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Author: Ingrid Jendrzejewski

Published on Leave a comment on NFFD Blog Roll

Following the events of last Wednesday - for which another hearty thanks should go to you all! - lots of people have been writing about what happened, what they did, where they went, and what they wrote. So, I thought they should be gathered together for you all to read. I'm sure this isn't exhaustive, but it's not a bad selection, I'm sure you'll agree!


Don't forget, as well, the two special blog publications that came out from NFFD Central - FlashFlood, our 24 hour journal (http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.co.uk/) and The Write-In which took place on the day (http://thewrite-in.blogspot.co.uk/) and, of course, the flashes which have been produced before,on and since the day on our Flashes blog (http://nffdflashes.blogspot.co.uk/).


Blogs, Articles and Website features (in no particular order):



By Thresholds Admin

In celebration of National Flash Fiction Day, 16th May, THRESHOLDS has teamed up with some of the UK's best-known writers of the form to bring you a selection of fantastic flashes – stories to read in just a few minutes, that will stay with you ...

THRESHOLDS


(INTER)NATIONAL FLASH FICTION DAY | Every Day Fiction - The ...
Today — May 16, 2012 — is the first ever National Flash Fiction Day… and International Flash Fiction Day as well, since this special day has quite naturally ...
www.everydayfiction.com/international-flash-fiction-day/


Tom Conoboy's Writing Blog: National Flash Fiction Day
National Flash Fiction Day. Today is National Flash Fiction day. So write a flash. Her's some prompts: Posted by Tom Conoboy at 7:00 AM. Labels: writing craft ...
tomconoboy.blogspot.com/.../national-flash-fiction-day.html


Spies, lies and pies: National Flash Fiction Day
National Flash Fiction Day. It's today, apparently. If I'd had more planning and not been at work so much, I might have tried my hand at a story especially for ...
spiesliesandpies.blogspot.com/.../national-flash-fiction-day.ht...


I call it research...: National Flash Fiction Day
I love a good flash, me. Tiny complete micro stories of up to about 500 words. David Gaffney, a brilliant writer of flash fiction, writes about it here in the Guardian .
icallitresearch.blogspot.com/.../national-flash-fiction-day.html


National Flash Fiction Day « Pete Denton – Writer
Today is National Flash Fiction day in the UK. I must admit that I had never heard of Flash Fiction until last year. When my writing group were talking about ...
petedenton.wordpress.com/2012/05/.../national-flash-fiction-d...


National Flash Fiction Day « Brainstorms & Bylines
Do you write flash fiction? Lucky you! Today is National Flash Fiction Day (U.K.)! In honor of the holiday to celebrate writing small, I've compiled a round-up of ...
barbaratyler.wordpress.com/tag/national-flash-fiction-day/


National Flash-Fiction Day « Vanessa Couchman
Tomorrow, 16th May, is National Flash-Fiction Day (NFFD) in the UK, celebrating this short story form. What is flash fiction? A very short but complete story, ...
vanessacouchmanwriter.wordpress.com/.../national-flash-fictio...


Subtle Melodrama Book Reviews: National Flash Fiction Day
Happy National Flash Fiction Day! Isn't that exciting? It is! But what even is flash fiction? As far as the submission guidelines I've seen are concerned, flash fiction ...
www.subtlemelodrama.com/.../national-flash-fiction-day.html


Flash Fiction: Conversion - Flash Fiction - National Flash Fiction Day ...
Conversion - Flash Fiction - National Flash Fiction Day UK. Accessing the county water treatment facility proved far easier than he'd thought. Adding the contents ...
lisavooght.blogspot.com/.../conversion-flash-fiction-national-f...


It's the first ever UK National Flash Fiction Day (and lots of lovely free ...
Hello — and today is the first ever EVER UK National Flash Fiction Day — three cheers for Calum Kerr! So, what's happening today? The quick guide to NFFD ...
marthawilliams.org/2012/05/16/nffd-2012/


It's National Flash Fiction Day!* « worcesterpoetsasylum
It's National Flash Fiction Day!*. *In the UK. BUT! It's a great excuse to bust out yer pencil and write up some 500-word goodness, right? Right! You can also ...
worcesterpoetsasylum.wordpress.com/.../its-national-flash-ficti...


