Sixty Seconds with: @dazmb

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 @dazmb.  Read his winning story on his winner’s page here, then take one compact but miraculous little minute to get to know him better below.

1) What about the Cry, the Beloved Country prompts inspired your winning piece? The photo was an incredibly powerful image, so I started from there and built words around the theme of reconciliation.

2) How long have you been writing flash? Not long.  I think I submitted my first piece to @Microbookends about three months ago.

3) What do you like about flash? The idea of communicating something large or universal out of a limited number of words.

4) What flash advice would you give other writers? Know what is essential to your story.  Eliminate anything superfluous.  Don’t underestimate readers’ ability to fill in blanks.

5) Who is a writer we should follow, and why? The flashfic community is incredibly supportive.  Hopefully this gives everyone the confidence to follow their own paths.

6) Do you participate in other flash contests, and which? I started @ThreeLineThursday, then @Microbookends before finding @FlashFridayFic.  I’m at capacity now!

7) What other forms do you write? Not much I’m afraid; the above contests take up all the available spare time I have.

8) What is/are your favorite genre(s) to write, and why? Poetry – it’s best at winkling out the truth of things, for offering up differing perspectives.

9) Tell us about a WIP. Nothing right now; come back to me next Friday when the Flash! Friday prompt goes up!

10) How do you feel about dragons? Served rare with bearnaise sauce, triple fried chips and a bottle of Malbec? I daresay I’m amenably disposed.

Sixty Seconds with: Holly Geely

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 Holly Geely.  That’s right: she’s a current dragon captain judge (Team Five!) and a first-time winner, and we couldn’t be happier for her! Read her winning story on her winner’s page here, then take one minute to get to know her better.

1) What about the Canterbury Tales elements inspired your winning piece? How could I resist a talking rooster? The courtly love bit is what inspired the poetry.

2) How long have you been writing flash? It’s been years now. I started writing it before I knew what it was.

3) What do you like about writing flash? Punch lines work better with shorter fiction!

4) What flash advice would you give other writers? Dialogue is your friend.

5) Who is a writer we should follow, and why? My beloved Team #5 partner, Foy S. Iver – she’s amazing!

6) Do you participate in other flash contests, and which? I like to poke my nose in at Finish That Thought, Micro Bookends, and Angry Hourglass (Saturdays are harder though).

7) What other stuff do you write? It’s funny, I generally don’t write poetry…yet I won with a poem! I’ve written one novel so far. {Editor’s Note: She means The Dragon’s Toenail, of course, which just launched this week; join us in two weeks for a #Spotlight interview introducing you to this brand new book!}

8) What is/are your favorite genre(s) to write, and why? Fantasy! World building is my second-favourite part. (Character building is my favourite.)

9) Tell us about a WIP. I’m writing the sequel to The Dragon’s  Toenail. More characters, more shenanigans, and a dragon’s egg.

10) How do you feel about dragons? They’re delicious with BBQ sauce!

Post-Morpheme

Zentralbild Biscan 14.5.1958 Gutsbesitzer-Schloss wurde Krankenhaus. CC3.0 Germany photo by Biscan.

Post-Morpheme
by Rebekah Postupak

Carry that sentence on in—yes, lay it on the syntax table. CAREFUL! You’re dropping modifiers everywhere! That’s better.

All right. You’ve all seen a red pen before? Good. Let’s start by carving the baseline, shall we? Sloooowly. OK, we’re in. Don’t be embarrassed, ma’am; many experience nausea at the primary parse. Can anyone locate the subject right off? Regrettably, sir, that’s the object. Anyone else? Yes, there! Excellent!

Now observe my pen—sometimes one must dig around—ahhh, here it is, a nice, fat predicate. What, someone’s fainted? My apologies, sir; adverbs will splatter. Mind the puddle, then.

Young lady! I beseech you! Prepositions are not for chewing on!

♦♦♦

Written for the weekly flash contest Microbookends, with its 90-110 word count window and incorporating this week’s photo (a messy spectator event) and the required opening/closing words of carry/on. Give MB a try! It runs Thursdays, the exact 24h preceding Flash! Friday.