Well, did I do it? I think so! Here’s my tally for the week.
Writing:
- Fire and Ice, a novelette, ~8,500 words
- The Burden of So Many Roses, flash, ~1,260 words
Here’s the crazy thing: I totally dreamed the start of the novelette. And in dream-like fashion, I was both writing the story and in the story. This never happens to me. I never dream stories. But since the universe offered up this gift, I decided to go for it and the whole thing tumbled out of me in a matter of three days, no planning, no outlining, nothing but words. It. Was. Glorious.
The flash I hope to cut down a bit, to about 1,000 words. I suspect a good 200 or more are throat-clearing anyway and this won’t be too tough.
Submitting:
- Cash or Check, a 44-word story (hey, it counts) to a local flash fiction (100 words or less) contest. I am actually hoping not to win or place, since the prize includes getting up on stage and reading your work. The introvert’s nightmare. This will be my happiest rejection ever.
And, thanks to that novelette, I’ve had this Pat Benatar classic running through my head all week. Now, it can run through yours. You can thank me later.
Writing Wrongs 
Congratulations! You are totally awesome! (and inspiring)
And if you win — pshaw, make that WHEN you win — I’m sure you’ll handle the occasion with all your usual aplomb.
Thanks, anno. We’ll see how it goes. And I do mean it. I so don’t want to place in that contest. LOL
NPR occassionally has a 3 minute fiction contest. The submissions must be short enough to be read in 3 minutes AND must follow a common given theme. This may be a mandatory first line ie. “everyone knew the house was haunted” or the inclusion of “the President” in some way. If you are interested, tell me & I will let you know when it comes up next.
I usually hear about the contest via the writers’ grapevine, but if you see it first, let me know. Sometimes prompts work for me and sometimes they don’t. But I’ve never entered that one and I’d like to try.
You will win, and it will be the Universe’s way of saying, “Get out there. What you have to say is worth hearing.” xoxo