Flash Friday Fiction: Somebody’s Watching Me

Posted on by — 2 Comments ↓
Drinking fountain, Pataskala, OH. Photo by Kenn W. Kiser.
Drinking fountain, Pataskala, OH. Photo by Kenn W. Kiser.

“Somebody’s Watching Me”

I didn’t mean to. It’s just that it’d been a really bad day.

My brother told me if I licked the outside railing, it would taste like a snow cone because of all the snow we got last night, so I did, but the only thing I got was a stuck tongue and the taste of blood in my mouth as I ripped myself loose. Why doesn’t mom ever yell at HIM?

Then when I went to get a drink at school that creepy snowman was smiling at me, just like our neighbor Mr. Jenkins, who wanted to show me his toy soldier collection this morning, but when I went into his house he was wearing a bathrobe and he touched the parts that mom says only the doctor can touch. He says I can’t tell anyone.

Dad says they’ll clean the puke up.

But the snowman will always know.

________________________________________________________________________

Word limit this week for the Flash Friday! Fiction contest was 150 words. Let me know what you think!

 

Links I Love: Week of September 29th

Posted on by — No Comments ↓
from Buzzfeed's Shakespearean Insults
from Buzzfeed’s Shakespearean Insults

Oddly enough, most of my links this week revolve around words and language. Who’d a thunk it?

1. A Guide to Proper Comma Use – I’m sure I still make egregious comma errors, but I have no problem declaring to the world that I am a staunch supporter of the Oxford comma.

2. Hilariously Terrible Novel Sentences You Need To Read – Ever wonder how your writing stacks up? Just be sure it’s not reminiscent of these efforts… Unless, of course, you’re trying to carve out a space for yourself on their list.

3. How To Write a Successful Query Letter: Think Like An Agent – As I get ever closer to actually drafting a query letter and sending my book out in hopes of publication, advice articles like this catch my eye. Do you have useful advice?

4.  Shakespearean Insults To Unleash In Every Day Life (now with cats!) – Neighbors being pests? Drivers around you sending you into road rage? Get creative in your responses by delivering such tasty gems as “Thou art as loathsome as a toad.”

5. The Quote Investigator – Want to make sure the insult you just hurled really did originate from Shakespeare? Check here! Very useful for ensuring that Abraham Lincoln didn’t really suggest something negative about your mother.

6. Hours Spent Reading Books Around the World – For fun, here’s info on how many hours per week the average person from various countries spends reading books. My average was way higher before the advent of the internet. Just sayin’.

7. Creative Ways to Ask Your Neighbors to Stop Having Loud Sex – Fitting for a romance novelist to find these amusing, isn’t it?

Flash! Friday Fiction: Free Falling

Posted on by — 5 Comments ↓

Child. Photo by Alexis/El Caminante“Free Falling”

The wind whipped so fiercely it nearly tore the photo from his grasp. He looked at it one more time, longing for when his father used to throw him like that, the blind faith he had felt even as frissons of fear snaked through his limbs. Dad had caught him, though, every time.

That innocence was gone now. His father hadn’t been able to save him from everything. The broken heart. The drugs.

Tucking the picture into his pocket, he peered over the ledge. Dad seemed so far away.

“I love you, dad,” he shouted. Closing his eyes, he jumped.

He waited as long as he could before pulling the ripcord, relishing the air rushing against his body, making him feel alive in a way he hadn’t felt in forever.

Below him he could see his dad’s chute. Above him he could see the heavens, a clear expanse of new beginnings.

________________________________________________________________________

Let me know what you think of my entry in this week’s Flash! Friday Fiction contest. Word limit this week was 150 words.

Also, do I get bonus points for such an alliterative post title?

The Excitement of Winning!

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

Flash Friday Winner BadgeWhat a joy it was to win the weekly Flash Friday Fiction contest last Friday! I have been so excited all week – having my creative writing affirmed feels great, especially since this is still a relatively new venture for me. Flash Fiction calls for quick writing about topics I would never normally approach, making it an excellent exercise for stretching my skills.

Not only do I now have my own page on the Flash Friday Fiction web site, but I also got to do a Flash interview, where I learned that attempting to answer questions in 20 words or fewer is even more difficult than limiting my Twitter ramblings. (You can read all of my Flash Friday entries right here on my website.)

I hope you’ll check out my entry and let me know what you think – and come play along with us every Friday! It has been so exhilarating to craft a micro-story every week, and to discover the great variety of takes we authors can have from one single visual prompt.

Thank you, Flash Friday Fiction!