http://www.flashfictiononline.com Flash Fiction: A complete story in 1,000 or fewer words. en Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:40:49 EST Copyright (c) 2007-2012, Flash Fiction Online and content authors. All rights reserved. jdfreivald@gmail.com (Jake Freivald) jdfreivald@gmail.com (Jake Freivald) 1440 http://www.flashfictiononline.com/images/logo-small.pnghttp://www.flashfictiononline.comColumns from Flash Fiction Online. Flash Fiction: A complete story in 1,000 or fewer words. http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20120101-in-this-issue-suzanne-vincent.html <p>Welcome to 2012! New year, new editor, new staff.</p><p>An old friend: Tom Crosshill, with “To Fly a Pig in the Dorseny Sky.” A new face (to us): Jennifer Linnaea, with a beautiful fantasy of compassion and sacrifice — “Sea Ink.” A fixture around these parts: Patrick Dey, with a science fiction tale about an “AI Robot.” And an old master: Anton Chekhov, with “Bliss.”</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20120101-in-this-issue-suzanne-vincent.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20120101-in-this-issue-suzanne-vincent.html 9 Jan 2012 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20111201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Flash Fiction Online has reopened for submissions under the leadership of Suzanne Vincent, with the expectation of resuming publishing in January.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20111201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20111201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Dec 2011 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20111001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Halloween is upon us. Don't worry about monsters, though: Mimsy will take care of you. (It's a first publication by Kelly Wright.) Sometimes, though, as Dave Hoing shows us, the monsters might be in plain sight — even discernable In An Old Man’s Lap.</p><p>Our Classic Flash is a story of an unusual death by Kate Chopin.</p><p>No Bruce this month, and we'll be taking a break until the new year. If you'd like the details, click the link here...</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20111001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20111001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 20 Jul 2011 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Choices make us human. Some choices are devious, as in Melodie Campbell’s choice little crime story. Some are based on good memories as in Kenyon Ledford’s mainstream piece, and some on desperate hopes, as Craig DeLancey’s science fiction shows.</p><p>Our Classic Flash is/are the two joint third-prize winners of the 1916 Life Shortest Story Contest. Longing — greedy or sublime — drove decisions a century ago as much as today.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 21 Jul 2011 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>I enjoyed the sense of change that I got out of this month’s short stories: Camille Alexa’s slipstream piece “Girl-Shaped Jar,” Nikki Loftin’s fantasy “Change,” and Heather Kuehl’s mainstream story “What Heroes Do”. Heather’s story is a perfect read for Memorial Day.</p><p>Our Classic Flash is from Kate Chopin, “Doctor Chevalier’s Lie”, and Bruce Holland Rogers continues his series on writing with “Tea Party Rules.” Don’t worry, he’s not getting political; he discusses the story contract.</p><p>Enjoy! And remember, comments are like gold to authors.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 26 May 2011 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110502-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>In the previous column I said that fiction is a special variety of lie because it is collaborative. The reader participates in making the lie into a simulated truth and responds to the simulation with thoughts and feelings as if that simulation were real. Reading a story is not so very different from cooperative play such as sitting down to a pretend tea party with a child. The child is the author....</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110502-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> technically http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110502-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html 26 May 2011 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Every year, we get some submissions that just seem a little out there. April, the month for fools, seems to be a good time to let the best of them get some ink. Michael Aaron gets close to his work in “CAPS LOCK and the Ellipsis of Doom,” Jakob Drud leads us in a gentle “Meditation for the Dead”, and John Wiswell takes us to the “Sun Belt” (and I’m not talking Arizona). Also, in honor of the weird weather, Punch gives us “Another Ruined Trade” from November, 1914. Bruce’s latest Technically Speaking column makes a liar out of him — you writers won’t want to miss it.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 18 Apr 2011 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110402-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>One of the questions often asked of novelists and story writers is “How did you get your start?” The answer I most often give is, “I lied a lot as a child.” My answer sounds glib and usually gets a laugh, but I also mean it seriously. Fiction is a special case of lying. Moreover, fiction and lying both depend on what psychologists call “theory of mind.”</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110402-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> technically http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110402-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html 18 Apr 2011 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>As this goes live, we’re marching out of winter and into spring here in the northern hemisphere. To accompany us, we have two mainstream stories —  Deconstructing the Nihilist by Iris Macor and The Whole Of The Brush by T D Edge — and a very dry bit of speculative fiction called Ring Worlds by Peter Fisk. Our Classic Flash is a little comic relief from Punch called Cutting Down. Bruce is back with part II of his article on titles, “Naming the Baby”.</p><p>April promises to be plenty foolish; until then, enjoy!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 21 Mar 2011 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110302-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>In part one of this article, Bruce explained some theory and then wrote: The title pulls the reader in. Then the story delivers on the title. This column takes the next step.</p><p>Enough theory. What a writer lacking a title can really use is some Things to Try. Here are a few.</p><p>1. Look at your bookshelf. What are the patterns of the titles you see there?