The Joy of Flash Fiction

Photo by The Prototype on Unsplash

“I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.” ~Emily Dickinson

Happy Monday, my friends, and Happy Labor Day to my American subscribers! Hope you are enjoying the long holiday weekend.

I turn sixty-five on Wednesday and being a sort of milestone birthday, it has me thinking of how long life can be and how many changes we go through, how many iterations of our “self” and how we see the world. I know I am not the same person I was when I was forty or even fifty. I often say I got a late start as a writer, but in fact I was always a writer, even as a child. Still, I didn’t write with any regularity or serious intent until I was forty, meaning I’ve been at this for twenty-five years now. And I’ve been teaching for nearly twenty. What has changed?

I think mainly it’s been my feelings around success and achievement. I’ve gradually come to believe in only one thing: the work itself. I’ve had successes and “failures” (though my feelings around the idea of failure have changed, too). But nothing brings me more joy than creating something new.

Last year, I barely wrote at all. I was depressed and creatively stuck. So far this year I’ve written a ton. The shift happened when I gave myself permission to write whatever the hell I wanted to. So the new work is…looser, weirder, more risk-taking. I’m not thinking of results when I write anymore. I’m not thinking of places I want to publish or awards I’d like to earn. I’m not thinking of how many “likes” I’ll get on social media platforms. I’m just having fun, messing around, trying new things.

It’s that deathbed thing. I don’t want to be thinking: I wish I’d let myself have more fun.

I’m sixty-five (nearly) and I just don’t care anymore. About so many things. I only care about loving my life and writing things that please me. I’m trying my hand at speculative fiction! I’m writing poem-y things. I’m very slow to send things out, but I will, eventually. I have a story coming out in October with Ghost Parachute. A real risk-taker the editor loved.

I’m not here to rack up kudos (though kudos are nice!), I’m here to keep living and becoming. If I had looked into a crystal ball when I first started writing at forty, and seen where I am today, where my writing took me, I simply wouldn’t believe it.

So I want to keep living with that in mind. Open to the possibility that even better things lie ahead, things I could not even imagine now; that if I were to look into a crystal ball today and see myself at eighty (should I be blessed to live that long) I’d be astonished and pleased. I hope I’m still learning new things into my eighties. I hope I am still finding things to be excited about.

What can I or any of us do each day to move in that direction? Simply stay loose and open and receptive to life. Write a story about robots? Why not! Write a poem or a one-act play or a sonnet or learn to play the cello? Hell yes! And find out I’m kind of bad at all of these things? Who cares?

All of this is to say, I hope you keep finding the joy in your writing. I hope you keep growing and learning and trying new things. Even if you’re a very established writer. Especially if you’re a very established writer, there’s more to discover.

Extravaganza Salon & Reading

Well, I didn’t realize back when I scheduled it that we would be having our celebratory salon smack in the middle of Labor Day Weekend for the U.S. folks! Still, it was a lovely gathering. The readings were extraordinary. I really want to see all of the works presented out in the world. Special thanks to the readers: Vati Sreiberg, Jane, Cheryl J. Fish, Meghana Karanjkar, Lindy Newns, Pamela Pescosolido, Dorothy Rice, and Philippa Bowe! We talked about what sorts of perks I can offer paid subscribers in the future and one suggestion was holding write-ins on Zoom / Webex, so I’ll be looking at dates for that. I’ve seen a lot of these cropping up lately, and I’ve even participated in some, so I’d like to find a way to give it a fresh spin. Pondering…if you have any suggestions for other paid subscriber events/perks, please let me know in the comments.

Thank you…

Oh hey, after a very long time at #7 on the Fiction Bestsellers list here on Substack, I suddenly find I have (perhaps temporarily) moved up a notch to #6. Many thanks to my new subscribers who, I suspect, raised my ranking.

I am in very good company:

YOUR PROMPT

Let’s play with ekphrasis today. Write joyfully, even if your story is a sad one Be open to possibility.

Ponder the image above, along with the Emily Dickinson quote below it.

Embody the character in the photo and write a piece, maybe a breathless paragraph, of 250 words or fewer, using the following words if you can:

• dawn

• boots

• captured

• flicker

• wool

Happy writing, friends.

With love & gratitude,

Kathy