All writers beat their stories. Don't give me that look; they do. Any writer who wants to be read, who doesn't keep the stories to himself and tries (oh how hard he tries) to find an audience, that writer will beat and be beaten by his stories, often simultaneously. Whether or not he rises again …
Writing Advice from Lizards
Run fast, stand still. In quickness is truth. The faster you blurt, the more swiftly you write, the more honest you are. In hesitation is thought. In delay comes the effort for a style, instead of leaping upon truth which is the only style worth deadfalling or tiger-trapping. - Ray Bradbury Learning from iguanas. Close enough.
We Want YOU…
...to vote for your favorite flash fiction. I teach writing to homeschooled students. Readers, would you be willing to help out? All you need to do is click the thumbs-up to cast your vote for a flash, and if you can't choose just one, feel free to choose more. And if you REALLY feel moved …
What the devil? Screwtape talks politics.
Just as true this 2020 Election Day as it was when I posted it in 2013. After reading C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters with my 5000 Words class, I can guess what the infamous devil-professor would say about this election (between fits of jumping up and down, clapping, and cheering)... My Dear Wormwood, I am pleased to see you …
I am What I Daily Do, Not What I Wish Were True
"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." Carl Jung Atomic Habits by James Clear pulled back the curtain on my unconscious mind and revealed the old man who pulls levers and pushes my buttons and tells me not to mind him at all. That old …
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The Truth Will Set You Free, but First, You’ll Think You’ve Been Quoting Gloria Steinem and Not Knowing it ALL THIS TIME. And Then (After Googling it) You’ll Wonder if You Were First With the Quote. And Then You’ll Try to Find Out. And Then. THEN…You’ll Realize How the Truth DOES Piss You Off Before, During, & After it Sets You Free…But Most Especially When it Eludes You, as Truth so Often Does
Most writers, myself included, are an unlikely mix of brazen and bashful. Brazen: Who puts words out there for anybody to see, is never more than moderately certain of their accuracy and origin, and still forges ahead, possibly confidently wrong? And bashful: Who's more comfortable undressing her soul to the world-at-large than to a friend, …
I Stand Corrected: You Can Have Your Cake & Eat it Too
Confidently wrong. That is a phrase that's been used to describe me. It's quite annoying. I don't mean for me. I'm talking about those unfortunates who ask me a question. My confidence causes them to take my advice, and my wrongness causes us to be, well, wrong. And we usually discover it together. In the …
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A Far Fall – Published in Reflex Fiction
I had a dry spell for several months, so it felt especially good to have my flash story "A Far Fall" longlisted by Reflex Fiction. I woke up to the lovely surprise of seeing it in print today. You can read it here. (I hope you will!) Interested in subbing to a free flash fiction …
Spontaneous 10: Outlines, Like Recipes, Are Negotiable
Even if I have all the ingredients, I feel this uncontrollable urge to substitute things. It's not always easy to follow a recipe, but— can we agree— it's less risky? There's a frontiersman in me that doesn't want to take a well-worn path, even to chocolate cake. Where's the fun (or artistry) in that? My …
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A Thousand Words a Day
I've been participating in the #1000wordsofsummer campaign. I did it earlier this summer, too. I don't count these words, here on the blog. I could; some might, but the words I really need are fiction ones. I do not poo on anyone's idea of hard. It's different for everyone. For me, it's the blank page. …
KL Griffiths 