National Flash Fiction Day UK had its 10th Anniversary on 26th June. As part of the celebration, I attended a virtual workshop with Farhana Khalique and Anita Goveas, two brilliant flash writers, who talked about using “imagery, structures and titles to develop layers” in flash fiction. Subsequently, I had a go at some of the 24 prompts posted on NFFD’s blog, The Write-In, and four of my pieces were accepted for publication therein! Two of them are shared in full below.
In ‘Last Words‘, I experimented with form to tell a story in less than 70 words, using scraps from around my house as prompts. In ‘Restrain Yourself, Kitten‘, I responded to a prompt to imagine a [cat] dreaming. Of course, finding an image to go with the story was even more fun…
I really enjoyed the challenge of writing these flash pieces and can’t wait to try doing some more. Have you tried something new recently? I’d love to hear about it in the comments 🙂
Last Words
Front Cover
“Warning: This Card May Contain Peanuts.”
Inside
Picture of a cheeky monkey. Crumbs.
“You’re Younger Than You’ll Ever Be Again. Make The Most Of It. Like This Monkey.
Congrats on another year, mate, or whatever. Who gives a crap really?
See ya at Cole’s tomorrow. Two for one drinks! B.”
Envelope
“Return To Sender.”
A wet stain.
Restrain Yourself, Kitten
The red eye whisks across the floor, over the couch, up the wall. I’m watching, but won’t let on. A hunter must be stealthy.
Dart. Dash. Dance. The red eye teases me.
I am patience itself.
Closer.
My muscles tense, my tail twitches—once only—but the youngling pounces. The red eye escapes her grasp; she follows, it flies. Tiny ball of fur and energy. Too eager. Impatient cub. The red eye runs. I wait.
Wait…
Wait…
Now!
The youngling founders.
My claws open, their sharpness fed. The red eye is destroyed. Victory.
Watch this hunter and learn.
Header image by Francesco Ungaro from Pexels.
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EMMA LOUISE GILL 
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