National Flash Fiction Day « CMStewartWrite
(Inter)National Flash Fiction Day Press Release from Annie Evett of Raging Aardvark: What do Hemmingway, Kafka, Chekov and Lovecraft have in common ...
cmstewartwrite.wordpress.com/tag/national-flash-fiction-day/


Chris Bissette: National Flash Fiction Day
It's the first National Flash Fiction Day. Hurrah! This has been a long time in the making for everyone involved, and it's great to have watched it all come together ...
www.chrisbissette.com/2012/05/national-flash-fiction-day.html


Ganymeder » Blog Archive » National Flash Fiction Day: (text ...
National Flash Fiction Day: (text & audio) Dust and Dime Novels. *Click here for audio. Dust and Dime Novels. by Catherine Russell. The boy sat beneath the ...
www.ganymeder.com/.../national-flash-fiction-day-audio-dust...


Announcing our top 5 #FlashFiction contest finalists!
May is National Short Story Month, and today Flash Fiction gets its day. (Visit the National Flash Fiction Day 2012 website for more info.) We decided to celebrate ...
www.leagueofextraordinaryauthors.com/.../announcing-our-to...


National Flash Fiction Day | Jocelyn Rish
Today is National Flash Fiction Day (NFFD), which is a day to celebrate the art form of the very short story. I love writing flash fiction - it's a fun challenge to create ...
www.jocelynrish.com/content/national-flash-fiction-day


National Flash Fiction Day | THRESHOLDS
In the spirit of debate as we approach National Flash Fiction Day, THRESHOLDS asked STEVE WASSERMAN to take a close look at Flash. Was he blinded by ...
blogs.chi.ac.uk/shortstoryforum/?tag=national-flash-fiction...


Happy National Flash Fiction Day! « The Pygmy Giant
Happy National Flash Fiction Day! … especially to the winner of our competition: Joy Manné! Enjoy her story and flash responsibly today.
thepygmygiant.com/2012/.../happy-national-flash-fiction-day/


Flash-fiction competition winners announced
Journal Live
by David Whetstone, The Journal TODAY is the first National Flash-Fiction Day, a special day to celebrate all that is short and sweet – and fashionable – in ...


Manchester writers read to passersby on 'flash fiction' day
Manchester Evening News
Members of a Manchester writinggroup are reading their work to unsuspecting passersby today to celebrate the first ever National Flash Fiction Day.


VANESSA GEBBIE'S BLOG: NATIONAL FLASH FICTION DAY!
By Vanessa Gebbie
NATIONAL FLASH FICTION DAY! Happy First-Ever National Flash Fiction Day! The story goes like this. A couple of years back I was due to give a talk at the NAWE conference, on flash fiction writing. It struck me that so many of the writing ...
VANESSA GEBBIE'S BLOG


National Flash Fiction Day « Thing of the Day
By mluvit
National Flash Fiction Day. by mluvit. Today is National Flash Fiction Day. Also known as Microfiction, this form of creative writing involves composing very short stories of no more than 750 words or so: http://nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/ ...
Thing of the Day


A flash day! | Merc's World - writing & ruminations
By Merc
Today is Flash Fiction Day! It started out as National Flash Fiction Day in the UK, but so many flash fiction writers wanted to scramble aboard and so there are events going on all over the place. There are masses of free stories flashing over the ...
Merc's World - writing & ruminations


not exactly true: Happy...
By Valerie O'Riordan
National Flash-Fiction Day, dudes - but I'm just a teeny bit more excited about the launch of my chapbook, Enough, which is also today! I'm celebrating by, eh, feeding the baby porridge and paying my National Insurance bill. Oh, hell, yeah.
not exactly true


