Category: Writing
5-4-3-2-1
Originally published in September 2022, this 100-word story appeared in Grimdark from Black Hare Press. As you might expect, all the stories in this anthology are grim and dark. Including this one:
5-4-3-2-1
by DL Shirey
What did the shrink say? That trick when I feel overwhelmed. 5-4-3-2-1. Focus on senses, turn off my brain and stop obsessing. Just stop.
5-4-3-2-1.
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The Witch
This microfiction is about small-town rumors. First published by 50-Word Stories in April 2022.
The Witch
by DL Shirey
By day her grave is littered with pentagrams and stumpy, gutted candles. On moonless nights, gothed-out teenagers chant her name at the stroke of twelve. They tell drunken stories of surviving her spells.
Before she died, the old woman’s only sins were berating trespassers and living with too many cats.
END
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 in April 2022, 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 the following article:
A Short Course in Finding the Right Publication
by DL Shirey
Short prose can offer big challenges. Those who haven’t tried writing microfiction sometimes balk at the craft, often thinking it’s no big deal to dash off a couple hundred words. Yet, the hardest part may not be composing a complete, engaging story using minimal word count. Finding a publisher for your 50-word story, drabble or flash can also be difficult.
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DL Shirey 