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Published on Leave a comment on NFFD 2023: Recording of Anita Goveas and Farhana Khalique’s Free Workshop!

Huge thanks to Anita Goveas and Farhana Khalique for their fantastic workshop yesterday.  If you missed out, then you're in luck:

Click here for a recording of today's session.

You'll need to enter the password 4jHM&2rN to access the workshop.

We are truly grateful to Anita and Farhana for offering their 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 and Farhana to keep up with the workshops they run throughout the year. A little bird tells me they have an exciting one planned for October, though details haven't yet been announced.

You can follow Anita and Farhana on Twitter at @coffeeandpaneer & @HanaKhalique. 

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

Published on Leave a comment on New for 2023: Write-In Badges

The Write-In, New for 2023: Badges!

This year, The Write-In is adding in a little spice to its prompt writing challenge. 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 25 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 have a week to do so, until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 2 July. 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 will most certainly befall anyone who tries to fool our badgifier....

Finally, if you are here looking for the special National Flash Fiction Day 2023 badge from this website, you can find it by clicking here.... Congratulations -- you're one step closer to being able to legitimately claim the Complete Set badge of 2023!

Published on Leave a comment on The Official NFFD 2023 Roadmap

The Official NFFD 2023 Roadmap

The UK's National Flash Fiction Day starts at 00:01 BST on Saturday, 24 June 2023. Here's your handy guide to what's happening when....

Read with us!

For 24 hours straight starting at 00:01 BST on Saturday, 24 June, FlashFlood, NFFD's curated online journal, will be publishing one flash every 5 to 10 minutes over at NFFD.  Check in at half past the hour every hour from start to finish for our Debut Flash Series — new stories written by previously unpublished flash writers.

Then, on Sunday, we'll post the latest in our Community Flash Series. This year, we catch up with the Writers Group from Wandsworth Carers Centre, a charity that provides support to unpaid carers.

Learn with us!

Anita Goveas and Farhana Khalique are returning this year with a free, online workshop where they'll be offering even more flash fiction inspiration.  This event is free but spaces are limited and you must register in advance here to get the link.  For those who can't make it, we plan to publish a video of the workshop after the event.

Write with us!

Over at NFFD’s The Write-In, we’ll be posting a flash prompt every hour on the hour from 00:00 – 24:00 BST on National Flash Fiction Day. You'll then have 24 hours to submit your responses for a chance of publication. Publication of responses begins on 25 June 2023 and doesn't finish until the team is done reading through all the wondrous things you send us!

If you'd like to write with others, the folks at Propelling Pencil are independently running a free one-hour workshop based around the prompts at The Write-In.  It's free, but you'll need to sign up with them here.

Celebrate with us!

Join us from 7pm BST on Zoom for the virtual launch of Scratching the Sands, the 2023 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology.  We'll celebrate with live readings from many of this year's authors, hosted by National Flash Fiction Day's own Diane Simmons with help from anthology editor Karen Jones.  The event is free to attend, but you'll need to book in advance here.  For those who can't make it, we'll post the event on our YouTube channel in due course.

Connect with us!

As usual, we'll be posting all our prompts and FlashFlood stories on Twitter @nationalflashfd and will be around on Facebook at facebook.com/nationalflashfictionday

What are you planning for NFFD?

If you're running something flashy on or near National Flash Fiction Day, do let us know so we can spread the word.

Huge thanks...

Huge thanks to all the volunteers who help make this happen, and to everyone who has submitted work to our projects, joined in at home, and chatted with us on Twitter.  We hope you'll enjoy this weekend full of reading, writing and celebrating flash.

Happy writing!

 

 

 

 

Published on Leave a comment on NFFD 2023 is only a week away!
The UK's National Flash Fiction Day starts at 00:01 BST on Saturday, 24 June 2023.
If you're running something flashy on or near National Flash Fiction Day, do let us know so we can spread the word.
Here's what we're planning when....

FlashFlood: 24 Hours of Flash

For 24 hours straight starting at 00:01 BST on Saturday, 24 June, FlashFlood, NFFD's curated online journal, will be publishing one flash every 5 to 10 minutes over at NFFD.  Check in at half past the hour every hour from start to finish for our Debut Flash Series — new stories written by previously unpublished flash writers.

Then, on Sunday, we'll post the latest in our Community Flash Series. This year, we catch up with the Writers Group from Wandsworth Carers Centre, a charity that provides support to unpaid carers.

NFFD Workshop: Free online workshop

Anita Goveas and Farhana Khalique are returning this year with a free, online workshop where they'll be offering even more flash fiction inspiration.  This event is free but spaces are limited and you must register in advance here to get the link.  For those who can't make it, we plan to publish a video of the workshop after the event.

The Write-In: Writing Prompt & Publication Opportunities

Over at NFFD’s The Write-In, we’ll be posting a flash prompt every hour on the hour from 00:00 – 24:00 BST on National Flash Fiction Day. You'll then have 24 hours to submit your responses for a chance of publication. Publication of responses begins on 25 June 2023 and doesn't finish until the team is done reading through all the wondrous things you send us!