Strictly Writing: What's my motivation?
By Derek
Consider this slice of Flash Fiction* (which I will now hastily make up to order)... He watched the fly... As today is National Flash Fiction Day, allow me to introduce Kissing Frankenstein & Other Stories by Flash Fiction South West. You can also ...
Strictly Writing


Flash Fiction Day – Competition Winner! « The Lancashire Writing Hub
By mikeyaddict
Flash Fiction Day – Competition Winner! We are pleased to announce the winner of our Flash FictionCompetition. Thank you for all the fabulous entries which made picking a winner a very difficult task. In total we received seventy five entries ...
The Lancashire Writing Hub


National Flash Fiction Day: Five Shorts To Help You Celebrate ...
In the UK, today marks its first annual National Flash Fiction Day. Flash fiction, a term coined around 1992, is also known as micro-fiction. Though there's no hard ...
www.clutchmagonline.com/.../national-flash-fiction-day-five-s...


Stuck in a Book: National Flash Fiction Day
As the clock has just ticked past midnight, I'm afraid you've just missed National Flash Fiction Day... If case you don't know, flash fiction is, essentially, very short ...
stuck-in-a-book.blogspot.com/.../national-flash-fiction-day.ht...


National Flash Fiction Day & Jawbreakers | dan powell – fiction
It's National Flash Fiction Day and Jawbreakers, the official collection, is available now. It includes commissioned pieces from well-known writers including Ali ...
danpowellfiction.com/.../national-flash-fiction-day-jawbreaker...


National Flash Fiction Day! | 1889 Labs
National Flash Fiction Day! By mer. Posted May 16, 2012. 296 words. Support the author of this article by liking it on Facebook! Most Popular Posts The End is ...
1889.ca/2012/05/national-flash-fiction-day/


National Flash Fiction Day | Vapour Trails
National Flash Fiction Day The internet tells me it was National Flash Fiction Day yesterday, in the UK. Well, it's flash fiction day here on Vapour Trails today.
theknockingshop.blogspot.com/.../national-flash-fiction-day.ht...


Leda and the Swan: National Flash Fiction Day « Tale Spinning
She's also the one who let me on that there was a National Flash Fiction Day. There are many others out there, and it's been a pleasure finding them, bit by bit.
stuartnager.wordpress.com/.../leda-and-the-swan-national-flash...


this is not the six word novel: Look! It's National Flash Fiction Day ...
There's a whole load of flash fiction up today at the pop-up FlashFlood magazine. You can also purchase 'Jawbreakers,' the National Flash Fiction Day ...
jen-campbell.blogspot.com/.../look-its-national-flash-fiction-d...


National Flash Fiction Day – An Announcement «
This Wednesday, 330 Words will be taking part in a very special event with Manchester writing group Flashtag (in association with the marvelous National Flash ...
330words.wordpress.com/.../national-flash-fiction-day-an-ann...


Tania Writes: Happy National Flash Fiction Day - And A Giveaway!
Labels: book giveaway, flash fiction, flash fiction anthology, flash fiction collection , flash fiction slam,national flash fiction day, oxford, sudden fiction, sudden ...
blog.taniahershman.com/.../happy-national-flash-fiction-day-a...


National Flash Fiction Day Clive Martyn
What do Hemmingway, Kafka, Chekov and Lovecraft have in common? They all wrote Flash Fiction, short-short stories. The most poignant captured in just 6 ...
www.clivemartyn.com/?p=356


Flash Fiction Gets Its Day | D. Thomas Minton
I bet you didn't know it's National Flash Fiction Day. I'll forgive you, especially if you don't live in Britain. It is, after all, the first time flash fiction has been honored ...
dthomasminton.com/2012/05/16/flash-fiction-gets-its-day/


Happy National Flash Fiction Day | 21st Century Writer
Call it micro or call it flash, it's all fiction pared down to the bare essentials. Today marks the first-ever celebration of the flash genre in which 150 words or fewer ...
www.mscottfiction.com/21stCenturyWriter/?p=609


Wanted: your flash critique
The Guardian
... who were too deeply engrossed in an old-fashioned book to be following the week's literary news, Wednesday was our first National Flash Fiction Day.


