50-word stories are known as Dribbles, those with 100 are called Drabbles. The Dribble Drabble Review publishes them both and in Issue VII is my 50-worder about a very sad garage sale.
Split Decision
Category: Published
Explaining Distant Thunder
Published on Twitter by Cuento Magazine.
Fingernails
One year ago, my 50-word story appeared in 50 Give Or Take.
Fingernails
by DL Shirey
One-two-three-four-five-six, blow. One-two-three-four-five-six, blow. The same rhythm every time. Each rasp of her emery board makes me grip the steering wheel tighter.
At arms length she studies her work, spots a flaw and attacks the inexactitude in cadence. She splays five fingers, nods and begins the other hand.
One-two-three-four-five-six, blow.
END
X-O
What does volunteering for the greater good look like in a tech-mech world? In the near future, X-O could be a possibility. The question is: how near is near?
Published in the October issue of Altered Reality Magazine.
5-4-3-2-1
The protagonist in this story feels overwhelmed. He uses a trick taught by his psychiatrist: 5-4-3-2-1. It’s the only way he knows to stop obsessing. This is a 100-word story published in Grimdark from Black Hare Press. As you might expect, all the stories in this anthology are grim and dark.
Eidetic
The narrator in this dark piece of flash fiction introduces us to 13 people in just over 600 words. I even manage to slip in a reference to Moby Dick amid this parade of characters. Published by Theme of Absence, a fine purveyor of speculative fiction.
Learning To Draw
My sister is an artist and my father could have been. I never got the gene. This nonfiction piece exemplifies why it is better that I write than draw. Published by Potato Soup Journal.
A Short Course in…
Authors Publish Magazine is a wonderful resource for writers. I’m on their email list and dutifully read it each time it hits my in-box. There are loads of articles, agents looking for manuscripts and journals open for submission.
I dropped them a line recently, thanking them for all they do and asking if they knew about The Short List. Not only was Authors Publish intrigued, they asked me to write an article. The title is A Short Course in Finding the Right Publication and discusses the craft of writing microfiction and flash, plus finding journals that publish short prose.
The Witch
50-word story about small-town rumors. Appropriately, it was published by 50-Word Stories.
A Slice on Secaucus Street
The hero in this story has the gift of total recall, what he calls Backvision. And he needs it in order to help a detective solve a murder. The only catch is that his Backvision is revealed in bits and pieces, or as he says, “It’s like a picture developing in a grindingly slow photo lab, where my memory needs to soak in different trays of chemicals before the portrait ghosts into existence.”
Oh, and there’s pizza.
The story has a gritty, noir feel and speculative elements, and fits nicely along side other great stories in this Crimeucopia anthology. You’re probably going to shop on Amazon today anyway, so go ahead and order a copy. It will be a fun read.
DL Shirey 