A Little Something...

Over at Agent Suzie Townsend's blog, there is a contest. I enjoy these kinds of contests as they test story and revision. 

I submitted my entry, which started out around 200 words before being whittled down to a scant 100. 

Check out the contest:  http://confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com/2014/04/you-asked-for-it.html

When you only have 100 words, every single word has a job. It really makes you consider what you want versus what you need.

The last few words to cut are the hardest. 

Here's my entry:

The new leaf unfurled as it steeped. She poured the tea into a bone china cup engirdled with magnolia.

“The best brew is with loose leaves. Maintains all the flavor. Tea bags contain dust, the death of a good cup.”

She scanned the face of the gagged man.

“I could make this swift,” she said, running a finger along the cup handle.

“But, suffering enhances the flavor.”

She sipped.

“Once I am done with you, I will grind you to dust, stuff you into tea bags, and sell you to herbalists in Chinatown. Quality ingredients are hard to come by.”

First Story

I'm pretty excited to see my story "My Blues-Eyed Girl" up at Shotgun Honey, especially since I'm a fan of the site. I really enjoy writing flash fiction pieces because a lot of story has to fit into a really small box. In this case, a 700 word box. 

The process of paring down text from a draft twice that length is challenging, but forces me to consider each word. There's always what you want to tell the reader, but it really comes down to what they need to know (and what they can figure out for themselves). 

Flash fiction becomes an exercise in editing, which is where I feel I do my best work. 

Drafting is certainly a challenge because the editor wants to kick in...sadly, the editor is usually a pessimistic downer, so he tends to inhibit the first draft process.