Words & Fixtures: Reading to Manchester
By Sarah-Clare Conlon
Reading to Manchester. Some videos of me performing on National Flash-Fiction Day... ...at Cornerhouse. ... I write flash fiction, edit anthologies and organise spoken word events with the FlashTag collective. I also perform as part of Les ...
Words & Fixtures


(Inter)National Flash Fiction Day Press Release from Annie Evett of ...
While there is nothing new about the short-short story, National Flash Fiction Day is being celebrated for the first time in the UK and has been adopted around ...
cmstewartwrite.wordpress.com/.../international-flash-fiction-da... 


Melanie Writes: Happy National Flash Fiction Day!
Happy National Flash Fiction Day! Today is National Flash Fiction Day in the UK! The event has become somewhat international, but the organizers are mainly ...
www.melanieconklin.com/.../happy-national-flash-fiction-day.... 


National Flash Fiction Day Contribution - BULLISH INK | BULLISH INK
Bare As Bones Standing along the shore at the edge of the cove, Simona sees the mainsail fluttering in the breeze above the cool blue of the...
www.bullishink.com/.../national-flash-fiction-day-contribution... 


The Picador Book Room · May 16th is National Flash Fiction Day (in ...
May 16th is National Flash Fiction Day (in the UK but, with the internet, isn't everything local?). We're celebrating this feisty genre with a short, original piece from ...
picadorbookroom.tumblr.com/.../may-16th-is-national-flash-fi... 


Expose Yourself! Celebrating Flash Fiction Day | Black Balloon ...
While not technically a celebration of pervy exhibitionism, Flash Fiction Day can still be a grand opportunity to expose yourself...to good writing. If you're in the ...
www.blackballoonpublishing.com/.../expose-yourself-celebrati... 


Hurray for (Inter) National Flash Fiction Day - Writing.ie - Guest Blogs
On National Flash Fiction Day here more about events and competitions in the form. National Flash Fiction Day takes place today May 16th. Last week I ...
writing.ie/.../hurray-for-inter-national-flash-fiction-day.html


National Flash Fiction Day | Joanne Phillips – a writer's journey
Happy National Flash Fiction day to all you writers out there. In the spirit of the day, a very short post indeed. Check out the competitions pages for May and June ...
https://joannegphillips.wordpress.com/.../national-flash-fiction-...


Stories in your pocket: how to write flash fiction | Books | guardian.co ...
It's National Flash Fiction Day on Wednesday – the first one ever – and it's an exciting day for me and many others who specialise in this particular truncated ...
www.guardian.co.uk/p/37hb8/tw 


Yearning for Wonderland: National Flash Fiction Day and ...
HAPPY NATIONAL FLASH FICTION DAY! Although this is a UK based website, National Flash Fiction Day (#NFFD on Twitter) has gained traction worldwide.
yearningforwonderland.blogspot.com/.../national-flash-fiction... 


Pam's Writing Exploits: Happy National Flash Fiction Day!
Happy National Flash Fiction Day! May 16 is apparently National (and International?!) Flash Fiction Day, so happy flash fiction day! To find out more click here.
pamgriffin.blogspot.com/.../happy-national-flash-fiction-day.h... 


Happy National Flash-Fiction Day! Today's a big... | A Butterfly Mind
Happy National Flash-Fiction Day! Today's a big day for me … First, I'm announcing the 1000words stories chosen for inclusion in the National Flash- Fiction Day ...
abutterflymind.tumblr.com/.../happy-national-flash-fiction-da... 


Flashtag celebrate National Flash Fiction Day – People's History ...
Enjoy this short fiction performance to celebrate National Flash Fiction Day ... As part of National Flash Fiction Day, Wednesday 16 May, the innovative Flashtag ...
www.phm.org.uk/.../flashtag-celebrate-national-flash-fiction-d...


