an announcement … and the week 42 winners

Firstly, I want to say thank you to everyone who has flashed over the course of the last forty-two weeks. I've been continually amazed at the strength of the writing we've had, week by week. There are a lot of talented writers around and it's been a privilege to read your words. I hope #fanficflashfic has provided you with some inspiration and some fun - both as writers and readers. I know more than one of you have continued various flashes into longer stories, and that's just amazing.

Secondly, this will be the end of #fanficflashfic … for a little while. With NaNoWriMo keeping people busy, and the holiday season approaching so quickly, I've decided to take a break for a while. 

Thirdly, assuming there's enough interest, #fanficflashfic will start back up in January. I'll be looking forward to seeing all the words roll in once more.

Cheers, lovely writer-friends. 

Shell x

Thank you to this week's judge, @sandyquill.

@AnnaLund2011 - HONORABLE MENTION:
Using the ocean as a symbol of the foreverness is beautiful. It totally works for me in terms of the quote and the image.

@ladylibre - The ending here surprised me! I was thinking it was so sad - I have had to say goodbye to loved ones and it hurts - and then it really IS painful seeing as how the “Other” in this is marrying elsewhere. What a painful backstory must be here!

@jdifrans - This one is so quiet...but so busy and filled with the questions and uncertainties. I hope they get answered!

@Pinkcookie - FIRST PLACE:

I really enjoyed how you used the prompts and the emotive quality you assigned to each. “Now, I watch as you slowly peel it and silently feed us slices one by one. You’ve done this same little thing for us hundreds of times.” - This is a forever composed of nows. I really like it. :)

@moonlit__girl - HONORABLE MENTION:

This one just made me smile. A lot. I read it over more than once and kept smiling. “Seventeen.” I can see more meetings in the future… but I kind of hope they try something daring and email. :)

@bkhchicka - Wow. I am cringing here, and many kudos to you for going in this headspace. “But decisions alter what forever looks like. “ This is SO true and should have its own quote prompt.

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Congratulations, Pinkcookie.

Thank you to @sandyquill for judging, and to everyone who participated.

Pinkcookie - when #fanficflashfic resumes, I'll be in touch.

Week 42 fanficflashfic

Here are the prompts, as chosen by this week's judge, @sandyquill.

You may use one or both to inspire your writing.

"Forever is composed of nows." 

Emily Dickinson

Remember to check the rules. 

Have your 100 - 200 words submitted by 12:01am Friday, November 15, US EDST.

We want anything and everything: poetry, prose, fanfic, OF. 

JUST GET WRITING!

Leave your entry as a comment - include your word count, and your twitter handle if you have one.

Probably good practice to reference any source material, too. 

FYI - entries that exceed (or are under) the word limits will not be considered by the judge.

Also, I've had a few questions lately regarding the submission of more than one entry. Yes, you may submit more than one flashfic. I'm going to say a maximum of two (2) entries though. Furthermore, they're not to be continuations, or related to each other in any way -- they need to be completely separate, stand alone entries. 

week 41 winners

Here's what @moonlit__girl had to say about this week's entries...


@sandyquill - First Place. I love the snapshot you painted here. You write such a great description of the picture: “After all the agitation, the flurry of activity, Mellie sagged against the forgiving cushions in the train, her head lolling to one side. Not seeing the landscape slide past her gaze, she gave the bare appearance of engaging with the scenery” This could be the beginning, middle, or end of a story, and I found my self wanting to read more.

@ladylibre - (Clickety-clack) I like how you used the noise of the train to give rhythm to the poem. These lines in particular were great: “Glorious she gave/ Greedy I took/ Sweeping, seeping, and soft /The coda of a farewell song”  Well done.

@AnnaLund2011 - The beginning of this is lovely. The way you describe her breathing in the first few lines is perfect. I can almost hear her.   “Finally I can draw real breaths, and not those nervous, little tip-of-my-lungs-short-sniffs I’ve been taking the last fifteen years.” Nicely done.

@Pinkcookie - You had such a great start here! I loved the thought of her sitting on train after train with no plan, just to get far away. “Clickety-clack, I miss you so. Clickety-clack, I love you so. Clickety-clack, what a sad sack. Clickety-clack, I want you back.” And then I found myself saying Noooooo, what is she doing! I think it might have been a stronger ending if you had ended it with “I jump into the snow.”

@Sherbert20111 - This one lends itself to being read out loud. My favorite part was this: “Who will be there/ When we get there/Nobody we know/Nobody/We know/ Tickety ticket/ Clickety click” Poor girl got herself stuck in the same situation again; I love how you cycled it back to end the same way it began.

