Big Things Happen in Threes
COVID, local politics, and flash fiction. Plus writing links and news!
*for writing links and resources, scroll down*
Big Things Happen in Threes
The month of May was, shall we say, eventful. First, I signed with a literary agent: Ali Lake of Janklow & Nesbit. The very next day, I was elected to Town Council in my Maryland town. I never thought of myself as the politician sort, but these days I feel the need to make things in our country better, if only in a very small, local way.
“I wonder what the third thing will be,” my husband mused the evening after the election.
A few days later, I tested positive for COVID, and soon everyone in my family was sick, including my unvaccinated two-year-old. I was sworn into office via a Zoom Town Council meeting, muting myself every time I collapsed into hacking coughs.
We’d managed to avoid COVID until now, but I suppose it was bound to happen eventually. I’m finally shaking off the dregs of COVID fatigue, and my kids are finally back at preschool today, after eleven days of destroying the house and using up every last stick of craft supplies we own (and maybe every last stick of my sanity, too).
I’m so looking forward to having some time to myself so I can work on my novel-in-progress as well as get started on revisions from my agent. (We plan to revise my YA paranormal suspense novel over the summer and go on submission to editors in the fall.)
What’s the deal with flash fiction?
The NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge is approaching on June 10. I’ve been deep into novel-writing for a long time now, so crafting a story in less than 1000 words definitely sounds like a challenge to me!
Flash fiction is a funny animal. You have to do so much in such a short time; it’s almost like writing poetry. Cutting a story to the bone, zeroing in on one intense, transformative moment. Flash tends to be sensory, rhythmic, and evocative. Unlike longer fiction, it may not have much in the way of plot, though you can never go wrong with action that rises to a climax. In any case, flash fiction is a great place for experimentation with language and form. There aren’t a lot of rules when you’re writing something so short.
What flash fiction should definitely have is the ability to evoke a feeling. And, in my opinion, it should have a killer last line: surprising, inevitable, and emotionally-satisfying.
One of my MFA professors, the brilliant Amanda Boyden, once said the best way to end a short story is with an image: one that communicates, in a visual and visceral way, the feeling you want your readers to experience. I think this is such a great piece of advice. In fact, I might say the most important part of a piece of flash fiction is the very last line.
A Dangerous Haircut
The best flash fiction I ever wrote (IMO) is a story called “The Cut” that clocks in at 580 words. Actually, I wrote several versions of this story: one that was only 280 words, and another that was 750. The 580-word version is the one that got published in Front Porch Journal.
The story was inspired by a real situation. I was in my late twenties and working on my MFA thesis. I was starting to worry about what I was going to do with myself after I graduated and if I would fail at my dream of being a published novelist.
So I was feeling out-of-sorts that summer. That’s my explanation, anyway, for why I let a weird, drunk guy cut my hair on the roof of a hostel in Mexico. Later, as I tried to understand what possessed me to do such a thing, I thought about what a dramatic scene it was — full of tension and symbol.
All this led me to write a rather dark and very short story called “The Cut.” Fictional for sure, but very much inspired by that roof-top haircut.
I think I knew, when I started writing, the image I wanted for the ending. But it took many drafts to get the wording just right. Even now, all these years later, I’m pretty darn proud of the final line. Sometimes, when you put in the time, the muse comes through.
Today I’m sharing “The Cut” with my paid subscribers. I’d love to know what you think of it. Have you written any flash pieces yourself? What do you think makes good flash fiction?
Want to write a novel?
On the opposite end of the spectrum from flash fiction is novel-writing.
Do you have a great idea for a story but feel overwhelmed by the task of writing a whole novel? Starting a book-length project can be daunting. That’s why I’m offering a virtual course called Getting Started on Your Novel.
Based on my popular in-person workshop at The Writers Center in Bethesda, I have created a do-it-on-your-own-time course in which you will:
generate ideas for your novel
write beginning scenes
flesh out the plot and setting
get to know the characters and their motivations
learn about story structure, conflict, world-building, and other craft topics
The first lesson is available now in both written and audio format, and the second lesson will be hitting email inboxes this Saturday.
Lesson 1: The Big Idea. Brainstorm better ideas for your novel and start to write an “exploratory first draft.”
Lesson 2: Characters. Write stronger, more interesting characters, whether you’re writing a character-first or premise-first novel.