4'33” 60 Second: Flash Fiction contest/ results « Creative Writing ...
By writingcomps
Thanks again – and happy National Flash Fiction Day! To submit a story, visit ... to like this post. This entry was posted on 20 May 2012 at 9:48 pm and is filed under Fiction Contests, Flash Fiction, Helpful Links, Literary Events, Uncategorized.

And last, but not least, some links from the Edinburgh event:A full reader list  at http://underword.co.uk/
Pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thalamus/sets/72157629769445230/
and a review at: http://www.scottishreviewofbooks.org/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=18&id=2330&Itemid=122#2330

5

Published on 5 Comments on Thank you and Goodnight!

Well, that about wraps it up for this, the first ever National Flash-Fiction Day. I'm back from a wonderful launch at the Southampton Central Library where we had brilliant readings from Vanessa Gebbie, Sara Crowley, Tim Stevenson, Natalie Bowers, Gail Aldwin, Holly Howitt and, at the last minute, Bob Jacobs and Brendan Way. Massive thanks to them and everyone who helped out and who turned up!

I've seen on Facebook and Twitter that you have all been having great flash-fun today at various events up and down the country (and around the world!) and I look forward to catching up with them over the next few days. If you ran an event and would like to send us a blog post about it, maybe with piccies, we'd love to run it!

Thank you to everyone who has done anything for National Flash-Fiction Day. It has been truly amazing and you are all, individually and collectively, wonderful people.And thank you to the Arts Council who allowed us to do Jawbreakers and those wonderful cards and posters.

And a personal thank you to my fiancée Kath, for all her help and support. It wouldn't have been possible without her.

I will be adding new content to the site in coming days and weeks, updating blogs and generally catching up on the things that have gone by the by in recent days. Oh, and shipping out copies of Jawbreakers (still available to buy!) And we will be back with competitions, events and all kinds of flash-goodies throughout the year. Because, of course, we're building towards NFFD 2013 now!!

So, well done everyone, thank you again for all you have done. I'm off to sleep for a week now, but I'll see you soon.

All the very best
Calum Kerr
Director, National Flash-Fiction Day 2012.

1

Published on 1 Comment on The Winners of the FFW Flash a Famous Phrase Competition

As our contribution to National Flash Fiction Day 2012, run by director Calum Kerr, Flash Fiction World held a competition for stories built around a famous phrase. The response was fantastic and FFW thanks all entrants for their participation.
There were some superb entries, but as usual they had to be whittled down to first, second, and third. So, without further ado, here are the winning entries:

1st
Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation by Lorna Louise Hutchison.

2nd
The Day The Music Died by Iain Pattison.

3rd
Every Picture Tells a Story by Francesca Burgess.
Congratulations to Lorna, Iain, and Francesca. I will be in touch with you at the weekend.
The winning stories, with judge's reviews, will be available to read on Flash Fiction World soon!