If you'd like to write with others, the folks at Propelling Pencil are independently running a free one-hour workshop based around the prompts at The Write-In.  It's free, but you'll need to sign up with them here.

Scratching the Sands: 2023 Anthology Launch

Join us from 7pm BST on Zoom for the virtual launch of Scratching the Sands, the 2023 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology.  We'll celebrate with live readings from many of this year's authors, hosted by National Flash Fiction Day's own Diane Simmons with help from anthology editor Karen Jones.  The event is free to attend, but you'll need to book in advance here.  For those who can't make it, we'll post the event on our YouTube channel in due course.

Join us online....

As usual, we'll be posting all our prompts and FlashFlood stories on Twitter @nationalflashfd and will be around on Facebook at facebook.com/nationalflashfictionday

 

 

 

 

 

Published on Leave a comment on National Flash Fiction Day 2023 Anthology Title and Cover Reveal!

We're delighted to introduce the title and cover of our newest anthology, Scratching the Sands: National Flash Fiction Day Anthology 2023.  It will launch on 24 June 2023, but you can pre-order here.

Cover of the 2023 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology, Scratching the Sands

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Christine Collinson, author of the eponymous story and to our artist-in-residence Jeanette Sheppard who provided the cover image.

We're excited to share the anthology itself with you later this month....

Published on Leave a comment on NFFD 2023: Free workshop with Anita Goveas and Farhana Khalique

To celebrate National Flash Fiction Day 2023, the brilliant Anita Goveas and Farhana Khalique are offering a FREE flash prompt workshop on Saturday, 24 June 2023 from 09:30 - 10:30 BST.  The workshop is free, but you'll need to sign up in advance as places are limited.  Details and the sign-up form can be found here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/national-flash-fiction-day-flash-fiction-workshop-tickets-634702190337

If you miss it or can't make the time, we'll post a link to the session on our website so you can enjoy in your own time.

You can follow Anita and Farhana on Twitter at @coffeeandpaneer & @HanaKhalique.  HUGE thanks to both for their generosity and expertise!

Published on Leave a comment on FlashFlood opens for submissions tomorrow, 30 April, for one week only!

We are delighted to announce that FlashFlood will be open for submissions from 12:01 a.m. BST on Sunday, 30 April to 23:59 BST on Saturday, 6 May.

You can read our submission guidelines here, and read about this year's editors here.

We're looking for submissions of up to 300 words on any theme.  (Shorter pieces are very welcome; there is no minimum word count.)  We are happy to read up to three pieces per author per year.

Previously published work is fine as long as you give us full publication details.  We prefer it if you don't send us anything published after 2021 as we don't want to steal any thunder from your original publisher.  We consider all previously unpublished pieces for award nominations; we nominate for Best Small Fictions, Best Microfiction and Best of the Net.

Please note that we do not accept AI generated work at this time.  Whilst we appreciate that AI can come up with some very interesting things, we have a very human team of editors volunteering their precious and limited time.  We simply don't have the resources to deal with a deluge of AI generated work.  Please be kind to our editors by only submitting work that you yourself have written.

 

 

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Published on 1 Comment on National Flash Fiction Day 2023 Anthology Line Up

After reading scads of briilant stories on the theme of TIME, Karen Jones and Damhnait Monaghan have finalised their selections for the 2023 National Flash Fiction Day anthology and for the second annual Editors' Choice Awards.

Below is the list of the 50 stories that will appear in this year's anthology, alongside the 2023 Microfiction Competition Winners.  We will be contacting everyone on the list via email, so you should hear from us soon if you haven't already, but in the meantime, congratulations to all the authors listed below.

Special congratulations to our two Editors' Choice Award Winners:

  • Damhnait Monaghan chose Cuttlefish by Patricia Q. Bidar
  • Karen Jones chose Time Takes by Anne Summerfield

Thank you so much to everybody who submitted their stories for consideration for this year's anthology. It was an honour to read each and every piece.  Thank you for sharing your work with us!  If you didn't make the anthology this time, don't forget that there are still opportunities to join us in celebrating National Flash Fiction Day, including FlashFlood and The Write-In.

We hope that you will all join us for the launch of the anthology on National Flash Fiction Day later this year!

