Flash in the Pan

 

Sometimes a little change can do a lot of good. As writers we often work towards the common goal of a full-length novel, because that’s what publishers want and that is what sells. In trying to create that book many writers have to set aside other, more spontaneous forms of expression like poems or short stories. Taking a break from the grind can do a mind and body good, so in the spirit of having a little fun, I’ve tasked my friends in RVA City Writers to a flash challenge.

Who are the RVA City Writers?

RVA City Writers (aka "RiVAh City Writers") is a group of wordslingers in the Virginia area who come together to promote and share the words of local authors usually working in dark genre fiction (crime, noir, horror, mystery). This gang ranges from the not-yet-published to the award-winning.

D Alexander Ward 🗡 Hugh Lessig 🗡 John Glover 🗡Julia Brugh 🗡 LynDee Stephens Walker 🗡 Marietta Miles 🗡 Phillip Thompson 🗡 Meriah Lysistrata Crawford 🗡Shawn A. Cosby 🗡 Shawn Reilly Simmons 🗡 Ward Howarth

What is the challenge?

Write a fifty-word flash. That’s it. However, the story must incorporate three randomly selected words and revolve around a single, overall theme.

The words have been drawn and shared; letter, afford, and yard. Pretty sexy words, am I right? And then we revealed the topic; despair.

When will they deliver?

Each writer has chosen a single Monday between now and the end of the year when their tale will be told. The three words must be used, despair must be the motif, and the word count must remain fifty or under. Next week I will post a calendar of who will be published and when.

I’m looking forward to reading the stories from each of these amazing writers and I can’t wait to share them with you.