</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110302-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> technically http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110302-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html 21 Mar 2011 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>We’re back, with a modern-day fantasy called “Banshee Lullabies” by Chazley Dotson, a literary story by Vanessa Blakeslee called “Clock-In,” and a near-future science fiction story bordering on social commentary: “Repair” by Steven Mathes.</p><p>Writers will be interested in the first of a two-part column by Bruce Holland Rogers discussing titles.</p><p>Finally, we have a Classic Flash by Chekhov about family and time: “A Living Calendar.” Enjoy!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 20 Feb 2011 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110202-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>In this article, first of a two-part series, Bruce explores the way titles affect your stories.</p><p>Titles are hard. They have to accomplish a lot in a few words. The ideal title will attract the reader who has a variety of stories to choose from, will grab the reader by the collar and say, “Hey! You! Yes, you! Here is exactly the sort of story you love!”</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110202-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> technically http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20110202-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html 20 Feb 2011 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Welcome to our third anniversary issue!</p><p>We seem to like starting new things with Bruce Holland Rogers. He’s creating a new column called Technically Speaking, which will focus on techniques that can be applied to any length of story.</p><p>For readers, this month we have three excellent new stories — one science fiction, one literary, and one mainstream — and one Christmas Classic Flash.</p><p>See you mid-January!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 20 Dec 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101202-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>Long live the King!</p><p>Over two years have gone by since Bruce started writing his Short-Short Sighted column. Although he’ll continue to talk about short-short stories, he’s going to branch out into writing techniques that are more broadly applicable. This is his inaugural column for Technically Speaking.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101202-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> technically http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101202-technically-speaking-bruce-holland-rogers.html 20 Dec 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>“Canine 401(k),” a mainstream story by Gina Sakalarios-Rogers, kicks us off. “Dragonslayer” by Peter McLean seems like a fantasy, but it’s really not. You’ll see what I mean and, I hope, get a chuckle out of it.</p><p>Bruce Bruce Bruce! His column is about repetition, and his exemplar is “Love Is Strange.”</p><p>Our Classic Flash is a Lord Dunsany tale, “The Hen.” The characters are birds, but their foibles are human.</p><p>Our next issue will be up in mid-December.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 17 Nov 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101102-again-again-again-repetition-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>One of the first things I learned about English prose style, far back in the ancient days of grade school, was that I should vary my vocabulary. Repetition of the same word (other than prepositions, conjunctions and articles that have to be repeated often) displayed a lack of art. If I were writing a paragraph about a rose, then I should next refer to it as “flower” and then perhaps refer to its “petals,” rather than writing “rose” in three different sentences.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101102-again-again-again-repetition-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101102-again-again-again-repetition-bruce-holland-rogers.html 17 Nov 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101003-notes-on-writing-weird-fiction-h-p-lovecraft.html <p>This is an essay H.P. Lovecraft wrote in 1933, which was published in the June 1937 issue of The Amateur Correspondent.</p><p>My reason for writing stories is to give myself the satisfaction of visualising more clearly and detailedly and stably the vague, elusive, fragmentary impressions of wonder, beauty, and adventurous expectancy which are conveyed to me by certain sights (scenic, architectural, atmospheric, etc.), ideas, occurrences, and images encountered in art and literature. I choose weird stories because they suit my inclination best — one of my strongest and most persistent wishes being to achieve, momentarily, the illusion of some strange suspension or violation of the galling limitations of time, space, and natural law which for ever imprison us and frustrate our curiosity about the infinite cosmic spaces beyond the radius of our sight and analysis.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101003-notes-on-writing-weird-fiction-h-p-lovecraft.html">Read more. . .</a></p> criticism http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101003-notes-on-writing-weird-fiction-h-p-lovecraft.html 12 Oct 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Halloween is almost here, so we have two stories of supernatural horror, and one that’s not supernatural but had a strong effect on me.</p><p>I couldn’t quite stay away from election day, mid-term or no, so I included a piece by Lord Dunsany called The Day of the Poll, but I had to include H.P. Lovecraft as well; this year, it’s a poem called “Despair.”</p><p>Finally, no Bruce this month, but I’ve included Lovecraft’s Notes on Writing Weird Fiction for you writers out there. Enjoy!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20101001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 12 Oct 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100901-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>This turned out to be an alumni issue: Andrew Gudgel, Alan Grayce, and KJ Kabza have given us a near-future science fiction, mainstream, and light fantasy story, respectively. Our Classic Flash is from that humourous old standby, Punch. And Bruce Holland Rogers switches topics from techniques to the short fiction writer’s career. Enjoy!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100901-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100901-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 7 Aug 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100902-big-success-small-scale-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>This month, I want to take a break from examining the forms of flash fiction and consider another aspect of flash entirely: the career aspect. What would it mean to have a successful career in flash fiction?