2

Published on 2 Comments on Once Upon A Time Flash Fiction Contest – WINNERS

Firstly, we’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who entered and promoted the #OUATWRITING contest. We had 88 fantastic entries and it was a huge struggle to pick just 3 of these as our winners. We had everything from evil Cinderellas to sci-fi to modern day tales and it was a delight to read them all… hence why we decided to publish them all in an anthology which will be available as a paperback and eBook very soon!
So without further ado, the winners of the contest are:
GRAND PRIZE
Oliver Barton– ‘Pink Bells’
AWAKE PRIZE PACKAGE for ‘Best Adaptation’
Angela Readman– ‘A Mermaid in Texas’
TWIXT PRIZE PACKAGE for ‘Best Original’
McKenzie Barham– ‘I can show you the world’
We’d also like to remind you of the winner of the mini-comp…
#FANFAV (voted for by the fans via Twitter votes)
Cory Eadson– ‘Three Simple Words’
Well done to you all!
As well as the individual prizes, the 3 main contest winners will be published in the National Flash Fiction Day Winners Anthology, which will be available soon – details to follow.
The winner of the GRAND PRIZE is published below for your immediate enjoyment…
Pink Bells
Oliver Barton
The pair progress laboriously along the path in the park. He leaning on a stick, each step a pain, she almost bent double, hand in his. She clutches a paper bag. They sit carefully on a bench, very close, avoiding the damper spots. In front of them stretches a sea of pink bells.
It is nine in the morning, and the bag contains croissants. Gertie hands one to Arthur. They nibble in silence, flakes fluttering like confetti.
While a blackbird sings and sparrows edge towards the crumbs, Gertie extends a bent finger towards a plaque half-submerged in the flowers.
‘What does it say?’ she asks.
‘I don’t know,’ he says, because it is several feet away and his eyes aren’t too good.
With a groan, she gets to her feet and shuffles towards it. Bent as she is, she still can’t make it out. She retrieves a pair of spectacles hanging round her neck, and peers closer.
Arthur hears her saying something, but his hearing is not too good either. He sees her move forward among the flowers. As she does, she shrinks, smaller and smaller, until she vanishes into the pinkness.
Two sparrows squabble over a croissant crumb and fly off, startling Arthur. He struggles to rise. With his stick, he moves the blooms aside so that he can see the plaque clearly. He expects something like the name of the business that has sponsored this bed, but it simply says ‘Come in. Make yourself at home.’
So he steps into the sea of flowers, and at once the pink bells inflate and grow until they are several times his height. The scent is overwhelming, the chime of the bells deep and sonorous. He walks towards Gertie and the others, praying that it doesn’t rain. A raindrop the size of a settee would be unsettling. But, he thinks, they must have ways of dealing with that.
Back on the bench, a little breeze sweeps the paper bag off into a graceful dance, an homage, an obeisance, and all is still.
*
Winners will be contacted via email about their prizes.
Thanks again to everyone who entered - we hope you had as much fun with the contest as we did! Make sure you visit us at Yearning for Wonderland and SJI Hollidayfor more information about the anthologies.
Sprinkles of fairydust,
Susi & Anna
(Dark Fairy & Fairy Queen)

5

Published on 5 Comments on The Day Has Finally Arrived!!

Well, we have had so many activities in the run up to today that this almost feels like an anti-climax...

Almost! But not quite!!

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to National Flash-Fiction Day. This is what you have all been working towards, and I need to start by sending out a big thank you to each and every one of you for helping to make this day happen.

Lots will be going on today including :-
The FlashFlood journal pouring stories over you all day
The Write-in online from 11am till 3pm
FlashTag flash-mobbing in Manchester all day
Workshops in Trowbridge and Derby
Free e-books for your Kindle for 24 hours from 7am (including Jawbreakers!)
The official launch of the day and the book in Southampton at 6.30 this evening

And, of course, all across the country, from Edinburgh to Brighton, Cardiff to Leeds, there will be event after glorious event, all listed here: http://nationalflashfictionday.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/nffd-bulletin-10.html

Personally, I'm starting the day on the BBC Radio Solent Breakfast Show where they are going to give me a prompt to write a story live on air (eek!), then off to Winchester Uni for the physical part of the write-in, then back to Southampton for the launch with Vanessa Gebbie, Holly Howitt, Sara Crowley, Natalie Bowers and chums. But in-between all that, I hope to keep up with you online and (now and again) in person.

Thank you so much for pulling together and making this one (tired) man's dream come true!

Now, get out there and make me proud.
Happy Flash-Fiction Day to you all!!

Calum Kerr
Director, National Flash-Fiction Day 2012.

Published on Leave a comment on The Writers @ Lovedean

On 4th May Calum Kerr visited the writing group at Lovedean in Hampshire. He set them a task to write stories from 4 random words - two loved ones and two hated ones - the results will be appearing at http://nffdflashes.blogspot.co.uk/ throughout the day. (And the writers would like me to make it clear that any weirdness has been caused by the randomness of the words...)


