Writing

A Short Course in…

Posted on by DL Shirey

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.

Continue reading →
0
Writing

Halfway

Posted on by DL Shirey

My creepy flash fiction piece “Halfway” is out in the inaugural issue of SPOOKY Magazine (no longer avaialble). I can’t say it’s about a lab experiment gone wrong, because the experiment is only halfway complete.

Purchase SPOOKY now on Amazon.

0
Writing

The One That Damned Me

Posted on by DL Shirey

After Dinner Conversation is a unique magazine. Not only do they publish excellent short stories, acceptance is predicated on the premise that what you read is worthy of discussion. As such, the editors then follow up with philosophical or ethical questions for further conversation.

“The One That Damned Me,” first published in July 2020, is about a man wrongly accused of a crime. It is reprinted below without the magazine’s follow-up questions.

The One That Damned Me

by DL Shirey

Sent u email about Jesmyn.
Please read.
S

The text from the Ex was short and sweet, like Susan used to be. The message nearly sobered me up. I was suddenly warmer, caused by the friction of memories rushing back from five years ago. The flip phone in my hand felt twice as hot, so I dropped it in the sand as if scalded. I stared at the message until the screen blanked black. Like my life after Jesmyn.

Continue reading →
0