcome to Flash Fiction Friday and the one hundred and fifty-second piece in this series. This week’s is a 336-worder by Matt Ingoldby.
The View
Since a young boy, Phil had prided himself on a rare, unnamed medical condition that prevented him from forgetting. His whole life loomed behind him like the view halfway up a mountain, surging back at him at the least provocation, every impression of parallel importance.
Phil had two lives. In one, he was a gleeful success, skating through life, always half a mark above a failing grade. In his other life, the universe confounded his every stab at happiness and lifted each of his dreams just out of reach. Either version could be verified by a plethora of pertinent recollections, and were validated only by his present mood.
When Cassandra eventually left him (tired of listening to the minutiae of childhood memories and answering for the most insignificant offences), Phil took the train to his old hometown and climbed the hillside he had clambered up as a child. His unfailing memory led him to a scree-strewn precipice where he paused in thought.
Below, the valley flowed thickly off the slopes and settled swirling around the distant brick pixel of his childhood home. Remembering everything, he wasn’t given to nostalgia. The floors had been cold and the house was surrounded by the same faceless green frieze of indomitable mountainside. He remembered as a child scrabbling up the sheer rocks now below him, but he could never scramble more than a few feet before the pile gave way beneath him, transforming into a different shape that necessitated the discovery of new handholds.
He toed the cliff edge. The scree pile didn’t seem as jagged and unforgiving as he had once thought. There was every chance he would only be permanently crippled if he fell now; barely the painless end he had imagined. No – he would have to go higher. Phil drank in the valley, inflated his lungs with it; sucked it through his senses. Only from the summit could he be certain of a judicious demise. He turned round and continued to labour blindly up the slope.
*
Thank you, Matt. I loved it.
Matt Ingoldby is relatively new to writing, but he doesn’t let that stop him – he has wanted to be a writer since he could correctly spell his own name. He is twenty-one years old and inhabits a tiny London flat, wreathed in cigarette smoke and ideas.
If you’d like to submit your 6-word or 500-word max. stories for consideration for Flash Fiction Friday take a look here, or up to 1,000 words for critique on my Online Short Story Writing Group (links below).
Related articles:
** You can subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app via Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com **
You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel The Serial Dater’s Shopping List, various short story collections and writer’s block workbooks) and If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating. Thank you.
For anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.
If you would like to send me a book review of another author’s books or like your book reviewed (short stories, contemporary crime / women’s novels or writing guides), see book-reviews for the guidelines. Other options listed on opportunities-on-this-blog. And I post writing exercises every weekday on four online writing groups.
Tags: creative writing, flash fiction, Flash Fiction Fridays, literature, Matt Ingoldby, Matthew Ingoldby, micro fiction, Morgan Bailey, morgen bailey, Morgen with an e, novelist, short stories, story author, story authors, twitter fiction, writer, writing, writing advice, writing tips
Hello. I hope you had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying your Boxing Day. Today is the last Friday of the month so…
Welcome to Flash Fiction Friday and the one hundred and fifty-first piece in this series. This week’s is the sixteenth bunch of 6-word Christmas stories by a variety of authors, together with their 6-word biographies!
6-word stories
by Chong Teck SIM – aspiring Singaporean writer
- Christmas carols warm my soul always.
- Half-eaten dinner. Eggnog. Christmas Eve.
- Falling snow. Happy children. Christmas morning.
- Family reunion. Happy tears. Food. Christmas.
- Opening gifts. Excitement. Laughter. Boxing Day.
- Fresh beginning; Fresh hope: New Year.
by Sal Buttaci finds humor in life
- Santa’s getting too old for this.
- Christmas trees root in the heart.
- Did Mary foresee Baby’s bloody hands?
- Stable beasts hushed at his birth.
- Santa’s Reindeer will not remain nameless.
- God’s Eye? The Star of Bethlehem.
- Christ’s birth delivered God in Person.
- Better not cry, pout, or overspend.
- I heard Santa’s allergic to cookies.
- Scrooge is throwing a Christmas Party.
by Mark K – a writer? Trying hard.
- Santa Claus dead! Reindeers for sale!
- Christmas cancelled after meteor/sleigh collision.
- Ceramic Angel shattered in tree-top fall.
- Reindeer meat banned at Elves’ hotel.
- Overweight Rudolph in thatched roof plunge.
- Vixen envies Donner and Blitzen’s liaisons.
- Lapland Nuclear tests cause grotto meltdown.
- Elves vote to strike: Wrappers required.
- Santa burnt in Christmas chimney fire.
- Rudolph’s demise: cause: severe carrot allergy.
and then three from yours truly… Morgen Bailey, Morgen With an E
- Santa cracks whip. Mrs Santa squeals.
- Blitzen. Cupid. Donner. Tasty kebabs.
- Dancer. Prancer. Show-offs. Vixen blushes.
*
Thank you, everyone.
If you’d like to submit your 6-worders (max 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 consideration for Flash Fiction Friday take a look here.
Related articles:
You can subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app via Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything.
You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my books (including my debut novel The Serial Dater’s Shopping List, various short story collections and writer’s block workbooks) and If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating. Thank you.
For anyone looking for an editor, do take a look at Editing and Critique.
If you would like to send me a book review of another author’s books or like your book reviewed (short stories, contemporary crime / women’s novels or writing guides), see book-reviews for the guidelines. Other options listed on opportunities-on-this-blog. And I post writing exercises every weekday on four online writing groups.
Tags: 6-word stories, 6-word story, 6-worders, 6-words, author, Bailey's writing tips, books, Chong Teck, Chong Teck SIM, creative writing, Ernest Hemmingway, flash fiction, Flash Fiction Fridays, literature, Mark K, micro fiction, Morgan Bailey, morgen bailey, Morgen with an e, novelist, Sal Buttaci, Salvatore Buttaci, short stories, story author, story authors, twitter fiction, writer, writing, writing advice, writing tips
Welcome to Flash Fiction Friday and the one hundred and fifty-sixth piece in this series. This week’s is the nineteenth bunch of 6-word stories by a variety of authors, together with their 6-word biographies!
