October/November 2019 Flash Fiction Challenge

 In Writing Challenge

All About Writing’s latest writing challenge offers the winner a literary assessment on 5000 words of writing worth R 2750 / £ 150 or a voucher to the same value to use on one of our courses or programmes.

This month, we’re seeking memoir – with a twist. Write a piece of flash fiction (no more than 250 words) set 10 years in your own future. What has happened to you? What is different? What is the same?

Write no more than 250 words. Paste your entry into the body of an email and send to pam@allaboutwritingcourses.com by midnight on 30 November.

Writing tips:

  • Never use “thought” in an obvious way, as a disguise for explanation. Ie She felt miserable / devastated. Writing well means that, wherever possible, you should find ways to avoid explanation.
  • Your character (you) would be unlikely to be “thinking” a fully framed explanation of her feelings in that moment.
  • And few people are so closely in touch with their own feelings and frailties that they’re able to articulate them in the moment, so don’t tell us: She felt great sorrow.
  • Reading is an active process. It involves a sharing with the writer, who should allow the readers to pick up the cues and work out what’s going on for themselves.
  • You have other tools at your disposal: what does she do? Does she act differently? What does she notice around her? What manifestations of emotion does she feel in her body? Think of her body language and gestures.
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