Consequences of Telling Single Stories Revealed

June 6, 2015October 5, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

A big thanks to Anne Greenawalt from WOW! Women on Writing for reminding us of the array of resources offered by TED, an educational, video resources for writers and for pointing us to a most moving video.

I must say The Danger of the Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was amazing, inspirational, thought-provoking, and a great way to start the day.

I hope you will take the time to watch and absorb the message so eloquently delivered. In the words of Ms.Ngozi Adichie,

“Stories matter; many stories matter.”

Let me know what you think. What has been your single story?

Sleep is Overrated

June 3, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

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My crashing point came on the fourth day without sleep. Three to four days is typical for me before the body overrides the mind and says, enough. Then, all I want is to close my eyes and sleep forever. I’d settle for 8 hours..

My eyelids heavy, I snuggled under the covers. It took a moment for his touch to register. “Please let me sleep.”

His hand moved softly down my skin as his kisses trailed my neck and shoulder. His face replaced the fog of sleep and I turned to him.

Who needs it, sleep’s overrated anyway.

Written in response to : Julia’s Place 100 Word Challenge For Grownups – #154… please let me sleep…

Get the Nitty-Gritty on Flash Fiction

June 1, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 5 Comments

Lets talk about flash fiction. Having dipped my toe into this market a few years ago, I love it. Writing flash fiction challenges me to write leaner, encourages my muse, and gives me the break I need from the in-depth work of my novel.

Although, definitions vary from market to market, the terms flash fiction, short-shorts or micro-fiction are often used interchangeably. However, all specify word counts, ranging from 300 – 1000 words.

In short (no pun intended), flash fiction are compete stories, driven by tight, lean writing and limited by the number of words. The number varies on the market and genre, but range between 300 – 1000 words. Stories less than 300 are most often referred to as micro fiction.

One of the best articles I’ve ever read on this subject is Suzanne Vincent’s article, Managing Story Length from Slushpile Avalanche. You can also, check it out Becky Tuch’s post, Flash Fiction: What’s it all About? As the founding editor of The Review Review, she went to the experts to find out what they had to say about this growing genre. Interested in dipping your toe?

My top five favorite sites for flash fiction.

The Markets:

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Markets catering to flash fiction here. Besides doing a search on Duotrope, you can find markets accepting flash fiction by going to these links.

Practice makes Perfect. Check out these sites to flex your flash fiction muscles.

Want a more succinct challenge?

Julia’s Place for 100 word prompts
Lillie McFerrin Writes– Five Sentence Fiction
100 Word Story

A Family’s Highjacked Conversation

May 29, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 7 Comments

Photo courtesy of google and time.com

“Look at that family, the parents look as if they’d rather be anywhere than sitting across from each other and the kids have their faces stuck in a phone or tablet.”

Millie’s shoulders sagged as she realized one of her husband’s favorite soapbox topics had highjacked the evening.

“I’m mean, dinner used to be for family conversations; what the hell, people don’t talk anymore?”

Millie glanced at the family across from them, “Seems to me, the kids have taken all the table conversation they can stand,” she said, catching bits of the couple’s angry exchange.

“Our society is going to hell,” she heard him say, before tuning him out and reaching for her iPhone, “Can’t say I blame them.”