Thanks to Meg from Lying for a Living for this amusing and realistic depiction of writer’s block. Enjoy!
Writing
Stories to Share From the SmokeLong Quarterly
It’s time to get back on schedule, and one of my favorite things to do is to share stories from other writers.
The selection this week comes from the SmokeLong Quarterly – “an online literary magazine dedicated to flash fiction.”
An interesting fact about SmokeLong Quarterly is how they came up with the name.
Founded in 2003 by Dave Clapper, the name “Smoke-long” comes from the Chinese – “who noted that reading flash takes the same length of time to smoke a cigarette.” According to the staff, all the work they accept for publication is “precisely a smoke long.”
Never having smoked, the amount of time its takes to smoke a cigarette, is not a time frame familiar to me. So, I’ll stick to word counts. Whichever method you prefer, SmokeLong Quarterly publishes great stories. Here are three of my favorites:
Interested in submitting to SmokeLong?
They publish flash fiction of 1000 words or less. Never charge a reading fee, and submissions are open 365 days a year. You can check out the guidelines here.
Good luck and let me know what you think about today’s stories. More importantly, let the authors know what you thought – stories are meant to be shared.
I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, and Contently.
Share this:
Birds of Prey
Rochelle Wisoff Fields Friday Fictioneers
“Mommy, I’m scared. Where’s Kyle?” Her pouty lips trembled.
Her mother squeezed her daughter’s hand. “I don’t know.”
Kyle’s little sister sniffled. “I tried to find him, honest.”
“I know you did, sweetheart.”
“He’s better at hide-n-seek than I am.” Tears rolled down the child’s cheeks. “I want to go home.”
“Me too.” The woman knelt beside her daughter and pointed. “See all the birds?”
“Uh-huh.”
“They can see for miles.” Her breath caught – a bird of prey circled nearby.
The child’s eyes widened. “Are they looking for Kyle too?”
Kyle’s mother uttered a silent prayer for her son. “Maybe.”
I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, and Contently.
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Relaxing on the Beach
DAILY PROMPT: Beach
Myrtle Beach
There’s nothing quite like getting up early in the morning and enjoying a cup of coffee overlooking the massive expanse of the ocean.Listening to the waves rush toward shore is one of God’s most beautiful lullabies.
The beach – one of the most beautiful places on earth to chill out, reconnect, shut out the world and all its craziness, and just be present.
I don’t go as often as I like but the beach holds precious memories for me. The times I took my girls, trips with my husband, my best friend, and watching the joy of my Bichon Frise discover the ocean for the first time. Those are the memories that will last a lifetime.
Take a trip to the beach this year, breathe in the salt air, and listen to God’s lullaby. Just one word of caution, unless you’re a lot younger than I – make sure you don’t find yourself on the third floor of a cottage without an elevator.
It’s gonna take us at least another week to recuperate from all those steps and my poor pup – her tongue is still hanging out.
Piper
God’s Lullaby @ Myrtle Beach
I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, and Contently.
COW PASTURE CHRONICLES 