</p><p>As readers of my essays in Word Work will know, I’m wary of any definition of success that makes money the sole measure....</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100902-big-success-small-scale-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100902-big-success-small-scale-bruce-holland-rogers.html 7 Sep 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100801-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Dave Hoing returns after a long haitus with a literary story about freed slaves during the Civil War. Michael Aaron debuts with a typical story about a hero fighting a Dark Lord — so typical, in fact, that it seems to happen a lot. Our Classic Flash is about a roll of cash, and the man who lost it. Bruce Holland Rogers is back with one column and two “prose sonnets”. Thanks for reading!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100801-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100801-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 7 Aug 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100802-by-the-numbers-prose-sonnet-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>Any time I begin a discussion of fixed forms, the first such form that I mention is the sonnet. Even if many readers can’t name the rules of a sonnet, they at least know that a sonnet is a short poem written to a set of arbitrary rules, and it’s easy to proceed from that example to a discussion of how a writer might compose by first choosing the rules and then, line by line, finding content to fit them.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100802-by-the-numbers-prose-sonnet-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100802-by-the-numbers-prose-sonnet-bruce-holland-rogers.html 7 Aug 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100703-cooper-deerslayer-criticism-by-mark-twain.html <p>Have you writers ever been critiqued in such a scathing, vicious fashion that you don’t know whether you want to crawl into a hole or beat the critquer with a bat?</p><p>Can you imagine getting that kind of critique from Mark Twain?</p><p>That’s what happened to James Fenimore Cooper and his novel The Deerslayer. Just wow. And yet there are good lessons in there, too.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100703-cooper-deerslayer-criticism-by-mark-twain.html">Read more. . .</a></p> criticism http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100703-cooper-deerslayer-criticism-by-mark-twain.html 6 Jul 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>This month’s stories are kind of past-perfect, as we grammar wonks might say; all of them involve things the main characters once had.</p><p>A girl gradually discovers who she is; a son revisits his parents’ sunken city; a woman and a robot reach for things they want and can’t have. Also another Classic Flash from Lord Dunsany, and in a work of criticism, Mark Twain is the Deerslayer-slayer. Enjoy!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 6 Jul 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100601-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Do you think Flash Fiction is new or not respected? I’ve heard that a lot lately; and while I’m sure that newcomers who never write beyond flash length will have a hard time selling themselves as “serious” writers — whatever that means — I would like to counter those ideas by offering a collection of sub-1000-word stories from some great and popular Western writers: Bierce, Dickens, Kafka, Lovecraft, Saki, and popular 1930s-60s TV and radio writer Jack Douglas. You’ll see the winner of the Life Shortest Story Contest — from 1916. And, to honor the Census, there’s a topical piece from an 1891 Punch issue.</p><p>Bruce is still here, of course — writers, read up!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100601-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100601-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 3 Jun 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100602-repeat-that-prose-villanelle-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>One of the best-known poems in the English language is “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, a poem that Thomas wrote for his dying father. One of the first things that a reader might notice about that poem is that there are two lines in the poem that repeat exactly. Do not go gentle into that good night is the first line, the sixth line,...</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100602-repeat-that-prose-villanelle-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100602-repeat-that-prose-villanelle-bruce-holland-rogers.html 4 May 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Sometimes an issue’s theme just presents itself. Much fiction is about transformations of one sort or another, but rarely is it hammered home so explicitly and wonderfully as in this month’s stories. Click through to get an overview of this month’s stories.</p><p>Our next issue goes live on June 1st. Until then, please read, comment, subscribe, and tip your favorite authors!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 4 May 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100502-metamorphoses-and-compassion-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>...And that, dear readers, is a metamorphosis tale, a story well suited to flash fiction.... Before the metamorphosis is the story of what led up to the transformation, and often the story lasts long enough after the transformation to consider its significance....</p><p>There is one risk to writing a metamorphosis story, and it refers to the phrase teaches them a lesson.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100502-metamorphoses-and-compassion-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100502-metamorphoses-and-compassion-bruce-holland-rogers.html 4 May 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>In springtime, this young man’s mind turns to thoughts of Heisenberg and Einstein. And alligators. And zombies — don’t forget zombies!</p><p>Yes, it’s April, which is the time for strange happenings and practical jokes. We hope you enjoy. And don’t forget Bruce’s column on Prose Poetry or Bill Highsmith’s blog while you’re at it.</p><p>The next issue goes up on May 4.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Apr 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100402-small-rebellions-prose-poems-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>These columns are about writing flash fiction, but this month I want to peer over the border to examine flash fiction’s sister genre, the prose poem. At least some flash fictions and prose poems are similar enough that it can be difficult to see just which side of the border they belong on. Russell Edson calls what he writes “poems,” but all of his work is formatted as prose and is narrative. Readers can be forgiven for thinking that it’s flash fiction. Some of my own work that I considered to be fiction when I wrote it has ended up being published as poetry. Whenever I teach a class in the “short forms” of flash fiction, prose poem, and brief literary nonfiction, one of the first things I do is show the students a variety of short prose pieces and ask them to tell me whether those works are fiction, poetry, or nonfiction. Students seldom agree completely on the genre of any of the sample writings....