A few weeks ago, I posted a creative writing prompt using myths, legends, or fairytales. I did the prompt myself, and the result is my flash fiction piece, "Fish(er)man", which is below. It is also a companion piece to another flash piece I wrote last fall, "Swim Challenge". The characters are different, but the setting, Rainy Lake, which separates the border of Minnesota and Canada, is the same. Also, both pieces have a touch or more of magical realism. "Fish(er)man" is a reinvention of …
Writer
I love writing, and I also love to write ABOUT writing, classic female authors, and whatever else might be on my mind. I hope you enjoy the variety!
Short Story Checklist
I have been writing a lot of short fiction lately. I've also been reading and studying short fiction, as that's a major focus of the grad program I'm in. The other day, I was looking for online journals where I could submit my short fiction, and read their guidelines. One place insisted that short fiction should be about distinct moments packed with emotion, rather than shocking twists. Another just stated the REASON for the short story should be clear, and it needs to be more than …
Feminist Fiction Writers: Lucia Berlin
Lucia Berlin was a brilliant but mostly unappreciated author of short fiction. According to The Guardian, Berlin focused on working class jobs in her stories, as she was from a scrappy working class background herself. At one time, she had a job as an emergency room nurse. That is not surprising, as her flash fiction piece, My Jockey provides stunning medical details combined with an ironic sense of humor and wit. At the beginning of “My Jockey”, she states that she likes being an emergency …
Celebration! First Draft Done!
I'm celebrating! I just finished my first draft of latest novel, MYSTERIES AND MARTINIS. (Last word = fly) Because the online tools I have make it so easy, I composed a fantasy cover & ad. But now the real work begins. On to revisions, queries, and putting myself out there! …
“Brownies” by ZZ Packer & a Writing Prompt
In “Brownies,” from Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, ZZ Packer relays a tale that is based on either a lie or a misconception, depending upon how you want to look at it. The members of an all Black Brownie troop insist they heard a member from an all White Brownie troop use the “N” word. The story is told through first person POV, by a girl nicknamed Snot. She barely speaks, but she focuses quite a bit on how other people sound. In the beginning, Snot is not so relevant as a character. She …