I first became interested in writing at university. My English tutor assured me that my work was terrible and showed little promise. Nevertheless, I intended to go on to study for an MA in Creative Writing, even got as far as picking up the application forms but in the end I decided against it, telling myself that if I wanted to write I should just…write. Then I waited fifteen years before finally taking my own advice.
I write mainly flash fiction — what is “flash fiction” you ask, well it’s very short stories, often around the 500 word mark but there’s no strict rule. You won’t find many books of flash fiction on the shelves, although some fine ones do exist if you know where to look and the form is gaining popularity. The majority is published in “Lit-Journals” — online magazines, some of whom publish constantly and others who produce periodic issues. Some pay, others don’t, but all of the people who run them work entirely for free and are incredibly committed to finding new voices and giving them a platform. It’s the DIY punk scene of literature.
Flash is fun to read because it lends itself to experimentation, lyricism, absurdity and surrealism. It doesn’t have to follow the “rules” of traditional narrative structures. It’s also really hard to write because every word counts and it’s tricky to produce something meaningful in so few words. There’s a whole online community dedicated to flash fiction; they’re very supportive, and also pretty competitive — it’s kind of like a sport for people who don’t enjoy exercise, or going outside.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have work published in many fine journals including Storgy, X-ray Lit Mag, Barren Magazine, Milk Candy Review and Lunate Fiction. I’ve even been nominated for a few awards along the way. If you’re curious, follow me on Twitter or check out the links in my “Published Work” section and you’ll soon get the hang of it.
Happy Reading!
Rick