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Happy New Year from all of us at National Flash Fiction Day!

Are you thinking about entering a flash for this year’s anthology? Maybe this year’s ‘Seasons’ theme fired you up, but now you’ve faltered or you’ve just not had time to get going.

Come and join Jeanette Sheppard, NFFD's Artist-in-Residence, in this friendly online workshop. Jeanette has chosen several pieces of art to start your brain whirring.

This is a generative workshop and will be fast-paced to help over-thinking, something many of us experience. The aim is to get something down: it might be a first draft, a collection of words or the bare bones of an idea. It's suitable for anyone new to flash and more experienced writers. We’d love to see you there!

This workshop will be delivered via Zoom and a recording will be made if you can't attend on the day.

Date: Thursday, 30 January 2024
Time: 7:30 - 8:30pm GMT

Tickets are free, but you'll need to reserve a place here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/national-flash-fiction-day-ekphrastic-workshop-tickets-1145464247399

Our Microfiction Competition or Anthology submission calls are open until 15 February so there's plenty of time to draft, polish and submit

 

 

 

Welcome to the second of our series of interviews with this year's National Flash Fiction Day Anthology Editors and Microfiction Competition Judges! Submissions for the Anthology and Microfiction Competition are open until 15 February 2025.

This week, Diane Simmons chats with Rebecca Field, one of this year's NFFD Microfiction Competition Judges, about favourite authors, childhood reading lists, her advice for those entering the Microfiction Competition, and more....

DS: You’ve twice been Highly Commended in the NFFD Micro Fiction Competition and I wondered if you particularly enjoy writing to a limit of 100 words? Do you have any tips for entrants to the competition? Or things to avoid?

RF: In answer to the first part of this question, I would have to say that I do find micros really tricky to write and it wasn’t a length I was initially drawn to. Having some success in this competition has encouraged me to try writing them more often and I am always amazed by the winning entries, how much story can be packed into so few words. In general I prefer to write slightly longer flash pieces, however I love to support the UK National Flash Fiction Day events and so I enjoy the challenge of writing micros and entering each year if possible.

I think in terms of tips for entrants, many of these will have been discussed in detail elsewhere and by previous judges so I won’t try to cover too many here. The importance of the title for a micro is often mentioned and I think this is a very important one, as well as the sense of it being a complete story. I also like to see humour in flash and so this is definitely something I would be looking out for, but a micro that is purely a joke with a punchline or an anecdote rather than a story would also be something to avoid.

DS: Is there a book or story from your childhood that makes your heart leap a little when you think about it? Has your taste changed? For instance, if you were a fan of a particular type of novel as a child, is that something you still enjoy?

RF: This is a tough question, so many come to mind! Stereotypically for a writer, I was one of those children who spent a lot of time in libraries and bookshops, reading a lot of different books from a young age. Some early favourites were things like Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Gerald Durrell, then later stuff like Judy Blume mixed in with sci-fi stuff like John Wyndham, Orson Scott Card and Douglas Adams, all sorts really. I think that today I don’t read as much sci-fi as I did as a teen but I definitely like something perhaps with a speculative or dystopian angle that’s also well written, people like Emily St John Mandel, David Mitchell, Margaret Atwood, and Murakami are favourites I would keep coming back to. I of course now also read a lot of short fiction collections which wasn’t something I did as a child.

DS: If you could spend a day with one author (living or dead), who would you choose?

RF: George Saunders. He just seems to be such a nice chap and a great teacher. I would hope for some of his genius to rub off on me. I love his Story Club newsletters on Substack, though it can be tough trying to keep up with reading all the great stories and newsletters that are out there.

DS: Do you play music while you write — and, if so, do you have a favourite piece or artist?

RF: Occasionally I might play some light classical music, but in general I prefer quiet when writing and find that less distracting.

DS: Do you only write flash or are there any other forms that you enjoy writing?

RF: I mainly write flash but recently have been working more on a few short stories I’ve been tinkering with for quite some time. They seem to take forever to finish and I feel much more out of my depth with them than I do with shorter pieces, so much more space to mess things up! I also have a half-written novella in flash that is currently lying dormant but may be resurrected at some stage.

 


Rebecca Field is a short fiction writer from Derbyshire, UK. Her work has appeared in several NFFD anthologies and she has twice been highly commended in the NFFD micro competition. She has also been published online by The Phare, Ghost Parachute, Fictive Dream, Gone Lawn, Tiny Molecules, Milk Candy Review and Ellipsis Zine among others. Tweets at @RebeccaFwrites.

 


 

We are delighted to announce our National Flash Fiction Day Press nominations for the 2024 National Flash Fiction Day season.