</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100402-small-rebellions-prose-poems-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100402-small-rebellions-prose-poems-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Apr 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>More great new stories this month: The poignant but lighthearted Midnight Mambo, a dark vision of Blood Willows, and the pleasant imagery — and difficult choice — of On Green Hills.</p><p>For our Classic Flash this month, we revisit Kate Chopin’s impressive oeuvre, this time seeing The Blind Man.</p><p>As always, don’t miss Bruce’s writing column, or his story We Stand Up.</p><p>Our next issue goes live on April 1. Meanwhile, comment, subscribe, and tip the authors. Thanks!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 2 Mar 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100302-consolidated-flash-collective-narrator-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>In this column, Bruce Holland Rogers comes back to fixed forms, discusses story collections, and introduces the collective narrator.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100302-consolidated-flash-collective-narrator-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100302-consolidated-flash-collective-narrator-bruce-holland-rogers.html 2 Mar 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Numbers, numbers: in The Times That Bleed Together, the Six Reasons My Sister Hates Me, Bruce Holland Rogers’s Six One-Sentence Stories. Mark Twain even has a story — not a funny one — about The Five Boons Of Life. (Non-math types can check out Pêlos instead.) And don’t miss Bruce’s writing column.</p><p>Finally, the Preditors & Editors results are in. (Thanks to everyone who voted!)</p><p>Our next issue goes live on March 2. Meanwhile, comment, subscribe, and tip the authors. Thanks!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 2 Feb 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100202-how-low-can-you-go-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>In this column, Bruce Holland Rogers discusses the shortest of very short stories, and tackles, along the way, the topic, “Just what is a story, anyway?”</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100202-how-low-can-you-go-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100202-how-low-can-you-go-bruce-holland-rogers.html 2 Feb 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>The Preditors & Editors Poll runs through January 14. We’d love your vote in any category!</p><p>As for stories, there’s a little for everyone: fantasy, literary fiction, surrealism, a fairy tale, or a Bitter Bierce classic. If you’re a writer, read Bruce’s column on what to leave out.</p><p>Thanks to the staff for making it through another year, and to donors for their help in keeping the zine moving. Our next issue goes live on February 2. Meanwhile, please comment on stories, subscribe, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 5 Jan 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100102-ellipsis-what-to-leave-out-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>The title says it all.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100102-ellipsis-what-to-leave-out-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20100102-ellipsis-what-to-leave-out-bruce-holland-rogers.html 5 Jan 2010 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>This is our second anniversary. There are presents involved, but mostly Christmas ones: clockpunk canaries, and some from 1914. But there’s also a taste of what might have been, sabotage as catalyst, and a reprint of the award-winning “Don Ysidro”. We hope you enjoy them. And if you’re a writer, don’t forget Bruce’s column, either.</p><p>Our next issue goes live on January 5. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, comment on stories, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Dec 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091202-write-rites-ritual-story-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>On using ritual in stories.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091202-write-rites-ritual-story-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091202-write-rites-ritual-story-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Dec 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>We had some fun this month, lightening the mood from our October issue. We hope you like our stories of a mom’s superpower, a homeless man’s bravery, and... well... cold fusion. Sort of.</p><p>Our Classic Flash is an ancient retort; laughter has always been the best defense.</p><p>Bruce Holland Rogers is back this issue, too, talking about writing with characters your audience already knows. His example story is about George and Baseball. But not that George.</p><p>Our next issue goes live on December 1. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, comment on stories, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Nov 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091102-george-washingtons-life-in-baseball-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>Bruce Holland Rogers discusses the use of characters your audience already knows.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091102-george-washingtons-life-in-baseball-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091102-george-washingtons-life-in-baseball-bruce-holland-rogers.html 3 Nov 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>The approach of autumn brings pleasures that stem from the juxtaposition of opposites, such as smoke carried on a fresh breeze.</p><p>Us, too. We have some excellent awfulness for you this month: award-winning author Kristine Kathryn Rusch provides Eating It Too, S. Craig Renfroe, Jr. delivers Death Babies, and Damon Shaw shows us The Door. Plus a Classic Flash from H.P. Lovecraft and an essay on writing by Edgar Allan Poe.</p><p>Our next issue goes live on November 3. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, comment on stories, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Oct 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091003-philosophy-of-composition-edgar-allan-poe.html <p>This essay details the writing of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous poem, “The Raven”. Although flash fiction isn’t poetry, it strives for the same “unity of effect” that Poe tries to obtain in his work.