Short And Sweet – Relevance of Flash Fiction And Micro-Fiction

Considering that most people skim online content – which reflects our fast past way of life – Flash Fiction and Micro-Fiction has become a more relevant part of our reading and writing experience.

Flash Fiction – short stories between 100 and 1000 words – and Micro-Fiction – very short stories under 100 words – are a fantastic way to get a readers attention.It fits perfectly into the new reading habits, allowing the reader to find great content, without having to invest much of their time.  Creating a complete story within this short space, however, forces writers to think outside the box.

 

Flash Fiction Custom Designs

for Writers

I personally find Flash Fiction to be a great exercise in being concise. In such a small space, one has no option, but to engage the reader with every word. Micro-fiction, such as 6-Word-Fiction or Twitter-Fiction make use of the content streams of social media applications, no need for a blog, or website.

 

Writers should take advantage of the attention-grabbing potential of this type of fiction, as it can be used as a gateway and advertisement for lengthier works.

 

Happy Writing!

 

Claudia

Gratitude And Express Yourself – Weekly Posts

Time for  another blog hop smash up!

Again, there is so much to be grateful for, if one just chooses to look!

This week, I am  very grateful for connections. I have had the chance to interview a great writer, Devon Martin, connected with a comedian from Los Angeles (can’t wait to see her perform), talked to fellow Authors, and Flash Fiction writers, and was able to share some of the great work they are doing with others.

Warm afternoons – now there is another things to be grateful for. Mornings are chilly right now, but at least the afternoons are decent. I need warmth, I always freeze, so warm afternoons are like a balm for my body and soul.

Celebrations – this week there are two coming up, a celebration linked to Patron Goddess Hecate (January 31st), and Imbolc (February 2nd). For both days I want to bake something, just not quite sure what yet – not exactly a diet friendly celebration, hehe.

This week, we are asked to talk about writer tips we found helpful. I think I will serve you best, by answering this question by giving you links to sites and a list of books, so you can check them out yourself, and take from that what works best for YOU:

Books:

Save the Cat, by Blake Snyder (scripts)

Getting Things Done by David Allen  (not exactly about writing, but teaching you how to organize your thoughts, notes, and time, which I find essential for a writer)

How To Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson

Websites:

Script – filled with articles on writing, not just for film and television writers http://www.scriptmag.com/features/balls-of-steel-get-real-with-your-writing-goals

Get Into The Story – filled with good advice, again can be translate to writing, especially if you have problems with dialogue – learn it from screenwriters http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2012/01/1-2-7-14.html

another script writing blog – but hey, that is what I am currently focusing on http://johnaugust.com/

So, I hope you find something useful there. I am looking forward to hearing what inspired you this week!

 

Blank Page – A Haiku

mornings abandoned
by flow of words, I sit to
listen with my heart

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2015

 

Making Peace With Myself – A Poem

Vulnerable by Marlies Odenhal

I used to hate you
that part of me, weak, exposed
like an open nerve

raw, vulnerable, in pain
disgusted by the torture
linked to twisted acts

of a sad, sick mind
but in the healing love of
another, I found

 peace

Foreigner – A Haiku

my identity
crisis unfolds – worlds collide
where do I belong?

born in the midst of
those who see me, as the one
belonging elsewhere

lost, I search for a
little compassion, just once
so fear can subside

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2015

This post was inspired by a television show on Germany TV, where comedians and poets, who happen to be Muslim – and have spent most of their lives, if not all of it, in Germany –  deal with the current tension, by using humor, art, and words to relief some of the fear of extremism.

Extremism goes both ways – not only from those whom we see murdering people, but also in our reaction to those who share nationality and/or faith with those whom done those atrocities. The veiled woman in the store, or the Middle Eastern gentleman passing by is not responsible in a personal sense for these deaths. Lets keep that in mind, and create dialogue, instead of more fear and hate.

 

Fast Five Friday – A Belated Blog Post

A little late is better than not at all – I hope. In order to participate in many, interesting blog hops, and still stay true to my writing, scheduling conflicts lead to posting blog hop post a little late sometimes. This week, that happened with Fast Five Friday, which asked us to write about our top 5 TV crushes.

I was never that into the actors to have a crush, that’s for teenagers, but I do appreciate good action, combined with good looks, and more importantly a great story line. So, with that in mind, I am featuring the following actors:

Josh Holloway – Intelligence

Tahmoh Penikett – Dollhouse

David Boreanaz – Angel

Robert Downey Jr. – Allie McBeal

Jared Leto – My So Called Life

Survivor – A Haiku

Memory of you
makes me squirm with dreadful thoughts
but you did not win

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2015

This post was inspired by the Daily Prompt “Embrace The Ick“.

