Flash Fiction Blog

Tuesday Focus: Helen of Troy, As Poem, As Flash
First, the poem:Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing by Margaret Atwood  The world is full of women who'd tell me I should be ashamed of myself if they had the chance. Quit dancing. Get some self-respect and a day job. Right. And minimum wage, and varicose veins, just standing in one place for eight hours behind a glass counter bundled up to the neck, instead of naked as a meat sandwich. Selling gloves, or something. Instead of what I do sell. You ha

Monday Flash Focus: Searching for Epiphanies About Epiphanies
“And you, you ridiculous people, you expect me to help you” (77). For Charles Baxter, writing in his book of essays Burning Down the House, this excerpt from Denis Johnson’s writing illuminates Baxter's problem with epiphany stories: Why would any reader look to writers (of all people) for the realizations of life that will save them? The emphasis and resulting desire for epiphanies make such sudden insights the raison d’être for stories; they exist for characters to encounter the unknown and be transformed as a result of the confrontation with chaos. They are creation stories (

Saturday Flash Interview: Shoplifting from Tao Lin
Shoplifting. Delivering pizza. G-mail chats. Love. If you want to know where all of these intersect with writing, the answer lies in Tao Lin. The author of four books, the most recent Shoplifting from American Apparel, Lin's gotten a lot of attention recently, both for his writing and his internet stunts (his latest involved auctioning off 30-minute G-mail chats while he was on various drugs.) Hijinks aside, the man can write. Pick up his collection Bed, and the story "L

Friday Flash Writing Prompt: The Unlikeable Suspects
Randall had a flash prompt talking about the movie The Usual Suspects and how the villain creates an entire story using what he sees on a board in a police headquarters. It was a neat trick and a cool ending, telling us a lot about who Keyser Söze is. And what Keyser Söze is, essentially, is a prick.  Hi, I'm the prick. We’re not supposed to like Keyser Söze. He is in all reg

Thursday Craft: Thinking about Flash Fiction after Talkin' With David Wroblewski
David Wroblewski came to Rosemont College to talk to the graduate publishing, literature, and creative writing students and faculty about the book, the book tour, writing, and what's next. He was generous, insightful, thoughtful, and all-together terrific. Three times (I think) in The St