</p><p>Some have said that this is satire, too precise and methodical to be serious; however, I think our own work might benefit from studying its themes.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091003-philosophy-of-composition-edgar-allan-poe.html">Read more. . .</a></p> essay http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20091003-philosophy-of-composition-edgar-allan-poe.html 1 Oct 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090901-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Read about the stories and columns in our current issue here.</p><p>Our next issue goes live on October 1. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090901-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090901-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Sep 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090903-review-field-guide-writing-flash-fiction-jake-freivald.html <p>Editor Jake Freivald reviews The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction, a collection of 25 essays dedicated to... well, you know.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090903-review-field-guide-writing-flash-fiction-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> review http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090903-review-field-guide-writing-flash-fiction-jake-freivald.html 1 Sep 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090902-collaborating-with-mice-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>Bruce Holland Rogers continues his series on writing the short-short story.</p><p>In the last four columns we have looked at Orson Scott Card’s MICE quotient and examined how it is possible to write flash fiction that depends on its success on Milieu, Idea, Character, or Event. As I wrote these columns, I was reminded of the nervous anxiety that I used to feel when I would read about theories and techniques of writing. On one hand, I would feel excited about the clarity that can arrive with a good theory: Aha! That’s why certain novels begin with the arrival of strangers and end when the strangers leave! They are novels of milieu!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090902-collaborating-with-mice-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090902-collaborating-with-mice-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Sep 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090801-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>This is a good month, although strange in a few ways that I detail in the column. We have three new stories, a Classic Flash, and the wrap-up to Bruce’s study of the MICE quotient.</p><p>Our next issue goes live on September 1. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090801-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090801-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 4 Aug 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090802-event-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>Bruce’s final column in the discussion of MICE (Milieu, Idea, Character, and Event) focuses on Event stories.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090802-event-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090802-event-bruce-holland-rogers.html 4 Aug 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Start reading! We have a ghost story, a sobering mainstream story (that seems especially relevant with all of the US healthcare discussions), an honest-to-goodness romance (!), and a science fiction Classic Flash.</p><p>Bruce Holland Rogers discusses character and gives us character story called “Jerry”.</p><p>Our next issue goes live on August 4. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 2 Jul 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090702-character-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>Bruce continues his discussion of the MICE quotient by talking about Flash Fiction of Character.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090702-character-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090702-character-bruce-holland-rogers.html 2 Jul 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090601-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Subscribe, leave a tip, or read about this month’s stories. Our next issue goes live on July 2. See you then!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090601-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090601-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 2 Jun 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090602-idea-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>Bruce’s column continues his discussion of the MICE (Milieu, Idea, Character, Event) quotient with a discussion about Flash Fiction of Idea.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090602-idea-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090602-idea-bruce-holland-rogers.html 2 Jun 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Welcome ComputerWorld readers! Don’t forget to subscribe...</p><p>We have three great new stories and a Classic Flash this month, from new and experienced authors. Bruce Holland Rogers is on hiatus, but we’ve published an index of his columns so far. For more information, follow the Read More link.</p><p>Please comment, subscribe, and (if you’re so inclined) leave a tip. Our next issue goes live on June 2. See you then!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 5 May 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090502-index-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>With Bruce on hiatus this month, we thought it would be a good idea to create a list of all eleven of his columns so far. He’s already covered a lot of turf: from fixed forms, traditional tales, and word-count restrictions to the deliberate shattering of form and evasion of tradition. Each has at least one story to illustrate his point, too — all of which are well worth reading.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090502-index-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090502-index-bruce-holland-rogers.html 5 May 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>There’ll be more flash when our full issue goes live tomorrow. (We publish on the first Tuesday or Thursday of the month.) In the meantime, you can still read our stories from the March issue, below, or check out our archives.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Apr 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090402-flash-fiction-milieu-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>This is the first of four articles covering the MICE Quotient: Milieu, Idea, Character, and Event. Bruce discusses these elements (with a tip of the hat to Orson Scott Card) and goes into greater depth on milieu. His exemplar for the month is called, “Unpleasant Features of Our New Address.”