The group's organiser, Charlotte Comley, wrote this review of the event:


"Calum Kerr visited The Writers @ Lovedean on the 4th of May 2012.  He spoke passionately about his flash fiction journey, and the 365 project which led on to National Flash Fiction Day.  We as a group had an opportunity to listen to some of his work.  After one of the best explanations of what flash fiction is, Calum gave the group an exercise to do.  All of us present thoroughly enjoyed the exercise.  We then had an opportunity to read our work aloud and receive that all important feedback.  We as a group were so enthused by his presentation that we made a pact to write seven days of flash each until our next meeting.  I have received so many positive comments from members about the event, and we have already asked Calum to come back next May to do an advanced flash fiction course with us."


I hope you enjoy reading the stories as much as they obviously enjoyed writing them!

2

Published on 2 Comments on NFFD – Bulletin 10

Hello again,

Well, this will be the last bulletin before the big day, which is just TWO DAYS away!!
This is the time for a roundup of all the things happening on Wednesday that you can still help out and get involved with. (All times are given in BST.)
  • Then, at midnight, the FlashFlood journal goes live, with stories appearing regularly throughout the 24 hours of NFFD. Submissions don't close until midnight tomorrow, so do please send in your pieces and encourage people to do the same. Details: http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.co.uk/
  • At 11am the Write-In will start. This will provide a huge number of prompts for you to write an instant flash and see it appear on the blog. It will run until 3pm and no submissions will be accepted after that. We could still use some more prompts, so if you have a list of interesting words, phrases, titles, lyrics or whatever, do please send them over. Details: http://thewrite-in.blogspot.co.uk/
  • And then, we reach the evening. The main launch event will be occurring in Southampton Central Library from 6.30/7.00pm until about 9.00 and featuring the launch of Jawbreakers along with readings from myself, Vanessa Gebbie, Holly Howitt, Sara Crowley, Gail Aldwin, Natalie Bowers, Tim Stephenson and more (along with some of videos if we get it working!) Do please come along if you can, it's entirely free! https://www.facebook.com/events/379325198752054/ and http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/southwest.html
And that's pretty much it. Things will be happening over the next day on the blog (http://nationalflashfictionday.blogspot.com/), website (http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/nationalflashfictionday) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/nationalflashfd), so stay tuned and spread the word. 
And here goes National Flash-Fiction Day 2012!!
All the best for the day,
Calum Kerr
Director

Published on Leave a comment on NFFD – Bulletin 9

Hello everyone,

Well, we are just ONE WEEK away from the big day and I don't know about you but I'm getting very, very excited!
It's all starting to come together, so let me give you a run down of the things you need to know. There will be another bulletin, probably Tuesday next week, with all the last minute stuff, but this is where we are now:
  • First of all, as you may have seen, at midnight last night we opened submissions for the National Flash-Fiction Day pop-up journal:FlashFlood (http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.co.uk/). I have put together a team of editors to work on this over the coming week for the journal to appear on the day itself, filling the day with flash-fictions from midnight to midnight! We are looking for stories under 500 words, on any theme, and from anywhere in the world. A maximum of 3 pieces per writer. Please spread the word and let's see just how many great flash-fictions we can get up online in the day. 
  • Next, Jawbreakers is almost here! The printers have informed me that I can expect the book to arrive tomorrow (10th May) and, if it arrives early enough, we will be shipping all pre-orders on the same day (along with author copies and any requested for events, if we can). Books can be pre-ordered from  http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/anthology.html, or if you want a batch to sell at events (sale or return) then drop me a line here and I'll add you to the list. Can't wait to have my hands on the copies! The Kindle edition will be up on Amazon in time for NFFD next week.
  • Posters and story cards have headed out around the country. If you would still like some we have them, including Jawbreakersposters, so do get in touch. If you have received them, please send us photos of them in situ so we can show the world!
  • There are also competitions which are still open, including the 'Random Words' competition (closes today) and our two Australian opportunities (close tomorrow) plus other new ones which we add as they come along. So do keep checking out http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/competitions.html for details.
  • And finally, as we head into the last week, once again can I ask you to keep spreading the word, sharing the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/nationalflashfictionday, the Twitter address, @nationalflashfd, and generally bigging up National Flash-Fiction Day to anyone who will listen. I'm going to be on Radio Solent at the weekend talking about it. With only a week to go your local radio stations might finally be keen to feature it, so do start pestering them, especially if you are running an event that you want people to come to. And let's make this a day to remember.
Really finally, I just want to say another big thank you to you all. This was a little idea of mine, but you have taken it on board and made it your own. It is far bigger and much better than I could ever have imagined. One last push and then... we're off!
Until next week, thank you and happy flashing!
Calum Kerr
Director, National Flash-Fiction Day 2012

