Rhonda Zatezalo

Author. Dreamer. Designer.

Flash Fiction

Five Takeaways from the 2017 Flash Fiction Challenge

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The NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge is an annual challenge for writers to create a story of 1,000 words or less in 48 hours. At the beginning of the clock you are assigned a genre, a location, and a random object that has to appear in the story. There are four challenge phases. Each entrant submits stories for phases 1 & 2 where points are given. Then the top point earners move on to phase three, and the top there move to phase four. Every story is judged and writers receive feedback for each story submitted (one per challenge phase).

I learned about this challenge the day before registration closed, which was two days before the competition started. I had a hard time deciding whether or not to enter. The entry fee was $50 at that point, and though there is potential to win cash and prizes, I wasn’t sure how much I would benefit from the experience. (I don’t anticipate winning) I let my loved ones talk me into getting involved because no matter what, it sounded fun. Now the crazy weekend is over and here is what I learned from participating in just round one.

dual arch gravestoneFormat: Flash Fiction, Genre: Ghost Story, Location: Basement, Object: Tattoo machine

1. Making time and clearing commitments was essential.
Though flash fiction is short, it takes time to be concise. I’m grateful my husband doesn’t mind last-minute changes. We had other plans for the weekend but nothing that couldn’t be moved around or cancelled. It wasn’t so much that I was writing every hour that I was awake, but that, when I wasn’t writing, I could wander both mentally or physically as needed. This freedom gave me the space to develop four different stories for the challenge. I narrowed it down to two by the end, and that’s where the second takeaway comes in.

2. Understanding genre is important. I’ve never written a ghost story. I’ve written scary scenes and worked on thriller projects, but I’ve never done a true ghost story. NYC Midnight explains their definition of each genres on their website and they include examples from both literature and film. With just 48 hours to create and polish a story, I didn’t think I should spend too many hours researching. When it came down to choosing between the two stories I was happy with, I looked to see which story best fit the assignment given. After close examination, my favorite of the two seemed to fit the horror genre better. So I chose to submit the favorite of my beta readers.

3. Having alpha/beta readers was a big help. There’s no time to put this project “in the drawer” to get some space from it, which is a typical writers trick for perspective. Thus I relied heavily on my family and a few trusted friends for honest feedback. I’ve experimented a lot with flash fiction this year and my readers have been instrumental in my growth as a writer. (Thank you everyone!)

4. Find things that put you in the head space of the work. This goes back to genre a bit, but I found this invaluable. I changed the background in Scrivener (my writing program of choice) to an eerie graveyard scene and listened to creepy music while writing. When I was done writing on Saturday I started watching Stranger Things on Netflix. So even though I was done with my writing for the day, I kept my head in the genre through the evening. This helped a lot. The next morning I woke up with a whole new story idea which ended up being the horror story I wrote. Even though I didn’t use the story for the contest, I like it and will publish it elsewhere. I’m finding that keeping your head in the work, even when you aren’t writing, helps me write better, whether it’s flash fiction, a novel, or even non-fiction.

5. Reminder, sure writing is hard work but it can be lots of fun. Writing for a living means my favorite thing to do is also the thing I dread Monday morning. Ok, not really but you get my point. Writing is my job, but it’s also what I love to do, it’s how I process things, and as such I sometimes forget how much fun it can be. This contest really brought that home for me. Flash fiction is a great medium to challenge yourself as a writer to do something new. It can take you away from the everyday grind and perhaps be an introduction to a new concept or story idea you hadn’t thought of before. I’m looking forward to the Next Flash Fiction Challenge happening in September.

Bonus: In the past I’ve been known to say something along the lines of: “I hate Twitter, it’s stupid.” You know what’s really stupid? Hating something you haven’t taken the time to understand. Over the past six months I’ve gotten involved in the writing community on Twitter and have really come to love it. What an awesome group of people! Checking in with other writers via the #flashfictionchallenge hashtag over the weekend was a great way to connect and cheer others on. It also helped remind me that, though I often feel like it, I am not alone in this writing journey.

Wishing everyone a week full of your favorite kind of success.

Much love and thanks for reading,

Rhonda

Updates from a real writer?

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I heard back from the first contest in which had two short stories entered. And guess what???  I received my first rejection slips! Yep, both stories were passed over, but getting my first rejections kind of makes me feel like a real writer. I know it probably sounds a bit strange, but that’s how I feel. Both of these stories are still entered into other contests, the last of which announces in October. As always, I’ll keep you updated.

