Flash Fiction and Me, Part 1

Time for the truth: I've had a rocky relationship with flash fiction through the years.

In the beginning, I didn't think much of it. Real writers penned novels. Between novels, they wrote short stories. Less than a thousand words? Please. Less than five hundred? That's just obscene.

During one sleepless night in 2008, I decided I needed to push myself, stretch the boundaries a little. Maybe there was something to this "flash fiction" thing. Maybe I just disliked it because I wasn't any good at it.

I decided to call for submissions for a new magazine; 52 Stitches was born. Of course, during the first year, I called it Fifty-Two Stitches.

I'm not the greatest magazine editor on the planet. Some of the stories... Well let's just say I'm not sure I always picked the best from each litter.

I loved doing Stitches. I kind of miss it. I'd love to do it again, but with the impending birth of our third child--I just can't.

If you're new to this blog and haven't read any Stitches yet, most of the stories are still available online (52stitches.blogspot.com).  Both years are collected in dead tree editions as well. 


 (2009)  <p><p><p><br><br><br><br><br><br>(2010)</p></p></p>

(2010)

Tomorrow I'll discuss how flash fiction became one of my favorite storytelling modes. (And why every writer should practice this particular art.)