Congratulations and good luck to the following:

Best Small Fictions

  • 'Jigsaw Puzzle' by Sumitra Singam
  • 'Off a Duck's Back' by Jupiter Jones
  • 'Quintessence' by Marie Gethins
  • 'When The Kingfisher Dives' by Eleanor Luke
  • 'White Noise' by Rosaleen Lynch

Pushcart Prize

  • 'Containers for Smoky Memories' by Lisa Ferranti
  • 'Hollowware' by Ali McGrane
  • 'Passing Places' by Sharon Telfer
  • 'Something New to Worry About' by Andrea Marcusa
  • 'The Night Ledger' by Elizabeth Fletcher
  • 'When Finley Davy Said He'd Turn Into a Cicada' by Emma Phillips

You can read all these stories and more in print or via ebook in Tiny Sparks Everywhere: 2024 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology edited by Karen Jones & Sara Hills, available from the National Flash Fiction Day Bookshop.

Congratulations as well to the nominees of our sister project, FlashFlood, which have been announced here.

Welcome to the first of our series of interviews with this year's National Flash Fiction Day Anthology Editors and Microfiction Competition Judges! Submissions for the Anthology and Microfiction Competition are open until 15 February 2025 and this interview series will resume in the new year.

This week, Diane Simmons chats with James Montgomery, one of this year's NFFD Microfiction Competition Judges, about favourite micros, writing under pressure, the unique challenges of the 100-word limit, and more....

DS: Judging from your success with micros, I’m guessing that writing very, very short fiction is something you particularly enjoy. Do you have any advice for entrants to this year’s NFFD Micro Competition?

JM: If the very best flash fiction dazzles, then the pressure of 100 words creates the rarest of diamonds. I love the challenge of the 100-word form, how satisfying the end result is, and feel incredibly honoured to be part of the judging panel for the 2025 competition.

I think, first and foremost, make sure you feel for your piece. I can tell when a story feels ‘lived in’; when the writing comes to life in all the spaces between the words.

With such a confined limit, hone in on a single, specific emotion. Take a step back and ask what feeling you’re trying to emote. Begin with a wide lens: happy, sad, disgusted, angry, fearful, bad, surprised. Then zoom in. Maybe your happy story is about being accepted. Zoom in a little closer - is it about being respected, or valued? There’s subtle differences here. Or perhaps you have an angry character, who’s acting distant. Dig a bit deeper - are they withdrawn, or numb? Again, these nuances matter. Every word choice should be contributing towards this tone.

Make surprising decisions that still ring true to you as a writer. Ensure the ending feels earned. Force your character to act or react, always. Leave room for the reader to fill in the gaps. Choose a metaphor or central image that catches us off guard. Think about the particular and how you can make it universal.

Give yourself grace. Even now, I still feel like every new story feels like the first time, like I’ve forgotten how to put one word in front of another.

And my best tip? Go for a walk. There’s nothing it can’t solve.

DS: Is there anything you need in your writing space to help you stay focused? Do you need complete silence for example, or do you thrive in a busy place?

JM: I just need to be able to focus, but that can happen just as well in a coffee shop as at home. I love that ‘flow state’ feeling, when you’re completely immersed and can work on a piece with total clarity, and when there’s almost an altered sense of time. That’s why I say, ‘make sure you feel for your piece’. If you care about what you’re writing, then it’s that much easier to find that focus.

DS: I see from your website that you’re a member of two writing groups. How important are these groups to your writing process?

JM: Oh, they’ve been ever so important. There’s all the usual comments about how great other writers are for improving your own writing practice, but also the sense of camaraderie is unrivalled. These are your people! They will cheer when you succeed, and offer words of encouragement when you’re floundering. Only recently, my Most Rejected Story EverTM was knocked back yet again, and one of my writing groups shook me off, offering invaluable edits and suggestions.

DS: If you could be the writer of any flash fiction ever written, which one would you choose?

JM: An impossible question! There’s just too many outstanding stories to choose from. Instead, I’ll offer up ten 100-word micros that I absolutely adore, which might inspire readers for this year’s competition.

See how masterfully Barbara Diggs’ It’s Negro Day at the Fair (Welkin Prize, scroll down) uses voice. Consider the power of an extended metaphor, as in Gordon W. Mennenga’s stunning Ditch Dog (100 Word Story). Employ repetition and the breathless sentence to remarkable effect, like Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar’s Adverb (National Flash Fiction Day’s Microfiction Competition 2021, scroll down). Choose sensory language with intent, like Shane Larkin’s vivid Umbilicus (Splonk). Pay close attention to rhythm and pace, as Sarah Freligh’s Fire (Ghost Parachute) does. Reveal deep human truths, like Sara Hills’ We Knew It Was The Fitzroy’s Rabbit (HAD). Let a scene represent a theme, as Francine Witte’s After The Snowmelt (Gone Lawn) does. Study how a micro like Guy Biederman’s Berol #1 (100 Word Story) imbues its story with meaning. How Amy Barnes’ Happy Holidays, Orville Redenbacher (Truffle Magazine) uses sound and symbolism to ask questions and cause unease. How Nan Wigington’s Animals in Winter (Splonk) ends on a question that echoes long in the mind once the story is finished.

