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Karen Wesley's avatar

Poignant 🖤

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alex b.'s avatar

Thanks Karen🖤✨

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Emil Ottoman's avatar

Why you posting archival material? This is great. This is fantastic! Flash fiction. I don't know why you think you're not ready to write a short story yet. Or why it's a goal for you. I don't know why you think it because I'm not you and you haven't told me. But I understand if you do and I understand if you have your reasons.

But unless you are hiding from us proof that you are are really really bad writer compared to what you post, I would suggest just getting an idea or an idea that you have, if that's not enough in your opinion or in your mind, take more than one idea that you have and smash them together until you have five or six pages and you'll have an amazing short story.

As an author right? This isn't me. Denigrating the form of the short story 's because whole libraries by academics critics and other authors who are much better than I am at most things I aspire to have written a body of work about the form of the short story. This is me saying as an editor from everything that I've read from you, which at this point is enough to have an informed opinion in my opinion. You've been ready to write a short story for a while whether you believe it or not is on you.

But from a technical standpoint often if you can write flash as good as you, and you do write very good flash fiction, top notch. But unless you're a weirdo like some of us, I hate to break it to you but really good. Flash is a lot harder to write than a good short story. Flash fiction has to have a point get to it real quick, it has to cut like a knife and usually it helps if it's real pretty. It requires concision and economy of words that you can't afford in other forms. I know people who can write novels but if you asked them to write flash fiction it would absolutely make no sense. I don't know anyone who can write flash fiction as good as yours who isn't capable of writing anything from a two sentence all the way up to an epic as long as one of those bricks by Dostoyevsky.

So, and I mean this genuinely, maybe take the leap. Your sentences already cut. Your themes are already tight without being explicit. I know what you're trying to say, but you don't have to say the quiet part out loud. So you're already halfway there. And if you're not already halfway there, you're more than halfway there.

And if you do right a short story and you're not sure of it and you want some input or a second set of eyes, I'll be more than happy to read it. (Someday I'm going to address how I don't like the term beta readers because writing fiction is not a software or hardware production cycle. And I hate stealing any tech bro. Silicon valley pitter patter. Which is what that is. You're an artist, not a software developer. Beta testers actively trying and break software or whatever they happen to be beta testing. There's an implication inherent in stealing that terminology I've never liked. Okay, I probably need more meds.)

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alex b.'s avatar

Emil you made my day. This is not the first time a writer has expressed this to me and believe me, its been on my mind too.

Flash fiction is the first style of fiction I learned. I like writing them and don't find them all that difficult. Like anything else, I just take notes and take my time. It was something new as I slowly got into a consistent routine and became more comfortable with sharing my written work publicly. The more I wrote, the more I enjoyed it but I've been told on several ocassions to think about short stories. I'm not dismissing the idea because I've kept it in the back of mind for a while.

I made the decision a few months ago to give it a try.

You're already on my list of people that I'll be reaching out to for assistance.

Thank you so much for reading my work, the inspiration and feedback. It really means a lot!

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Ashe's avatar

Once again you have inspired me.

Phenomenal.

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alex b.'s avatar

I appreciate you Ashe💖🙏🏽

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Ashe's avatar

And I you, Alex💖

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Your Native Friend's avatar

That sounds so intense! I am so sorry you are through this. It is pretty hard to write, paint and even be here when we have depression! You are doing great and you are loved my friend.

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Aug 27
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alex b.'s avatar

Thank you Lynelle🥰🙏🏽🖤✨

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