Current Issue
Short Changed Jake Freivald
I enjoyed the sense of change that I got out of this month’s short stories. They capture a lot about change in a very short space.
In Camille Alexa’s slipstream piece “Girl-Shaped Jar,” a woman who needs to change makes a decision to do so and follows through on it. Her choice of changes is not what I would have expected. This is one of those stories that has an unreal premise but feels real in its execution.
Nikki Loftin’s fantasy “Change” contains even more dramatic changes in a young woman — nominal woman? estwhile woman? — for whom doing something normal is the odd part of the story. I really like the heroine, and by the time I’m done with the story I wish her well at trying to be merely mundane.
Heather Kuehl provides a mainstream story that I’m running in honor of Memorial Day (Monday, May 30, here in the U.S.): “What Heroes Do”. I was in the Marines in the early 90s, right after Desert Storm; I never lost a loved one, but we had the continual awareness that our lives could be on the line at any moment. To all you in the service of our country and our allies, Semper Fidelis.
Our Classic Flash this month is from the inimitable and Kate Chopin, “Doctor Chevalier’s Lie”. There’s an intensity in the interaction of these three characters, namely the doctor, the suicide, and society. The use of passive voice at the end might be, for me, the most touching part: “Shoulders were shrugged.”
Bruce Holland Rogers continues his series with “Tea Party Rules.” Don’t worry, he’s not getting political; he discusses the story contract. Excellent, as always.
Please enjoy the stories, and remember, comments are like gold to authors.
© Jake Freivald
Meet the Author
Jake Freivald
Flash Fiction Online’s Founding Editor Jake Freivald lives in New Jersey in a house teeming with life: a wife, nine kids (yes, all from said wife, no twins), two dogs, two cats, and twenty fish.
Lack of qualifications never stopped Jake from taking a job, so when he saw the need for a professional flash-only ‘zine he created Flash Fiction Online. He was astounded when a team of volunteers rallied around the project, and he would like to shut up now so you can read about them.
Become a Patron! Check our our NEW Patron rewards!
FIREFLY
Receives weekly links to new stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content and interviews with the authors, and our undying love.
WILL-O-THE-WISP
Receives a free monthly download of our current issue, access to Ask Me Anything chats with the FFO staff, submission statistics, plus benefits from lower levels
SHOOTING STAR
Gain access to our monthly Mini-Critique sessions, the FFO Editorial Team slushpile wishlist , plus benefits from lower levels
AURORA
A chance to have your work discussed by the FFO editorial team, receive 365 Writing Prompts and our latest anthology, plus benefits from lower levels
LIGHTNING
Receive a monthly mini-critique from the FFO editorial team and request custom writing videos, plus benefits from lower levels
SUPERNOVA
Receive one flash fiction critique per month, mini-critique sessions, an opportunity to “sponsor-a-story,” plus all the benefits of lower levels!
Support Flash Fiction Online
Flash Fiction Online is a free online magazine that pays professional rates. So how do we make that happen? It’s due to the generosity of readers like you.
Here are some ways you can help:
Become a Patron.
Sign up to become a monthly donor and gain access to exclusive Patron rewards like manuscript critiques, insider submission statistics, the Editors’ Wishlist, free downloads of our current issue, and Ask Me Anything chats with the FFO staff. Read more…
Subscribe to FFO.
Never miss an issue! E-reader formats delivered to your inbox. Available from WeightlessBooks.com
Buy our issues & anthologies.
Each of our issues and anthologies are available in convenient e-reader formats (epub/mobi/pdf). Available from the Flash Fiction Online Store and WeightlessBooks.
Donate.
Consider a one-time gift that fits your budget.
Advertise with us.
Have a product, service, or website our readers might enjoy? Ad space available on the website and in our e-reader issues. Sponsored posts opportunities are also available. Learn more…
Spread the word.
Love one of our stories or articles? Share it with a friend!