Hello everyone!
Welcome to the first Bulletin of 2014. I hope you are all keeping well and your flash-fiction activities have been running smoothly since we last spoke.
This will be a quick message, as we are just starting to gear up for getting ready for this year's day. However we do have a few messages, and a call for entries to our annual Micro-Fiction competition.
First, I need to direct you to our new website (http://host2021.temp.domains/~nationo0/). It's similar to the old - the same information - but with a shiny new look courtesy of a new logo from Charlotte Henson Design (https://www.facebook.com/charlottehensondesign) and a whole new site courtesy of Tim Stevenson. Many, many thanks to them both.
Second is, of course, to tell you that the date for this year's NFFD will be Saturday 21st June, so it's time to start planning your event and thinking about what you will do to celebrate this year's day. Send us your information as soon as you have it, and we'll list it on the site.
And, of course, that is true for anything else that you think we need to list on the site - flash-fiction magazines and websites, new authors, or whatever. Please send it through and we will add it and spread the word.
Finally for this bulletin, and the item you have all been waiting for, it's time to announce that we are now open to submissions for this year's Micro-Fiction competition. The word limit is, once again, 100 words, and the closing date is Sunday 9th March, so you have a little over a month to get us your stories. Full details are on the website at http://host2021.temp.domains/~nationo0/comp.html
Prizes will once again be supplied by our sponsors, Salt Publishing, Comma Press and Gumbo Press, and we have an illustrious panel of judges comprising: Carys Bray, Cathy Bryant, Kevlin Henney, Jonathan Pinnock, Angela Readman and Tim Stevenson.
You will notice that this year we have had to introduce a charge for entering the competition. This decision was not taken lightly, but it has been necessary in order to fund the activities of NFFD, not least the production of our now traditional anthology. We have, however, done our best to keep the cost to a minimum (and lower than many other similar competitions) and we promise not to squander the money on sweets and fizzy pop. Payments are via PayPal, but if you don't have an account with them, you can still use an ordinary credit or debit card. Of course, if you have any problems, please do get in touch.
And that's it for now. Go and have a look at the new site, get thinking about what you are going to do for the day, and start sending us your micro-fictions, we can't wait to read them!
More soon, as and when we have it. Until then, be well.
All best
Calum Kerr
(If you wish to subscribe to this bulletin, please send an email to nationalflashfictionday@gmail.com and we'll add you straight away.