It's really sad that I forget about this blog for long periods of time. I should, honestly, be updating it quite frequently, especially given I do invest time in my writing a lot now.
Currently I am participating in the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge, and it has been great! The concept of the exercise is that someone else chooses your genre, setting and even throws a random object into the mix, and you have 48 hours to write a 1000-word story.
It was $45 to get into it, with the promise of at least two rounds of submission available with the possibility of four. I entered specifically for feedback. I didn't expect to place in the first two rounds, and I certainly don't expect to win it. I clearly have issues with releasing my babies out into the world (my stories, of course), so joining something where I leave myself wide open to criticism has had some benefit to me. And I can't fail to mention how cool it has been to set myself a challenge of 1k words and writing in genres I have never thought of writing in before.
The first round, I was given mystery at a mausoleum. I certainly have never written a mystery before. This is mostly due to the fact that I try and shy away from writing anything to adult-like. I aim for more young adult fantasy and supernatural, as I do not feel as if my writing ability extends to standard fiction. Interactions are awkward for me to write, as I often feel awkward in social settings. I've spent a better part of my life observing how people talk, but I am far from capable of emulating it.
What the first round taught me, though, is that atmosphere was just as important as interactions. It took 7 drafts to get the story right, but I was happy with the final product because I felt as if it was a mystery.
Feedback from other writers helped to attest to that. I was told on multiple occasions that the story yearned for more. That it felt as if it could be the prologue to a larger novel. That my pacing was perfect.
I was still surprised to find out I placed in this first round. 5th out of the 42 in my group.
I'm currently working on the Round 2 story now. This time I got ghost story, set in a video arcade with a chocolate bar. And despite it being a genre I feel comfortable in, it was still a challenge. This time around I really wanted to make sure it felt like it had a start and a finish (since my first one did not given the feedback of wanting more). I think I succeeded in that. I hope I did.
I'm still awaiting feedback from the judges regarding my first round. That was the entire reason I took up this exercise. Thus far, the writers' feedback has been invaluable, and I'm feeling more confident in my own abilities than I have for years. My husband burst out yesterday saying, "I wish I had half the talent you do!" He has told me when a story is shit, and to hear him say it just made my day.
One of these days I'll prove to myself I'm a legitimate writer. But for now, I'll just keep working at it.