DS: Writers can sometimes feel under pressure to always be putting words on the page. Are there any activities that you feel are helpful to you as a writer?

JM: If you’re feeling the pressure, I’d recommend telling yourself you’re not allowed to write for a certain length of time. I can guarantee that once writing is off the cards, you’ll be itching to put pen to paper again.

Also, words are just words - they’re not stories. This may go against the grain somewhat, but sometimes the last thing you need to do is get down yet more flippin’ words. Time and space away from the page means you can mull over a title, ask yourself what that story is really about, deliberate and deliberate and deliberate over that word choice or phrasing. It’s all part of the process and, in all honesty, what really matters when it comes to being a writer.

A change of scene is also perfect for inspiration. For example, if I hadn’t gone to the gym the other day, I wouldn’t have had that idea for a story about exploding muscles.

I also strongly believe the best stories take time - but a deadline is also your best friend. You’ve got until 15 February 2025. I can’t wait to read your words; I promise I will treat them with the utmost care and respect.

 


Photo of James MontgomeryJames Montgomery writes from Staffordshire in the UK. He has won the Pokrass Prize, Retreat West’s best micro fiction prize and a Flash Fiction Festival competition, placed second in New Zealand's international Micro Madness contest, and been highly commended in the Bath Flash Fiction Award and National Flash Fiction Day's micro competition. His stories have been published in various anthologies and literary magazines, and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions and Best of the Net. Find him at www.jamesmontgomerywrites.com.

National Flash Fiction Day is OPEN for submissions for our annual Anthology and Microfiction Competition!

How is it December already?  Even though summer might feel far away, we're already busy preparing for the UK's thirteenth annual National Flash Fiction Day which we'll be celebrating on 14 June 2025.  We've opened submissions to both our Anthology and Microfiction Competition projects and will be reading submissions from now until 15 February 2025.  We are open to work from anyone and everyone, all around the world.

For the 2025 Anthology, we're looking for flash up to 500 words on the theme of SEASONS.  Your work will be read by editors Karen Jones and Cheryl Markosky.  Selected work will be published in our 2025 print/ebook anthology and be considered for our Editors' Choice Awards which come with a £50 prize.  You can read our submission details here.

For our Microfiction Competition, we're looking for flash of up to 100 words.  There is no theme.  Your work will be read by judges Sudha Balagopal, Rebecca Field, James Montgomery and Sherry Morris.  Winners and runners-up will receive cash prizes and be published online and in our print/ebook anthology.  Full submission details can be found here and you can read more about our judges here.

Our Anthology and Microfiction Competition teams look forward to reading your work!

 

With our submission window set to open next week, we'd like to take a moment to introduce you to this year's judging panel.  This year, we're excited to announce that Sudha Balagopal, Rebecca Field, James Montgomery and Sherry Morris will be doing it all: reading the submissions that come in, compiling a shortlist, and then deciding on the winning and highly commended pieces.

Our submission window opens on Friday 1 December 2024 and closes on Thursday 15 February 2025.  We will be announcing results on or before 15 March 2025.  We'll be reading flash of up to 100 words on any theme, but we are not able to consider simultaneous submissions this year.

For the 2024 competition, we will be awarding:

  • £150 for first place
  • £100 for second place
  • £50 for third place
  • seven awards of £20 for highly commended pieces.

All winning and commended pieces will be published online as well as in the 2025 National Flash Fiction Day print anthology and will receive one free copy of the anthology.

You can find our full submission guidelines here.

In the new year, we'll be posting interviews with our judges so you can get a better sense of what they're looking for, but in the meantime, you can read more about each of them below.

Huge thanks to our judges for taking on the 2025 NFFD Microfiction Competition and we look forward to reading your work!

 


 

Photo of Sudha BalagopalSudha Balagopal is an Indian American writer whose fiction straddles continents and cultures, blending thoughts and ideas from the east and the west. Most recently, her novella in flash, Nose Ornaments, was published by Ad Hoc Fiction, UK. Her highly commended novella in flash, Things I Can’ t Tell Amma, was published by Ad Hoc Fiction in 2021. Nominated for several awards, her work has appeared in Best Microfiction, 2021, 2022 and Best Small Fictions, 2022, 2023, 2024. When she’s not writing, she teaches yoga.