 

Author Devon Henry – The Interview

I am very exited to present to you today an interview with a dear and wonderful fellow Author, Devon Henry. I recently read her book “Kaijin”, – about which I will post an review later this week  – as well as her work on Medium, so I really wanted to share this interesting writer with you. You should really check out her work, but I am going to let her tell you more about herself and her creative endevours.

Devon Henry

 

Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little bit about yourself, and your current project:

Well thank you very much for this opportunity! I’m from Los Angeles, I have three dogs. I love avocado and Jurassic Park and I hate kale. I have watched all seven seasons of 30 Rock more than anyone probably should.

Currently I am working on my first full-length novel which I hope to have out later this year. It’s science fiction geared towards younger readers and I’ve been working on it since late 2011. I’m very, very excited for people to finally read it.

I am looking forward to it (and I hear you about kale). What brought you to writing? Did you always wanted to be a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a lot of things in my life. As a child I wanted to be a paleontologist and make movies and study different cultures and religions, but there’s always been this caveat that I would write about it too. My profession has always been up in the air but there was never a question about writing.

I really have my parents to thank for that as well. They never questioned it or pushed me into anything else and dutifully marched me to the dollar store two blocks from our house to stock up on Lisa Frank notebooks every Saturday. I’m very grateful for that.

Sounds like a wonderful way to grow up. What are your greatest obstacles to creating your art/finishing a project?

I’m sure most writers will know what I mean when I say there’s that hypercritical part of your brain that gets louder and louder the longer you stare at your work. Then suddenly it’s 3 AM and you’ve spent the better part of the night revising one sentence and you’re over-caffeinated and just thinking, “This is it. This is insanity. Someone take my laptop away.”

How did you or do you overcome these challenges?

I know that a lot of writers work better in seclusion, but I have to say that having a good support system of nosy friends keeps me motivated. It’s very easy, for me at least, to procrastinate and leave a project for ages if I don’t have anyone checking in on me. So to have friends constantly texting and asking to see revisions or making sure I’m sticking to my deadlines really helps.

You are blessed to have such a support system, good for you! What are your future aspirations?

Ultimately I’d really like to carve out a role for myself as a successful comedy writer. It’s my one true passion in life- avocado-based recipes notwithstanding. To be at a point where I could focus solely on that as a career would be amazing.

I think you are on the right track to accomplish this goal. In Kaijin, you chose to use a first person, present tense narrative to express the stories, which I think worked out very well. What made you choose to express the stories in such way?

First of all, thank you! Writing it that way was definitely a risk in terms of storytelling and I’m glad it came across that way.

When I began writing Kaijin, I had a vision of this private slice of Los Angeles full of monsters and demons and banshees and it was important to me to present that vision in a way that would be believable and not read immediately as a run-of-the-mill horror story. So I wrote it all- with the exception of “The Siren and the Immigrant”, in present tense and made a point of never naming the women in my stories. I wanted to make it seem as though the subjects of these stories could be literally anyone.

And you succeeded in that as well. What do you want your readers to know about you, that they might not be aware off?

Let’s see, I am also a trained Improv Performer, Sketch Comedy Writer, Set Designer and I can pick stuff up with my toes. I’m afraid of spiders and elevators. My resume is very impressive, clearly.

That is quite a resume! How can a reader find out more about you? 

Well my first book, “Kaijin”, is available in paperback or for Kindle on Amazon as well as the Createspace Marketplace. I also have a Medium profile that I try to update with new short comedic fiction every week for practice (This is also where you can find my ongoing Jurassic Park/Parks and Rec crossover series “Burt Macklin: Raptor Wrangler”). And, of course, readers can get in touch with me via my twitter- which I also keep updated with any new projects or multi-media works that I do. Come say hi, I’d love to hear from you!

Thank you so much, for spending time with us Devon! I am looking forward to hearing more from you!

—————-

I will post a review of Devon Henry’s book “Kaijin” later during the week, so please stop by again, and most importantly check out Devon’s work via the links below!

Devon’s Amazon Page

Devon’s Twitter

Devon’s Medium Profile

 

 

Hustle – A Haiku

bloody knuckles in
the midst of hustle to gain
ground – fight for your dream

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2015

This post was inspired by today’s Daily Prompt: Enough is Enough, but instead of writing about giving up, I wanted to write about going on, despite failure, and obstacles. Fight for your dreams!

The Gift – A Five Sentence Flash Fiction

Returning to the place, where she had been abandoned, was supposed to bring her closure of some kind, but instead it brought her only an empty feeling of nothingness. The bare steps of the large church where cold, bare and a stark contrast to her childhood, adopted by the kindest people she ever met, or could imagine. There was no trace of her, the one, who had given life, but nothing else, no sign of love, no care, no connection. Glancing back at the two people, waiting at a short distance for her, to find her own way, she was glad, she had been left behind.

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2015

This post was inspired by the Five Sentence Flash Fiction Prompt “Abandon”