What is flash fiction? Flash fictions are complete, stand-alone stories under 1,000 words.
Is there a cost? FlashNano is free and open to the public. You’re welcome xoxo
Do we submit them somewhere? There is no official submitting, though I have re-opened the private Facebook page,where many people like to share for accountability and keep each other’s spirits up. But many people participate without ever sharing anything, and that’s also great. (Note: this is not a workshop arena! No critiquing)
Will you give feedback on my story? Not during November: That would go against the messy, creative, generative spirit of FlashNano. But I will offer plenty of future opportunities to work with me, including the Flash Mastermind experience and future retreats.
If I share them are they considered published? Since the Facebook page is technically private, it will not count as “published” later. Some people like to publish on their own blogs, but that may count as “published” to a magazine.
What if I miss a day? If you miss a day then write two the next day! This challenge is really between you and your god, so no one else is counting.
I don’t live in the U.S. When should I expect the prompts to post? I post them around 7-9 am MST (in the U.S.), give or take an hour. So over in Europe and Australia you’ll be getting them in the afternoon/evening.
Do I have to use the prompts? Absolutely not. Write 30 stories in November by any means necessary!
Do I have to write flash fiction? Nope. It began as a flash fiction event, but over the last 14 years I’ve seen people approach the month in many ways, from a haiku a day to even threading the daily flashes into a flash novel. New material is always a win!The bottom line: if you write even one extra story in November…that’s a win!
And I’m giving away prizes at the end of the month for those who stick with it!
**IMPORTANT NOTE: Please ASK before republishing the FlashNano prompts in blogs or books, and always give proper credit to me and FlashNano 2025. Please and thank you!
Happy holiday season!! Here, at the end of a truly crazy year, I felt compelled to reach out and talk about one of my favorite topics: Celebration! And why we all need to celebrate ourselves right now. Not tomorrow. Right now. And I have a lot to say about this…and about banana splits!! READ ON!
But first: a few important announcements (and I’m going to make a BIG announcement in January–watch for that.)
NEW 2026 WORKSHOPS As many of you know, my focus over the last four years has been shifting towards my favorite part of the writing process: the long-term journey of writing a book–that beautiful, messy collaboration with The Muse where we get to live into this glorious creative life with long-term vision.
Maybe it’s a brand-new idea, or an idea you’ve had forever. Maybe it’s a novel or novella, creative non-fiction or a memoir in flashes, or maybe you’re finally ready to put together a collection?
Maybe you’ve already started…and stalled? You want guidance and accountability. You want to stop talking about it and do it! I get it. It’s time.
1. LAUNCH: 5 Days to Launch Your (Flash) Novel, Novella, Collection or Creative Non-Fiction Project
Five days of live (asynchronous) guidance, support, and feedback, including daily lessons, prompts, and a private space to share and take risks. The workshop is technically asychronous (to accommodate all time zones), but I will be “live” and actively engaging/responding the entire week.
January 19-23, 2026 $259 (Earlybird until December 31: $199–included in the Mastermind)
2. SUSTAIN: Finding Momentum: A 6-week Guided Sprint to Give Your Ideas Momentum and Accountability
February 18-March 25 Let me hold your hand and we’ll write together. Includes 90 mins of guided sprint time plus 30 minutes of group coaching and live Q & A. Every Wednesday: February 18-March 25 from 11-1pm MST $499 (earlybird $399–included in the Mastermind)
Six Months to Transform your Creative Practice and Bring Your (Flash) Novel, Novella, Collection, or Creative Non-Fiction Project to Fruition. Six months of personal support and transformation including private 1-on-1 sessions, group coaching calls, 16 weeks of original, guided content, plus bonus book clubs, the 6-week writing sprint (included) a private, handpicked community of talented and dedicated writers on the journey with you. Includes both the Launch and Sustain sessions. Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Get started in January for as little as $500 per month* MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ALL WORKSHOPS HERE
AND NOW…… THE END OF THE YEAR PEP TALK: CELEBRATE YOURSELF! (or why you need to eat a banana split right now!)
Okay, my friends–it’s time to talk about celebration. Not holiday celebration, or family celebration–but celebrating YOURSELF.
NOW. Not later.
You might be thinking: But I don’t have anything to celebrate right now! I don’t have a book out, or a story in the Best Blah Blah Blah…shouldn’t I wait until then??
