Short, Short, SHORT Stories or Flash Fiction

As a storyteller, it's important that I keep my narrative muscle in shape. So in between writing assignments and longer fiction works, I write short, short, SHORT stories. They also call this Flash Fiction. These super short stories can be anywhere from one sentence to 100 or so words in length (give or take).

Generally, I get out of bed in the morning, wander over to the computer, and start typing away Flash Fiction style. I try not to read the news of the day or check emails first, and I don't care really what I write about. I just start typing without thinking and see what bubbles to the surface. The goal is to speak directly from the dream world before the busy-ness of life infiltrates the senses. Sometimes I'm amazed at what comes out, other times it's complete crap. Here's a little short story about my lovely wife.

Blonde hair with light streaks. Thick and curly. Long whirligigs fall on either side of her face. Smells like an island spa on a moonlit night. I hold her from behind, spooning, my face nuzzled in the curls. My favorite place in the world, where I wake every morning.

Or another about my upcoming venture into fatherhood.

I'm about to be a father, and with that comes a sense of responsibility and maturity that's been building for awhile. When the child is born, I'll surely cry and realize something within me that's always been there but remained hidden behind the fog of youth. I wonder if my parents, gone for five years now, can see me now.


Check out these sites!

Common Ties is a great site that brings together artists and writers to create amazingly cool picture stories. You can write a story and submit your own art work or just send in a short, short story and they'll pair you up with the right artist. Stories have to be 50 words or less. Try to write a story in 50 words or less. It's frickin hard!!! Forces you to be concise. If you're a fan of this kind of stuff (graphic stories), check out this site.

For the super duper short stories, go to the One Sentence site. One Sentence is about telling your story ever so briefly (in one sentence). Insignificant stories, everyday stories, or turning-point-in-your-life stories, boiled down to their bare essentials. Fun stuff.

I occasionally post my Flash Fiction to these sites. It's fun and keeps that creative muscle flexed. As I like to say (actually I'm saying it for the first time)...NO FLABBY WRITING!!!

Hello Blogospherians!

After a hiatus of several years, I'm returning to the blogosphere. Oh hallelujah. Happy days are here again. My previous blog, For the Love of Pete, was a wacky collection of rants and stories with absolutely no direction whatsoever. There were some moments of brilliance, but you had to really dig through the muck to get there. But oh how I've matured over the last few years. I write better, eat better, think more creatively, sleep more soundly, and live with more passion. How that translates to a more entertaining blog? I don't have a clue.

I do know this much; this blog is different. I'm not sure how exactly because it's an organic thing and will create it's own life. In my former blog I posted long meandering internal ravings from my melon, stream of consciousness babbling that was entertaining only if your were feverish and hopped up on Cough Syrup. No more of that. Well, maybe a little.

It's scary actually. All of the possibilities throughout the universe are swirling around this blog, and I just have to reach up and grab a topic and regurgitate it through my fingers and onto the keyboard and onto the screen where letters become words and words become paragraphs and paragraphs turn into profound nuggets of truth and profound nuggets of truth turn into unforgettable stories and unforgettable stories turn into...STOP!

Even though silly rambles, like the one above, seem to ooze unsuspectingly out of my pores every so often, I am determined not to do that in this blog. I can't promise anything, but, you know, um, there you go. No alarms and no surprises, that's all I can promise (what band am I referencing here?).

Here's the real dope. This blog will concentrate on thoughts of writing, storytelling, and creativity. It will also feature memorable moments of my venture into parenthood and life in general. There are LOTS of things happening. Big changes. For one, my wife Kate is due with our first child any day now. So stay tuned.

Thanks for reading. I promise this will be an entertaining venture into the blogosphere for you. Happy Days are here again!