What makes 5000 Words stories stand out? I believe it's the boot camp dynamic of the class. For 12 weeks, we immerse ourselves in a great work of literature (this time, Lord of the Flies) while churning out copious amounts of stellar writing. Students who can handle the demands of the class come out with …
Tag: Fiction
Coffee Confession Query Update
I wish the coffee would stay hot, even down to those last few sips. When it's first brewed I put my face in the mug and pull the aroma into my nose. Those gloriously warm first sips are the best. Then it gets mindless. I'm in the world of my manuscript, slugging down the caffeine …
Student Flash Contest Winners!
Judging is a buffet where I love every dish. How do I pick just one? As I read through the entries, I jot notes down and assign a number to rank them. I re-read the top-ranked stories and even some lower ranked ones that are still on my mind. Then I wring my hands and …
What You Get When You Flood Your Mind With Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”
Lenore’s Reprisal (inspired by “The Raven”) January is a dangerous month. January is deadly. Don’t believe me? January. killed. my. Lenore. Ok truth. A-steering-wheel-through-the-heart killed Lenore, but it was January’s fault. Lenore’ll tell it was the road, slick with ice and a blanket of snow. She’ll tell it was the brakes on the Volkswagon—that’s what …
Continue reading What You Get When You Flood Your Mind With Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”
Congratulations Fall 2018 Contest Winners!
Each session, 5000 Words culminates with a peer-judged writing contest. Our last few classes are devoted entirely to workshops, which are the faves of mine and my students. After surviving the gauntlet of peer critique (in which the writer must remain absolutely silent), students polish and edit their stories to a brilliant shine. Why silent, …
Better Than Candy: Bite-size Halloween Stories
My friend Cyndi gave me the idea to showcase some of the Halloween stories I received from the flash contest. Enjoy these bite-sized stories from Ethan Zabka, Anna Marsick, and Cynthia Hilston. The Last Halloween By Ethan Zabka “This is going to be awesome!” My friend Jeremy exclaimed. ” It’s going to be the greatest …
Continue reading Better Than Candy: Bite-size Halloween Stories
Published! My Alien Perspective.
Sometimes it takes an alien perspective to show us what it means to be human. My story, "The Outrider," published in The Corona Book of Science Fiction, explores a paradoxical culture that condemns a cheerleader for killing her just-born baby and lauds millions of girls for walking into clinics all over the planet to achieve …
Flash Contest Winners!
How exciting to see 19 entries for what became a Halloween-themed flash fiction contest! My students regularly create a flash story as part of my class, and a good competition throws our motivation into high gear. Thank you to my blogging friends, writing friends, and friend-friends who participated and made the collection of stories diverse …
Book Worm*
Zahara's jaw fell open. Her book slid off her knees and hit the floor. She scrambled for it and flipped to find her page, all the while shaking her head in denial. Page found, she pored over the words once more. Unconsciously her hand went to her throat. Zahara let the book fall in her …
Collateral
Could it only have been two hours since Devon last pushed open the glass door? That was a lifetime ago. That was when Devon dreamed a dream. When he didn't hate banks and bankers and the soul-crushing thing called collateral. The loan officer chanted the word as if it were a talisman. With a savage …
KL Griffiths 