Lesson 3: Setting & World-Building. Create a strong setting and hammer out details about your characters’ world, whether it’s fantasy, historical, contemporary, or otherwise.
Lesson 4: Plot & Story Structure. Determine major plot points and make a map to guide you from beginning to end of your draft.
Lesson 5: First Page, First Chapter, Next Steps. Learn how to hook readers with your first page and first chapter. Make plans to help you finish your first draft.
By the end of the course you will have the beginning chapter(s) of your novel and a good sense of where you’re going next.
Getting Started on Your Novel is available to paid subscribers only. It’s $5/month to subscribe, and the course runs from now until June 25, which means you will get all five lessons for only $10. Cancel your subscription at any time, no questions asked.
By becoming a paid subscriber you will also have access to the entire course of Cultivating a Regular Writing Practice. Not a bad deal!
Writing News
Hoping to start a regular writing this summer? Read about my virtual course Cultivating a Regular Writing Practice! This series of do-it-on-your-own-time lessons will help you create a writing routine that works for you and keeps you writing regularly for the long-term. All four lessons are available now for paid subscribers.
Want help writing a novel? Read about my virtual course Getting Started on Your Novel. The first two lessons are available now for paid subscribers.
Register for this FREE Editor Panel Webinar happening TOMORROW, hosted by the Good Story Company.
Check out Write Hive’s FREE online writing conference June 10-12. The conference gathers authors, editors and industry professionals from all over the world for three full days of panels, presentations, and workshops aimed at writers of all genres and levels of experience.
Read this great blog post from Globe Soup on 10 Ways to Write an Incredible First Sentence. Then enter their FREE First Sentence Mini Challenge for a chance to win £100. That’s right: £100 for one great sentence! You have to join Globe Soup’s Love to Write facebook group to enter, but that’s no big hardship, and this seems like a really fun contest. Deadline is June 13.
Write On Con, an online conference for kidlit writers is now open for registration. The conference will be held July 15-17.
And there’s also WOWCON, WriteMentor’s online conference for kidlit writers, coming up September 24 - 26.
I used to live in Seattle and take in-person classes at the Hugo House, so I can vouch for their excellent quality. These days, most Hugo House classes and workshops are virtual… which means you don’t have to live in Seattle to be a student! Check out their course catalog with over 80 brand-new classes in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, the writing life, reading, and more—including four free classes.
The querying trenches are rough right now, and Twitter pitch parties are a crapshoot, but still, as I always say, it’s a great way to meet other writers and it certainly doesn’t hurt to try. (After all, I found my agent through a Twitter pitch party. I am now an official success story!) So mark your calendar for these upcoming Twitter pitch parties. And be sure to read my article 13 Things to Know About Twitter Pitch Events.
June 23 (8am—8pm EST): #PitchDis — Twitter pitch event to showcase pitches from the disabled community
June 30 ( TIME BST): #KidLitPit - Twitter pitch event for picture books, middle grade, and YA.
After years of virtual conferences, we’re starting to see some in-person ones. (Be sure to take a COVID test before you go!) Check out these upcoming summer conferences:
Chesapeake Writers’ Conference: June 19-25 at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. A week of craft talks, lectures, panel discussions, readings, and daily workshops in fiction, poetry, songwriting, or creative nonfiction.
Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference: August 18-21 in Franklin, Tennessee. This conferences brings together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. They also offer discounts and scholarships.
For more writing conferences, check out this list.
NYC Midnight hosts a range of storytelling challenges throughout the year. I have done several of these and always been pleasantly surprised by what I come up with when the pressure is on. Not gonna lie, these challenges are pricey, but they’re a lot of fun. Upcoming challenge:
June 10 is the Flash Fiction Challenge. You can read last year’s winning entry here.
This year the Writing Day Workshop “How to Get Published” Conferences will be held virtually. I attended one of these conferences in person a few years ago in Philadelphia, and I thought it was fantastic. I can’t vouch for the virtual version, but there are some benefits: recorded classes, no travel expenses, attend in your comfy pants. Plus, you can sign up for Zoom pitch sessions with agents for $29 a piece. Check out the upcoming conferences (and remember, anyone can attend from anywhere; just keep the time zone in mind).
Chicago Writing Workshop: June 10-11, 2022Florida Writing Workshop: July 8-9, 2022
Kansas City Writing Workshop: August 5-6, 2022