2023 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology Line Up

  • 1969 by Kathryn Kulpa
  • ABC by Benjamin Judge
  • A Heatwave Afternoon in The Supermarket, in The Universe That is Ours, Momentarily by Rachael Dunlop
  • A Hedge of Holly by Roberta Beary
  • A Seed Drops by Sharon Telfer
  • Black Sun by Audrey Niven
  • Bruce Lee Lives by Seamus Scanlon
  • Cuttlefish by Patricia Q. Bidar
  • Disappointment at Not Visiting the SS Great Britain by Emma Phillips
  • Ember Days by Rosaleen Lynch
  • Five Colour Clearance by Rupert Dastur
  • Gap Years by Julia Ruth Smith
  • Grapefruit in June by Kik Lodge
  • Haute Couture by Teika Marija Smits
  • How to Go Back and Start Again by Fiona McKay
  • How to Sleep on Friday Night by Mandira Pattnaik
  • In the Time It Takes to Boil the Kettle by Sharon Boyle
  • I Want David Attenborough to Talk About Me in Hushed Tones by Kristina Thornton
  • Javelin Girl by Rebecca Field
  • Just One Big Happy Family by Cheryl Markosky
  • Last Orders for Lost Souls, The Lost Chance Saloon by Kate Axeford
  • Look Both Ways by D. Dina Friedman
  • Mirrors by Anita Goveas
  • Now, Go Back by Sara Hills
  • Our Golden Hours by Steven Patchett
  • Our Tide Turns by Marie Gethins
  • Peeker-Hole by Angela Joynes
  • Rain Days in Biodome Three by Lindsey Croal
  • Rewind by Philip Charter
  • Scheele’s Green by Rosaleen Lynch
  • Scratching the Sands by Christine Collinson
  • Slugs in the Kitchen by Rebecca Field
  • Spring Back by Mick Bennett
  • The Leftovers by Eleonora Balsano
  • Then, Now by Marie Gethins
  • The music of absence, Berlin 1989 by Maria Thomas
  • The Paperbark Trees by Helena Pantsis
  • The Philistines Ring the Doorbell by Isabel Yacura
  • The Three Times I Loved You The Most In Water by Nicole Davis
  • Time Takes by Anne Summerfield
  • Were You Ever There? by Kathryn Aldridge-Morris
  • We Tried by Kim Magowan
  • What’s been said about slate by Ruth Bradshaw
  • What the Well Knows by Catherine Ogston
  • When There Was No Word for Angel by Emma Phillips
  • Where Are You? by Nuala O’Connor
  • White Rabbit by Nora Nadjarian
  • Wood Wide Web by Karen Arnold
  • Venus of Willendorf by Pam Plumb
  • You Die First by Andy Lavender

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Published on 1 Comment on National Flash Fiction Day 2023 Microfiction Competition Results

And the results are in!

Huge congratulations to our winning and highly commended authors (listed
alphabetically by story title):

  • First Prize: ‘All my lovers’ by Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar
  • Second Prize: ‘Shouting in Silence’ by Fiona Barker
  • Joint Third Prize: ‘The Boy in the Leopard Skin Shorts’ by Alan S.
    Falkingham
  • Joint Third Prize: ‘Afterbirth’ by Sally Simon
  • Highly Commended: ‘Arthur Rimbaud Speaks to His Shadow’ by Kik Lodge
  • Highly Commended: ‘Reds’ by Sudha Balagopal
  • Highly Commended: ‘The Fate of Small Creatures’ by Jan Kaneen
  • Highly Commended: ‘The Return of a Native’ by Caroline Greene
  • Highly Commended: ‘The Song of the Thieving Magpie’ by Liz Meyer
  • Highly Commended: ‘The Tsar’ by Hugh Behm-Steinberg

The winning and highly commended stories can be read here and will appear in the 2023 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology.

Thank you again to our four judges: Tim Craig, Amanda Huggins, Fiona J
Mackintosh and Johanna Robinson.

Congratulations again to all our prize-winning and highly commended authors, and to all those who were shortlisted. And, a big thank you to everyone who entered this year’s competition and trusted us with their stories.

Published on Leave a comment on National Flash Fiction Day Microfiction Shortlist

This year, we were thrilled to receive 476 entries to the National Flash Fiction Day Microfiction Competition.

Our judges, Tim Craig, Amanda Huggins, Fiona J Mackintosh and Johanna Robinson had the difficult job of whittling down the stories to a shortlist of 25. This was no easy task and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for their hard work and for the speed and conscientiousness with which they carried out the judging.

It isn’t easy to tell a story in a100 words, yet we were blown away by the variety of themes, subjects and styles we saw in the submissions. Thank you to everyone who sent in their work; we appreciated the chance to read your flash.

If you see your flash below, feel free to tell everyone, but as judging is still in place please do not reveal your title.

Now, without further delay, our 25 shortlisted stories are:

  • Afterbirth
  • All My Lovers
  • Arthur Rimbaud speaks to his shadow
  • Curing the Children
  • Curriculum
  • Earthbound
  • In the Chinese Section
  • Lovers, Brief Tasting Notes
  • Manicure
  • Omid (Farsi اُمید: a given name, meaning hope)
  • Reds
  • Shouting in Silence
  • Some Other Yellow Brick Road
  • Sophie’s Flower
  • The Boy in the Leopard Skin Shorts
  • The Counting Game
  • The Little Charnel House
  • The Nature of Boys at Dawn
  • The Return of a Native
  • The Song of the Thieving Magpie
  • The Tsar
  • Undress
  • Why, Mum?
  • You Left Without Saying Hello or Goodbye
  • The Fate of Small Creatures