More story updates: I had my new editor look over “Wild Portal Child” and got some great feedback. Based on her notes, I made some changes that really make the story better overall. But now it’s almost 16k words! (oops!) Still the publisher is planning on putting it in the anthology that comes out in August. I can’t wait to share the first Vargen story with you. I don’t know if there will be online sales, (it’s a niche market) but I’ll let you know where to find the anthology if you want to pick it up.

I’m also planning a giveaway for one or two copies. More on that later.Bush Baby on the railing

As for other stuff, I’ve been traveling in Texas this week. I miss the cats and pups though, so I brought along my little bush baby friend. We’re documenting his travels. Here he is on the 8th floor, with the fountain below.

 

Hotel life is mostly conducive to writing.  I finished a new short story today and I like the way it’s shaping up. I’ll let it sit a bit than do a rewrite. It’s a story of survival, and the bonds that form in the midst of crisis. If I don’t submit it to a contest, I’ll be sharing it soon.

In other news, I’ll soon be able to share even more stories with you. If all goes well, I’ll be announcing that information mid to late July.

As always, thanks for reading and sharing this journey with me.

-RZ

 

“Click to submit”

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June is here! Wait, what? So soon? 2017 is flying by but there are good things happening. Here’s what’s new…

I’ve written two flash fiction pieces recently and have them submitted to three different contests. These stories are more contemporary / mainstream fiction than anything I’ve been writing. They are stories that resonated with me.

All Hallows’ Harvest was written for fun, but it’s a piece about death. The fun part was breaking the stereotype, not the dying part. It pokes at our expectations and the desire for just a little more time.

If no one but me ever publishes this story, there is still one awesome thing that came out of it – I found a great freelance editor. I didn’t plan on this story, I didn’t plan to write flash fiction, and I didn’t plan on it being any good. When it was done, I liked it. A lot. I thought, maybe I should enter it into a contest, but then I’d need an editor. I asked around one of the awesome writer-focused Facebook groups and was connected to someone who was willing to read it and critique it. I sent it off and waited.

Magic happened.

Was it a perfect story? of course not! Did I learn a whole lot? Yes. This was the magic. This is where I got to see things from a perspective I hadn’t yet. With that critique the story became so much better, and I became just a bit more confident as a writer. All Hallows’ Harvest has a final word count of about 980 words and is entered into two contests currently.

So of course when I finished the next story I sent it on for critique. That story is called Take Care, and it’s loosely based on a criticism I overheard. The speaker was making judgements of a stranger without knowing or caring about any of the details that made up that persons life. Take Care looks at what could have been truth and reminds me that we can never assume we know other people’s struggles. The editing process also made this story so much better than version one. It felt more real, more substantial. Take Care finished at around 1,100 words and is also entered into two contests.

And a quick update on the Vargen novelette, Wild Portal Child, (formerly called “Too far?”). At almost 15,000 words this story has been accepted for publication in the GenCon anthology, Missing Pieces Vol. 8. I’ve just sent it off for a final critique and proofread. I’m looking forward to making this story shine, especially since it’s the first look you, dear readers, will have into the Vargen worlds.

The earliest I’ll hear about any of the contests is the end of June. I’ll keep you updated as I find out where things go.

On deck for stories are a couple of ideas. I’d love to hear which you think I should write first.

One story I’m working on can be loosely called a space opera. It features a captain with an overly sensitive nose, who lost her ship and is working to build a new one. She gets caught up in several shady deals trying to buy a rare, top of the line air purifier for the new ship. Hijinks and bar fights ensue with both crew and customers as she tries to grease all the right palms. This one should be fun to finish and fun to read.

Another story I’m working on explores the prejudices of a society towards a girl caught in the middle of a police sting while sentenced to community service. This story looks closely at the ideas of race, the lack of support for our elderly, and the supposition of guilt by association. There are hard truths and a lot of unfairness at the center of this story, and I don’t know yet how it’s going to end.

I have more than twenty other stories ideas in my notebook. There’s random flash fiction, lots of Vargen short stories, and a few full novels that have been percolating for years. I’ve finally collected things and organized them so I can choose what to write next.

Wishing you happiness in all that you do.

Warmly,
RZ