Photo of Rebecca FieldRebecca Field is a short fiction writer from Derbyshire, UK. Her work has appeared in several NFFD anthologies and she has twice been highly commended in the NFFD micro competition. She has also been published online by The Phare, Ghost Parachute, Fictive Dream, Gone Lawn, Tiny Molecules, Milk Candy Review and Ellipsis Zine among others. Tweets at @RebeccaFwrites.

Photo of James MontgomeryJames Montgomery writes from Staffordshire in the UK. He has won the Pokrass Prize, Retreat West’s best micro fiction prize and a Flash Fiction Festival competition, placed second in New Zealand's international Micro Madness contest, and been highly commended in the Bath Flash Fiction Award and National Flash Fiction Day's micro competition. His stories have been published in various anthologies and literary magazines, and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions and Best of the Net. Find him at www.jamesmontgomerywrites.com.

Photo of Sherry MorrisOriginally from Missouri, Sherry Morris (@Uksherka & @uksherka.bsky.social) writes prize-winning fiction from a farm in the Scottish Highlands where she pets cows, watches clouds and dabbles in photography. She presents an online monthly spoken-word radio show featuring short stories and flash on Inverness Hospital RadioOpens in a new window, and received a 2025 Best of the Net nomination from Fictive Dream for her story ‘The Cabbage Tree’. Many of her stories stem from her Peace Corps experience in 1990s Ukraine. Read more of her work at www.uksherka.comOpens in a new window.

 

 

We are delighted to welcome Cheryl Markosky to the National Flash Fiction Day team as this year's guest editor for the 2025 National Flash Fiction Day anthology. She'll be joining NFFD's Anthology Editor Karen Jones in putting together this year's anthology of flash fiction from around the world.  You can read more about this year's editors here.

The theme for this year’s anthology is SEASONS. What does the theme mean to you? It could be seasons of the year evoking tales of spring, summer, autumn and winter, or maybe a season of love, a season of war, a season of… whatever takes your fancy. Or will you take a different route and season food with herbs and spices, or season wood for burning?

Feel free to interpret the theme however you wish, in 500 words or fewer. Selected flashes will be published in National Flash Fiction Day's 14th Annual Anthology. Payment is one contributor's copy of the anthology. Two pieces will be chosen for an Editor's Choice Award which comes with a £50 prize.

The submission window is 1 December 2024 to 15 February 2025.  Please see our submission guidelines here and submit work via Duosuma, our submission manager.

Huge thanks to Anita Goveas for her fantastic workshop this morning.  If you missed out, then you're in luck:

Click here for a recording of today's session.

We are truly grateful to Anita for offering an annual National Flash Fiction Day workshop free of charge for several years running.  All NFFD projects are volunteer run, this included.  If you enjoy these free workshops, do follow Anita to keep up with her writing and the workshops she runs throughout the year.

You can follow Anita on Twitter at @coffeeandpaneer.

Thank you again to Anita for volunteering her time and expertise to the flash community this weekend!

The UK's National Flash Fiction Day launches at midnight!

If you'd like a little something to distract you from the wait, have a look at the amazing things New Zealand's National Flash Fiction Day has lined up.... (NFFD NZ is completely independent from our UK-based NFFD project, but we're certainly kindred spirits!)

There's so much going on at NFFD NZ, including some fantastic free events in their Festival of Flash...including an online panel discussion with flash editors, 'A View From Here' which includes NFFD UK Co-Director and FlashFlood Editor Ingrid Jendrzejewski.  You can find the line-up here:

https://nationalflash.org/2024-festival-of-flash/

Keep in mind that these are listed New Zealand times. 'A View From Here' takes starts at 21:30 on 14 June in UK time, and at 8:30am on 15 June in New Zealand time.

And don't forget to scroll down through their whole programme - there are so many great events throughout June!

This year we have a whole new set of badges you can collect over at our sister project, The Write-In.

Over the course of National Flash Fiction Day, we're publishing one prompt per hour for a total of 25 prompts. You have until Sunday 16 June at 23:59 BST to submit them for possible publication at The Write-In, and for the first time this year you can also claim a virtual badge for each prompt you finish, as well as for a few other tasks.

You can see the full list of badges here and claim you prompt badges using our badgifier. It's all on the honour-system, but bad publication karma will most certainly befall anyone who tries to fool our badgifier....

Finally, if you are here looking for the special National Flash Fiction Day 2024 badge from this website, you can find it here:

Congratulations -- you're one step closer to being able to legitimately claim the Complete Set badge of 2024!