@PinkCookie - Honorable Mention. This one shocked the hell out of me, I didn’t see it coming at all. The words you chose are straightforward and pack a punch. Love the Viewmaster reference. I might have ended it with “I let myself fall.’ Nice job.

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Congratulations @sandyquill!

Thank you to @moonlit__girl for judging, and to everyone who participated.

See you next week.

week 41 fanficflashfic

Here is the prompt, chosen by this week's judge, @moonlit__girl.

Remember to check the rules. 

Have your 100 - 200 words submitted by 12:01am Friday, November 8, US EDST.

We want anything and everything: poetry, prose, fanfic, OF. 

JUST GET WRITING!

Leave your entry as a comment - include your word count, and your twitter handle if you have one.

Probably good practice to reference any source material, too. 

FYI - entries that exceed (or are under) the word limits will not be considered by the judge.

Also, I've had a few questions lately regarding the submission of more than one entry. Yes, you may submit more than one flashfic. I'm going to say a maximum of two (2) entries though. Furthermore, they're not to be continuations, or related to each other in any way -- they need to be completely separate, stand alone entries. 

week 40 winners

Here are @suebee0619's answers to my judgey questions...

1. What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given? 

Not so much advice as the support of people I love and respect. Them telling me they believed in me and that I could do this was huge. I never did any kind of creative writing until getting into the fanfic world, so I really needed that push. It's amazing what a well timed "You can do this" from some truly talented authors can do.

2. The first and last books you fell in love with? 

Oh my goodness. I've been a reader all of my life so this is tough. As a kid, it would have been "The Little Princess". As an adult, the first I fell in love with was "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving and I love it to this day. In fact, I think I'm due for a reread. The last was probably "Cursed Be the Wicked" by the lovely J.R. Richardson, but that's not out yet. I was lucky enough to have read it early and holy wow did I love it. I highly recommend both to everyone looking for a book that you totally sink into and have the world around you fall away.  

3. What's happening outside the nearest window?

Um, the Barclay's Bank office cafeteria across the street from my office seems to have hit its mid morning lull. LOL

4. There's a rubber stamp mark on your hand. What does it say?

Talk to her.

5. Suppose you could travel to any place in time and history. When and where are you going?

Gah. Hard question. Rather than go with the epic, I'm going to go with the personal. I'd go back to around 1986 and get myself into therapy when I was an angry, depressed teenager rather than deal with the fallout now. Obviously, there's a reason that I connected to that picture prompt immediately and so strongly. It really did take my breath away once I saw what the words said. Kudos to Mags for finding such a great image that I honestly want framed and hanging on my wall. 

@moonlit__girl - First Place

Gorgeous. Just flat out gorgeous. I loved the imagery and I could imagine the emotions that went along with each of her different walls. The author took the picture prompt and just ran with it in the best of ways. It was all I could ask for in an entry and more.

@jdifrans - Third Place

This was so hard to read but really well written and an interesting take on the prompt. Is it possible to love and hate an author for their words at the same time? LOL Very well done on a tough subject.

@Pinkcookie

Love love love the imagery of her tears creating a beautiful garden. And well done combining the two prompts. I didn't even think about that when I picked them.

@AnnaLund2011 - Second Place

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this one, but the positives far outweighed anything else. I love the imagery of her dancing and singing and keeping her smile even after whatever happened. And the mixed feeling of her being all she wants to be, all she can be is interesting. It left me wondering whether those walls are permanent or whether she’ll ever let anyone in. While I appreciate pulling Samhain in because of when this flash fic happened to fall, I actually think the reference to it detracted from the piece as a whole. That being said, I love the way the rest of it spoke to me.

@ShadesofPurple4

Oof. That feeling in your gut when you just know something is wrong and different and that the heartbreak is coming after you’ve finally been brave enough to open up. You took me through that entire arc of a relationship. Well done!

@Billi

Awwwwww… I loved the HEA in this. I could imagine how painful her regrets would be. Lovely job.

@hummingbirdFF - Honorable Mention -

Gah. Owie but I really liked that you were able to combine the two prompts – something I didn’t even consider when I picked them. I felt the anticipation and then the despair when it was not to be. Nicely done!

@ChocoMG2112 

Holy crap… so hot!!! And I loved this “Her presence enveloped me and I felt like I was coming home.”  

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Congratulations @moonlit__girl!

Thank you to @suebee0619 for judging, and to everyone who participated.

See you next week.