Julie Duffy's Blog, page 116

[Reading Room] I’d Rather Go Blind by Jabari Asim

From A Taste of Honey – Stories by Jabari Asim, Broadway Books, 2010, ISBN 978-0-767679-1978-4 I knew a man who only read non-fiction because he “didn’t see the point” of fiction. Would it surprise you to know that this man was one of the least empathetic I never knew? I firmly believe that fiction is more powerful … Continue reading "[Reading Room] I’d Rather Go Blind by Jabari Asim"

[Reading Room] I’d Rather Go Blind by Jabarii Asim

From A Taste of Honey – Stories by Jabari Asim, Broadway Books, 2010, ISBN 978-0-767679-1978-4 I knew a man who only read non-fiction because he “didn’t see the point” of fiction. Would it surprise you to know that this man was one of the least empathetic I never knew? I firmly believe that fiction is more powerful … Continue reading "[Reading Room] I’d Rather Go Blind by Jabarii Asim"

Swagr for March 2018

Every month we gather here to discuss what we’ve achieved and commit to making more progress in our creative lives in the coming month. We call it our   Serious Writer’s Accountability Group or SWAGr, for short! (We’re serious, not sombre!) Leave a comment below telling us how you got on last month, and what you plan to do next … Continue reading "Swagr for March 2018"

Swagr for April 2018

Every month we gather here to discuss what we’ve achieved and commit to making more progress in our creative lives in the coming month. We call it our   Serious Writer’s Accountability Group or SWAGr, for short! (We’re serious, not sombre!) Leave a comment below telling us how you got on last month, and what you plan to do next … Continue reading "Swagr for April 2018"

Making February Flash – A Round Up

Here's all my best advice on writing flash fiction...

[Write On Wednesday] Openings & Endings for Flash Fiction

People’s memories of events are shaped by their experiences in the last few minutes. Stories are no different. You could write the best story in the world but if the opening isn’t good, no one will read it; and worse, if the ending is bad, they will remember the let-down, not the beautiful writing and … Continue reading "[Write On Wednesday] Openings & Endings for Flash Fiction"

096 – How To Make Flash Fiction…Flash

Flash fiction is more than just a collection of fewer than 1000 words. Flash fiction must…FLASH! In this episode I talk about, how to surprise your readers, how to craft openings and endings to keep your story in your readers’ hearts, how to use titles as the sizzle that sell your story to a reader … Continue reading "096 – How To Make Flash Fiction…Flash"

[Write on Wednesday] Terrific Titles

Flash fiction writers often miss a fabulous opportunity by leaving a quick, ‘working’ title on their story. That’s the equivalent of marketing a product by telling people how hard you worked on it, instead of selling them on what the product will Do For Them. Here’s the thing: Title are not usually part of the … Continue reading "[Write on Wednesday] Terrific Titles"

[Reading Room] The Breathtaking Power of Dracula – Rolli

Read it online here This is a flash piece I stumbled across on Twitter. It was an interesting format: a screenshot/image of a formatted short story, attached to a tweet. And it’s really odd. Delightfully odd. It’s the kind of thing that makes me go: Yes! See this? THIS is why I love short stories. … Continue reading "[Reading Room] The Breathtaking Power of Dracula – Rolli"

[Write On Wednesday] Specific to Universal

The best stories move from the specific to the universal (or vice versa).