</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090402-flash-fiction-milieu-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090402-flash-fiction-milieu-bruce-holland-rogers.html 2 Apr 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>March in, sit down, and enjoy a few good stories. Everything we offer involves music in some way: “Addiction” is about the music of the sidhe, “Gustav’s Mars” is about Holst’s famous composition (sort of), and “Trumpet Volunteer” is about divine music. Even Bruce Holland Rogers delivers a music-related story to exemplify his column about breaking the rules in short-short fiction. Finally, we have a Classic Flash from Lord Dunsany about the Blackbird’s song. Join us!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Mar 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090302-less-than-the-rules-demand-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>In this issue, Bruce Holland Rogers breaks all the rules — and shows how you can, too. His intriguing story “Baby, It Didn’t Have to Happen That Way”, illustrates his point.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090302-less-than-the-rules-demand-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090302-less-than-the-rules-demand-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Mar 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Stories of love dominate the month, including the Classic Flash, but there’s nothing Harlequinesque about them. Bruce has a new column, too, and a poignant story to exemplify his point. Also a note on Bill Highsmith’s outstanding contribution to our blog, some thank-you’s to those who help keep us running, and a wrap-up of the Preditors & Editors poll.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Feb 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090202-zoom-writing-lifetime-in-page-or-two-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>In this issue, Bruce Holland Rogers makes time fly by focusing on a lot of time in a small space. He uses a poignant 300-word story, “Dinosaur”, as an illustration.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090202-zoom-writing-lifetime-in-page-or-two-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090202-zoom-writing-lifetime-in-page-or-two-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Feb 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>There’s a lot to say about this issue, but first: The Preditors & Editors Poll is up, and polling only runs for about two weeks, so please go vote! I’d be honored by Flash Fiction Online nominations in any of the appropriate categories: Fiction e-zine, Artist (for R.W. Ware, our artist-in-residence), Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Story, Non-SF&F Story, Non-fiction Article (for Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-short Sighted” column), Author, and, if I may not seem too immodest, Magazine / e-zine editor.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Jan 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090102-get-unreal-expressionism-surrealism-magical-realism-fantasy-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>They say that truth is stranger than fiction, but they’re not talking about this sort of fiction. Bruce Holland Rogers covers some of the stranger styles of fiction — expressionism, surrealism, magical realism and fantasy — and shows how they can be useful in short-short stories. He offers his story “Estranged” as an example of expressionism.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090102-get-unreal-expressionism-surrealism-magical-realism-fantasy-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20090102-get-unreal-expressionism-surrealism-magical-realism-fantasy-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Jan 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>This is our first anniversary issue — lucky thirteen — and I’m happy to report a lot of great things going on here at Flash Fiction Online. Our very first story just won an award, we’ve started podcasting, we’ve nominated stories for the Pushcart Prize, and, of course, we have great new stories for the month.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Nov 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081202-counting-and-multiplying-three-six-nine-369-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>The latest installment of Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-Short Sighted” column discusses the “369” — a form so rigid that one might wonder whether it can be effective. After reading this column, you’ll stop wondering.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081202-counting-and-multiplying-three-six-nine-369-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081202-counting-and-multiplying-three-six-nine-369-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Dec 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Yes, I know we already published a Halloween story — “A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf — but Mercedes M. Yardley’s “Ray the Vampire” seemed so perfect that we had to do another one. It’s a fun story and, of course, a quick read.</p><p>Normally we publish on the first Tuesday or Thursday of the month, so the rest of our November issue will go live on the 4th — Election Day! Print out the stories to read while you’re waiting in line.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081101-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Nov 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081103-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>This issue marks the end of our first full year of publishing, and I give a few statistics in this article. I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished. In addition, we have some great stories — haunting and compelling — and a new column by Bruce Holland Rogers.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081103-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081103-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Nov 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081102-once-upon-a-time-fairy-tales-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>The latest installment of Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-Short Sighted” column discusses fairy tales. His short-short story example, “The Dead Boy At Your Window,” is a haunting example — and winner of the Bram Stoker and the Pushcart Prize. Don’t miss it.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081102-once-upon-a-time-fairy-tales-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081102-once-upon-a-time-fairy-tales-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Nov 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>This is our first all-woman issue, even including (sort of) Bruce Holland Rogers’s writing column. In includes two very different speculative fiction stories, one mainstream story, and one Halloween-themed Classic Flash. Join us in the Flash Forum or click the link to...