This message was originally sent out to our mailing list. To sign up, send us an email to nationalflashfictionday@gmail.com

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Published on 2 Comments on FlashFlood

Well, I've been hinting and nudging to let you know that something new and special was on its way for National Flash-Fiction Day, and with exactly ONE WEEK TO GO, here it is!

Called FlashFlood, and inspired by the recent efforts of The 24 Project, we are launching our own pop-up journal for the day.

The rules are simple (and laid out here: http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.co.uk/p/about.html). We're looking for your very very best flash-fictions. 500 words is the limit and we are not limiting ourselves to any genre, style or perspective. Nor are we limiting ourselves geographically, so this is open World-Wide!

There are seven editors, including myself, taking a day of the 'countdown week' each, and submissions will close at midnight on 15th/16th May, with the first story being posted simultaneously. We will then post your stories regularly throughout the 24 hours of National Flash-Fiction Day.

So, get writing, get sending, and let us have your flashes, we want to fill the day with your fictions. We want many, we want loads, we want a FlashFlood!!

http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.co.uk/

Published on Leave a comment on Who needs luck? – Guest Post by Rin Simpson

Is there a magic formula for success? Probably not. But there is a theory I’ve found encouraging, which says that all you need is two out of the following three elements: talent, perseverance and luck.
As I understand it, there are only one and a half of those which an individual has any real control over. Luck is, by definition, a fortuitous chance happening, rather than something you can directly engineer. Talent is a mixed bag – you’re born with a certain amount, and the rest is about perfecting your craft.
So that leaves perseverance. Which is entirely down to you. As a writer, you need to put pen to paper, or fingertip to keyboard. Obvious, right? But how much time do you actually spend writing, as compared to tweeting about writing, blogging about writing, reading books about writing, discussing writing with your writing group, going to writing classes…
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking any of these things. In fact, I’ve done them all and have found them to be incredibly useful. But what has proved most effective has been this: write and submit. It’s that simple.
In 2009, I realised that I was never actually going to write that novel I’d been talking about unless I sat down and did it. Being somewhat lacking in self-discipline, I signed up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) – there’s nothing like a deadline to get you moving, I find, and it doesn’t get more pressing than 50,000 words in 30 days.
Anyway, I did it (hurrah!), but once December arrived I got back into my lazy habits. I needed a regular form of discipline, a time to write and a submissions goal to achieve. That’s when I set up The Steady Table, which does nothing more than provide a regular time and place where writers can gather and get on with the business of writing. We don’t critique, we don’t complete exercises or discuss theory; we just write.
Since The Steady Table launched in January of this year, I have written countless pieces of flash fiction and longer short stories – not just on a Tuesday evening, surrounded by other furiously scribbling writers, but at other times too. Turns out, the fear of failure which so often kept me away from the page, lost its hold on me once I started squaring up to it on a regular basis.
Inspired by my increased productivity, I began submitting work… and found that suddenly I was getting my stories accepted. As well as a number of online publications, I am thrilled to have been accepted for both the Flash Fiction South West anthology, Kissing Frankenstein & Other Stories, and Jawbreakers, the NFFD anthology.
The Steady Table has given me space in which to hone my talent, it has made me persevere even when I didn’t feel like it. And with those two ingredients sorted, who needs luck?

Rin Simpson (@rinsimpson) is Bristol-based a freelance journalist and creative writer, and founder of The Steady Table writers’ group (@TheSteadyTable), which meets between 6pm and 9pm every Tuesday at The Folk House (term time) or The Watershed. For more information, please email steadytable@yahoo.co.uk.