In Australia, when a tourist leaves a car in the desert, even for a day, the parts often disappear… This week’s challenge: What are the differences between a prose poem and a flash fiction? What are the similarities between a prose poem and a flash fiction? Write a short prose poem about the car in the … Read More
Interview With Author Stefon Mears
I had the pleasure to attend Whidbey Island MFA program with Stefon Mears. Stefon’s writing is laced with humor and talent. His piece “How Narcissistic am I?” will soon be published in the lovely print journal The Bacopa Literary Review. I present the author Stefon Mears: Do you specialize in any genre? In terms of genre, my specialty is fantasy. … Read More
How to Write Good (!)
Does the short story work? Did you break the rules? That’s ok if the reader is satisfied and the piece works. I love flash fiction. It thrives on rule bending. Here are some rules to follow or bend: “Avoid run-on sentences that are hard to read No sentence fragments. It behooves us to avoid archaisms. Also, avoid awkward or … Read More
Here’s a cup of Joe
My wonderful colleague Joe Ponepinto is the go to man for writing mentorship. We endured the MFA together and Joe was always available to help answer questions or offer an astute critique. Read all about my colleague, Joe, the services he offers and how you can learn from him. Go ahead and sign up for his blog. Joe Ponepinto … Read More
Bonnie Ogle’s response to a writing prompt
Thank you to one of the readers of my blog, Bonnie Ogle, who has captured some nice images with her response to the topic “concrete language.” Nice work, Bonnie. As promised, I have posted a slice of her story and will do so for others whose response to the blog topics merit posting. Souvenir by Bonnie Ogle I stole a … Read More
Traditional Aboriginal knowledge aids scientific research
My first short story collection is based upon Australian aboriginal mythology. Therefore, my blogs are a smattering of aboriginal culture and short story craft elements. Today Aboriginal people and scientists work together to record knowledge passed down for thousands and thousands of years. One aspect of this work involves the medicinal qualities of plants. Paintings by aboriginal artists … Read More
Bruce Holland Rogers and the short short
If you want to learn the art of word mastership, follow Bruce Holland Rogers http://www.shortshortshort.com/ Sign up to receive a new “Bruce” short story each month. Bruce is the flash fiction prodigy of this planet. He is my mentor and teacher and I take my invisible hat off to this gentle man who taught me how to recognize a story. … Read More
Concrete Nouns
Write a story about this picture using nouns that offer a vision in the reader’s head. 100 words with no adverbs. Send it in if you wish. What do you see in your head with: “animals roaming the desert entered the fence around a large ranch.” What do you see in your head with the following: “A pack of five … Read More
What’s your narrative’s Point of View?
She examines the fruit and imagines its sweet taste. What point of view is demonstrated in the above photo? Choices? Omniscient point of view Limited omniscience Detached point of view Single character subjective Single character objective Multiple Character Inside a character’s head, outside a character’s head, inside or outside multiple characters’ heads, the camera lens. Help!!! Tough to understand. If … Read More
Write to a Concise Drummer
“Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.” (William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White) Each word must support the story line. Challenge: Write a 100 word story about what happened when … Read More