</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081001-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Oct 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081002-letter-or-fire-extinguisher-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>The latest installment of Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-Short Sighted” column discusses fixed forms found “in the wild,” in letters and travel guides and even fire extinguishers. His short-short story What to Expect is about pregnancy — and a little bit more.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081002-letter-or-fire-extinguisher-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20081002-letter-or-fire-extinguisher-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Oct 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080901-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>More great stories for you, whether you’re a grown man who’s been shaken up, a child dealing with her father, or a boy going a little bonkers. Or maybe you’re an ancient Greek being channeled by Edgar Allan Poe. And if you’re a writer, you can see how Bruce Holland Rogers uses rigidity to get creative.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080901-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080901-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Sep 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080902-one-loopy-sentence-at-a-time-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>The latest installment of Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-Short Sighted” column discusses fixed forms — using rigidity to inspire creativity. His 400-word story The House of Women serves as an example.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080902-one-loopy-sentence-at-a-time-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080902-one-loopy-sentence-at-a-time-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Sep 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080801-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Serious stories? Silly? Both? Yes — even out of this world. Plus flash writing tips. Plus Bruce writes by counting to three!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080801-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080801-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Aug 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080802-momentum-disruption-proof-deflection-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>In the latest installment of his “Short-Short Sighted” column, Bruce Holland Rogers discusses a three-point structure for creating short-short stories: Momentum, Disruption, and Proof of Deflection. And he provides an extremely short story (238 words) called “Daddy” to show you how a master does it.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080802-momentum-disruption-proof-deflection-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080802-momentum-disruption-proof-deflection-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Aug 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080803-writing-speculative-flash-fiction.html <p>Suzanne Vincent gets practical on writing extremely short speculative fiction.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080803-writing-speculative-flash-fiction.html">Read more. . .</a></p> tips http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080803-writing-speculative-flash-fiction.html 1 Aug 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080702-fabulists-tale-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-Short Sighted” column this month is called The Fabulist’s Tale. In it, he discusses fables and gives us a story of his own as an example.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080702-fabulists-tale-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080702-fabulists-tale-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Jul 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>It’s a super issue: Read one of our great stories, or learn how to write your own.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080701-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Jul 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080601-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>There’s something for everyone in this issue: boys at an abandoned mill, high-functioning robots, a little speculative non-fiction, and a classic. And if you’re a writer, you can see the first column in Bruce Holland Rogers’s new series about writing the short-short form. Read more!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080601-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080601-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Jun 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080602-hand-of-the-dead-dave-hoing.html <p>Dave Hoing, author of “Souls of the Harvest” from our February issue, sent me The Hand of the Dead with an odd explanation: “Although it’s short enough to qualify as flash, I’m not sure if it’s fictional enough to qualify as fiction.” Call it a speculative essay, if you like — it stems from his love of old books, and the legacy captured in the handwriting inside a 1792 bible. — Ed.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080602-hand-of-the-dead-dave-hoing.html">Read more. . .</a></p> essay http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080602-hand-of-the-dead-dave-hoing.html 1 Jun 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080603-youll-know-it-when-you-see-it-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>Flash Fiction Online is extremely proud to welcome Bruce Holland Rogers, award-winning author and educator, as he begins his new column, entitled “Short-Short Sighted: Writing the Short-Short Story.” His first column frames the question that will lead us through the rest of his columns: What exactly is this short-short story thing that we keep talking about?</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080603-youll-know-it-when-you-see-it-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> shortshort http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080603-youll-know-it-when-you-see-it-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Jun 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Great stuff this month. Two-time Hugo nominee Bruce McAllister’s “Game”. New writer John Moran’s “Select Your Champions”. A bit of microfiction from Ron Richardson called “Bus Ride”. And a classic from H.P. Lovecraft called “Ex Oblivione”. Dive in!