It’s back! The Jan 2024 Not Quite Write Flash Fiction Competition! And I’m all-in!

Thousands of writers from everywhere participate in a 48-hour, 500-word write-a-thon to produce a story off three prompts.

This time, the prompts were spilling something (an action), the word punch (it or a derivative must be included in the work), and an anti-prompt “avoid cliches” … where you’re asked to violate a rule of writing in whatever manner you see fit.

Based off the contest’s T&Cs, I can’t say anything about my work, other than I participated (yay!) and I’m hopeful for a good result this time around. I’ll know more in March! Stay tuned!

It’s February 23, 2024, and the longlist was announced. My story, Till the Roots, wasn’t longlisted, and barring any weird chance that I’ll wildcard onto the shortlist, it’s curtains, I’m afraid, for Dwight Ward and his dad, Mike.

My story centers around Dwight, an autistic child who takes pictures of bathroom urinals and is deeply fascinated with the concept of impermanence. The school confiscated the boy’s phone, and Mike must make some hard choices. Remembering how his father treated him, Mike opts for a different way to respond to Dwight’s infatuation. I think it’s a good story, and I might try to use it in another competition in the future.

And I did, in February 2024, allowing me to explore Dwight more thoroughly under a Magical Realism prompt. The story, Remnants, is loosely connected to this one.