That is exactly why I’m talking about it now—we have this mistaken assumption that we should only celebrate a thing once it’s over—or that celebration should be reserved for a certain kind of accomplishment. I disagree. In a long and fruitful creative life, we must get in the habit of more frequent celebrations: small wins and even losses are a reminder that we are here, that we have stepped into the arena of our own creative flow. That alone is reason for celebration!
Many writers, many humans, let’s be honest, are super stingy with themselves! We allow ourselves only modest luxury, we downplay praise, deflect compliments, etc. When deep down perhaps what we are all craving is that good job, that high-five, that I see you.
So we work very hard to get it externally—we submit. We put ourselves out there. We wait for someone to see us, to acknowledge all our hard work. And maybe, if we’re lucky they do—for a moment. But it’s also just as likely that they don’t. So then what? We nurse our various rejections by working harder, by being even more mean to ourselves. We take our cues, including when and how to celebrate, from the outside world, rather than learning how to read and trust our own internal thermometer and be our own best council.
One of the ways I’ve found to shift this self-dynamic from something punishing to something nurturing is through celebration. Not later, not when a thing is done, but now. Over and over. We can become our own best high-fiver. We can “see” and celebrate ourselves through the many, many ups and downs of the writing life—celebrate every rejection because it means I put myself out there and that took courage. Celebrate the progress of each week and the way we continue showing up for ourselves. Celebrate the breakthrough idea, the early morning insight—celebrate staying in the chair one more day.
This practice started very organically for me. As a young writer putting herself out there, I got a lot of rejections. Which are not pleasant, of course! But I realized if I was going to keep going and not become dejected, I needed to flip my mindset. I declared that every time I got a rejection, I would go out for banana splits. Not just ice cream, but the Big Banana Split with all the extra scoops and sprinkles and nuts and mounds of whipped cream and a cherry—I would make it a real occasion. And honestly, it’s hard to be down when you’re eating a big mound of ice cream with whipped cream and cherries.
So that continued for several years until I got my first yes.
Oh no. How do I celebrate that?
Turns out: the same.
I declared banana splits the appropriate celebration for both kinds of occasions (also good for layoffs, heartbreaks, etc.) until celebrating was such a regular part of my life that the line between good and bad started to fade, and I had to invent new ways to celebrate the bigger things to come. And yes, eventually the books, too.
Now I don’t mean to suggest that your celebrations must involve sugar or even eating, but for me that was a quick and easy way to mark the moment. For you it could be lottery tickets, a bottle of wine, an afternoon off work, taking yourself to a movie, buying a new book or a new notebook. It could be flowers or a haircut or a new pair of socks. But the point is to mark the moment! Don’t put off celebrating tomorrow what is alive today.
You might be thinking: why is this important at all? Shouldn’t I just get back to writing and quit messing around?
My husband and I have married each other dozens of times. Some of those have been formal and witnessed by others, most of them have been private, spontaneous exchanges that keep our relationship alive, a living contract rather than a 1-time event. And having this attitude toward commitment and celebration naturally helps our relationship focus on daily gratitude, daily wonder.
Our creative relationship is no different. Through the ups and downs, through the wins and losses, we must find a way to return to the wonder that is art, return to ourselves and our commitment to stay, learn to pour a little hot fudge over the scorched earth of our daily ebbs and flows, nurse the sting of a “no” side by side with the thrill of a “yes”—and put whipped cream on both.
To writing, travel, joy, and camaraderie in 2026! Love, Nancy
P.S. As promised, a special offer for FlashNano participants:
Are you working on a book?
Maybe it’s a flash novel or novella, creative non-fiction or a memoir in flashes,or maybe you’re finally ready to put together a collection?
Maybe it’s a brand-new idea, or an idea you’ve had forever.
Maybe you’ve already started…and stalled?
Many talented, dedicated writers struggle with starting or finishing their books. The writing process can often feel daunting, and writers haunted by a story or a “big idea” can often feel alone, unsupported, wracked with insecurities and alternating waves of procrastination and perfectionism.
You don’t need another workshop–you need a creative transformation.
Welcome to The Flash Novel Mastermind for Novels, Novellas, Collections, & Creative Non-Fiction Projects
A 6-month experience of coaching, content, and community in a private space of motivation, accountability, and support.
I guide writers through creative transformations by providing a container of inspiration, motivation, accountability, and camaraderie, a creative incubator designed to support them through the journey of a long-term project and get their work across the finish line, so they can finally bring their ideas to fruition and release them into the world where they can change lives: starting with their own.
***AND I’ve created 3 scholarships for FlashNano participants PLUS December is free. Please mention “FlashNano” in your application.
Nancy Stohlman 