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080501-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 May 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>Welcome! Our April Fools issue gives you some of the crazy stories we get that are good, but a little more zany than we’d normally publish. Carl Frederick’s here — you may have read his stories in Analog — as is Kurt Bachard, and newcomer Dalton Keane. And if you haven’t groaned by the time you’re done with those, be sure to check out “Fast Living” by Hank Quense. (It’s a Feghoot, people. It’s supposed to be that way.)</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080401-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Apr 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>We have an intriguing set of flashes this month. Miracles are mundane, truth is strange, and hard topics are great reads. I discuss more in the full article. We also have our St. Patrick’s Day special, “Lucky Clover”. And don’t miss the interview with Eric Garcia, and the Classic Flash from Mark Twain.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080301-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Mar 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080302-interview-with-eric-garcia.html <p>Eric Garcia is a novelist and screenwriter who writes insane things. Interestingly, he seems to be able to make a living selling them. Nobody’s quite sure how this works.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080302-interview-with-eric-garcia.html">Read more. . .</a></p> interview http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080302-interview-with-eric-garcia.html 1 Mar 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html <p>This is a great month. Just go read new stories.</p><p>Veteran Dave Hoing lets us see the “Souls of the Harvest.” We have two first-class first sales: “Apologies All Around” by Jeff Soesbe and “Masquerade at Well Country Camp” by Ann Pino. Our Classic Flash #3 is a science fiction story from 1962  — when communications were a little more primitive. And Bruce Holland Rogers discusses deadlines, genres, and the state of writing.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080201-in-this-issue-jake-freivald.html 1 Feb 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080202-interview-with-bruce-holland-rogers.html <p>Bruce Holland Rogers is an award-winning fiction writer and teacher, best known for his short — sometimes extremely short — fiction. Among many other places, his stories were included in both the original 1992 Flash Fiction anthology that coined the term and its 2006 follow-up, Flash Fiction Forward. The Keyhole Opera, a collection of his short stories, won the 2006 World Fantasy Award for best collection. He also wrote Word Work: Surviving and Thriving As a Writer, and is on the faculty of the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA program. His “Reconstruction Work” appeared in Flash Fiction Online’s inaugural issue.</p><p>Though he bases himself in Eugene, Oregon, we caught up with him in London, where he’s living until July, 2008.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080202-interview-with-bruce-holland-rogers.html">Read more. . .</a></p> interview http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080202-interview-with-bruce-holland-rogers.html 1 Feb 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080103-allegory-symbolism-mark-freivald.html <p>In this article, Mark Freivald uses Bolesław Prus’s "Mold of the Earth" and other stories to discuss the difference between allegory and symbolism.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080103-allegory-symbolism-mark-freivald.html">Read more. . .</a></p> opinion http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080103-allegory-symbolism-mark-freivald.html 3 Jan 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080101-jake-freivald-in-this-issue.html <p>Skip this and just read great new flashes, if you like. (If you want more detail than you get on this page, click here.)</p><p>There’s something in this issue for everyone: Eric Garcia, author of the Anonymous Rex series, contributed a demented little ditty called "The Materialist", Stefanie Freele brings us down to earth with "James Brown is Alive and Doing Laundry in South Lake Tahoe", Beth Wodzinski takes us on a side trip with "The Human Clockwork", and Rod M. Santos gives us a delightful modern fantasy called "Speed Dating and Spirit Guides". And, of course, we’re still mining the archives of publicly accessible Classic Flashes: this month’s "Mold of the Earth", written by Boleslaw Prus and translated by Christopher Kasparek, comes from 1884.</p><p>And for the writers among you, be sure to check out our interview with Liberty Hall founder Mike Munsil.</p><p>Happy reading!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080101-jake-freivald-in-this-issue.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080101-jake-freivald-in-this-issue.html 1 Jan 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080102-interview-liberty-hall-mike-munsil.html <p>This issue we sit back, spit on the mat, and talk to Mike Munsil. He’s founder and proprietor of Liberty Hall, talks about his writers’ workshop and how it helps writers like this issue’s Beth Wodzinski and Rod M. Santos.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080102-interview-liberty-hall-mike-munsil.html">Read more. . .</a></p> interview http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20080102-interview-liberty-hall-mike-munsil.html 1 Jan 2008 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20071200-jake-freivald-in-this-issue.html <p>You can skip the details and just read stories, of course!</p><p>But if you want to know what’s coming, here it is. We have stories by an established pro, Bruce Holland Rogers, as well as an up-and-comer named Suzanne Vincent. And a Classic Flash from H.P. Lovecraft rounds us out.</p><p>You can tell us what you think, too, on the Flash Forum. Log in and discuss the stories, or, if you’re a writer, discuss your own works in progress.</p><p>All of this means that this is your new source for quality flash fiction — complete stories at 1000 or fewer words — starting right now.</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20071200-jake-freivald-in-this-issue.html">Read more. . .</a></p> issue http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20071200-jake-freivald-in-this-issue.html 1 Dec 2007 00:00:01 EST http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20071201-jake-freivald-next-issue.html <p>We’re sponsoring Liberty Hall’s end-of-year "flash challenge", and interviewing proprietor Mike Munsil.</p><p>Eric Garcia, the only guy I know who could pull off three complete novels about dinosaurs who disguise themselves as people, will provide us with a new story.</p><p>Plus more classic flash, more great art, and more stuff that hasn’t even been thought of yet!</p><p><a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20071201-jake-freivald-next-issue.html">Read more. . .</a></p> sneakpeek http://www.flashfictiononline.com/c20071201-jake-freivald-next-issue.html 1 Dec 2007 00:00:01 EST