§ Rebekah says: We made it! Nineteen (!) weeks of Friday flash fiction contests. What a riot it’s been! Please be sure to stop back by this Sunday; Deb and I will be sharing about what (mischief) is on tap for our 2021. I’m saving most of my thanks for Monday’s final post, but today must mention a heartfelt спасиба to P.A. (Maggie ♥) Duncan for anonymizing today’s stories so we can judge blind. And speaking of stories!! As a judge for this round: I love vivid worldbuilding and vibrant characters; I love snappy dialogue and courage in the face of overwhelming odds. I love stories that fire up the imagination with possibility. I’m so excited to meet the worlds you’re about to dream up for us!
§ Foy says: A riot, indeed! I’m so grateful to have been invited on this journey. The opportunity to learn from y’all and (hopefully!) improve my own writing craft was invaluable. Each of you made surviving this year a beautiful thing, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of us in her inscrutable hands. As your second dragon judge in the dyad, I want fiction that gnaws on the root of what it is to be human*, imagery carved out of unusual word-couplings, characters fully embodied, and a strong sense of wonder or the peculiar. We’ve seen y’all deliver this and more, already. ♥
*Bonus points for nonhuman/off-world creatures!
QUESTIONS? Tweet us at @FlashFridayFic, shoot us a note here, or tap any of the judges.
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Fire&Ice FINALE PRIZES:
Through this Fire&Ice season, it’s been our joy sharing works from our reading journey with you via our Flash!Future Sunday posts. We’ve chatted about writers we’ve loved a long time, as well as writers new to us; writers from our own continent, and writers from parts of the world we’ve yet to visit. Today’s “finale” contest allows us to bring the celebration full circle: honoring both you and the writers we’ve featured. The winner from Sol 19 will receive in their very own writerly hands, the below treasure trove of works. It’s our way of thanking you for walking this road with us this little while. ♥
#VSS365 Anthology (featured here)
Cherie Dimaline, The Marrow Thieves (featured here)
NK Jemisin, The City We Became (featured here)
Ken Liu, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories (featured here)
Mimi Mondal, editor, Luminescent Threads (featured here)
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Mexican Gothic (featured here)
Nnedi Okorafor, Ikenga (featured here)
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Fire&Ice Guidelines:
Time: The Fire&Ice contest is open between exactly 12:01am to 11:59pm on Fridays, Washington DC time (check the current time here). Entries submitted outside of this window are welcome, but will be incinerated ineligible to win.
How to Play: Write and submit an original story as a comment on this post 1) based on the photo prompt and 2) including the “dragon” requirement as specified. Pay attention to the word count constraints! Story titles (optional) are not included in the word limit. At the end of your story, add your name or twitter handle, which dragon element you chose, and word count. That’s it!
Be sure to review the contest rules here.
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JUDGES: Today’s judges are Rebekah Postupak and Deborah Foy.
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AND HERE IS YOUR PROMPT:
Each Fire&Ice prompt includes 1) a photo, 2) a required “dragon” element, and 3) a specific word count. Your story must include all three requirements to be eligible to win.
Photo for Sol 19/19
Torii Shrine by peaksignal. Read more about the shrine here.
Required dragon elements: YOUR CHOICE of one or more of the following (be sure to indicate your choice at the end of your story):
1. Write your story in a genre that’s different from your default (you decide what that means to you)
2. Include a mythological character or non-Earth world
3. Incorporate a favorite fire or ice dragon challenge from Sol 1 – 18
Today’s word count: Less than 200 (no minimum)
Flash! Friday 
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