Sixty Seconds with: Reg Wulff

Ten answers to ten questions in 20 words or fewer. That’s less time than it takes to burn a match*.

(*Depending on the length of the match and your tolerance for burned fingers, obviously)

Our newest Flash! Friday winner is Reg Wulff.  Read his winning story on his winner’s page here, then take one awesome little minute (because he’s that goooood!) to get to know him better.

1) What about the Lord of the Rings prompt inspired your winning piece? The photo: I pictured the mountain as a volcano, wiping out the town like a real life Mt. Doom.

2) How long have you been writing flash? I started writing flash fiction when I began submitting pieces to Flash! Fridays.

3) What do you like about flash? The challenge of fitting a whole story into a limited space, and being able to finish a piece quickly.

4) What flash advice would you give other writers? Just go for it — start writing and see where it goes.  You might surprise yourself.

5) Who is a writer we should follow, and why? There’s so many incredible writers posting on Flash! Friday, it’s hard to single out anyone in particular.

6) Do you participate in other flash contests, and which? No other flash contests other than Flash Fridays; my life outside writing is pretty busy at the moment.

7) What other forms do you write (novels, poetry, articles, etc)? I like writing short stories, although I haven’t done much lately.  I also do some blog posts for work.

8) What is/are your favorite genre(s) to write, and why? I like to try different genres. I think it helps round me out a writer and offers different challenges.  

9) Tell us about a WIP. Actually, my WIP is going through all my half written WIPs, organizing them, and deciding on a WIP to finish. 

10) How do you feel about dragons? If they were real, they would be my choice of house pet/watch dog type animal.  They are awesome.

Flash! Friday: Vol 3 – 38

Welcome! Thank you for taking the time to join us at this fun little to-the-death-contest, no pressure or anything, isn’t that a relief, whew. Haha, just kidding. Many of our writers survive the battle and live to flaunt their scars the next week.  No, I don’t have stats. No, I don’t have anything personal against stats; I would use them if I had any. Yes, I am fond of stats — well, in moderation. Oh. No, I did not intend to mock stats. No, I would not like to be reported to the Writing Contest Committee’s Subcommittee on Stats and Percentages, thank you for asking. 

OK, wait, where were we?! OH. Welcome! Rescue me from my sleep deprivation and write us a story or two, won’t you? We’re delighted you’re here.

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Arriving via hilariously distinguished St. Bernard and terrifyingly beautiful sky dragon (I’ll leave you to sort out which captain is riding which beast) is Dragon Team Five, the magnificently talented duo of Foy S. Iver and Holly Geely. Holly’s always on the lookout for mold-breaking characters, while Foy seeks ground-breaking plot paths. Sounds like a lot of breakage, doesn’t it? But ohh, you know this week’s going to be GOOD with Team Five in command!     

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Awards Ceremony: Results will post Monday. Noteworthy #SixtySeconds interviews with the previous week’s winner post Thursdays.  

* Today’s required word count: 300 +/- 25 words  (275 min – 325 max words, not counting title/byline). 

* How to enter: Post your story here in the comments. Be sure to include your word count (this week 275 – 325 words, excluding title/byline), the two story elements you based your story on, and Twitter handle if you’ve got one. If you’re new or forgetful, be sure to check the contest guidelines.

* Deadline: 11:59pm ET tonight (check the world clock if you need to; Flash! Friday is on Washington, DC time)

* Winners: will post Monday.

* Prize: The Flash! Friday e-dragon e-badge for your blog/wall, your own winner’s page here at FF, a 60-second interview next Thursday, and your name flame-written on the Dragon Wall of Fame for posterity.

AND HERE IS YOUR NOVEL PROMPT:

This week’s novel inspiration, from one fellowship to another: Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien’s celebrated trilogy of a little hobbit who saves Middle Earth from a great dark lord by friendship, cunning, and sacrifice.

Story elements (base your story on any TWO of these elements; be sure to tell us which two you chose. Reminder: please remember the Flash! Friday guidelines with regard to content AND please do not use copyrighted characters). 

* Conflict: man v man (not gender specific)
* Character (choose one): an uncrowned king, an ordinary person tangled in epic events, an immortal sacrificing immortality for love’s sake, a wizard battling a higher-ranked wizard, a princess disguised as a soldier, a humble gardener
* Theme (choose one): good triumphs over evil, courage, power of friendship, beauty cannot last
* Setting (choose one): long road en route to a volcano, a beautiful forest

OPTIONAL PHOTO PROMPT (for inspiration only; it is NOT REQUIRED for your story):

Mt. Teide: the conic-point that meets the skies. CC2.0 pic by Julie Ann Johnson.

Sixty Seconds II with: M. T. Decker

Ten answers to ten questions in 20 words or fewer. That’s less time than it takes to burn a match*.

(*Depending on the length of the match and your tolerance for burned fingers, obviously)

Our latest Flash! Friday winner (for her 2nd time) is M. T. Decker.  Read her winning story here, then take one minute to get to know her better. (Read her first interview here.)

1) What about the prompt inspired you to write your winning piece? I didn’t really see any point of reference, so the matter of scale came into play: life sized or 1:24th scale?

2) Do you outline, or are you more of a discovery writer? I’m a bit of both.  Usually I know the beginning and the end of a story with a few snippets in the middle. 

3) How would you describe your writing style? Eclectic?  with a twist? and a dash of humor?

4) When did you begin writing fiction? I’ll go with “as a child”; it’s a good answer.

5) Introduce us to a favorite character in one of your stories. Just one? Jess Miller: Mundane Motorcycle Medic in a world of heroes corporations and monsters (and yes, dragons). She’s the face to the ordinary in the middle of the extraordinary.  

6) What books have influenced your life the most? The Chronicles of Prydain (Lloyd Alexander); The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien); The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas); The Tao of Programming (Geoffrey James)

7) What are you currently reading? I’m in the middle of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month); I’m lucky if I can slip a bit of Bass Player in.  

8) How do you combat writer’s block? Edit.  Usually when I’m blocked it’s because there’s something wrong in the story I’m working on and my subconscious locks on the wrongness.  

9) What is the best writing advice you’ve ever been given? Two parts – Read: Read outside your genre, read fiction and non-fiction.  and Write.  Just write, keep writing, keep learning, push yourself and… write.

10) What do you admire most about dragons? How many variations there are:  the sentient, fire-breathing dragons of McCaffrey, the powerful and unknowable ones of Dragonsbane; and the  ancient ones who covet knowledge like in Tea with the Black Dragon.  Basically they are … anything we can imagine. {{Editor’s Note: winners are always allowed to wax eloquent where dragons are concerned.}}