An excerpt:

One good thing about a year’s worth of quarantine? A lot less FOMO. We’re less afraid of missing out because everyone is missing out. We aren’t worried about being left off the guest list because there is no guest list. And for many of us who were trying to be everything to everyone, this has been a huge relief.

But…now that our attention and focus has been narrowed even more tightly to the screen, we might be noticing a different kind of FOMO creeping up. We’re maybe noticing there are other writers doing a lot during quarantine: publishing or producing with a seemingly endless supply of creative juice, while the project you were working on was cancelled, or postponed, or just feels irrelevant now in this plague world. Maybe all your writer friends seem inspired and you’re stuck. And you feel that nasty green-eyed monster putting his hand on his hips again.

I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that, despite our very best efforts, artistic jealousy affects us all at one time or another. If you’ve never felt the green monster, then you’re a better person than me. Mind you, I genuinely like my colleagues and I want them all to succeed. Most days I subscribe to the “we all win when we all win” mentality, and I truly believe it’s the only way to have a long, rewarding artistic life.

But… no matter who you are, there is probably somebody out there who is kicking more butt than you, and it seems to be happening effortlessly.

What to do about it???

KEEP READING HERE

Fire and Ice: Flash Fiction Retreat in Magical Iceland Nov 3-7, 2021

On March 18, 2021March 17, 2021 By nancystohlmanIn flash fiction, flash fiction challenge, retreats, Uncategorized, writing

Registration and details coming in April!

Sign up here to get early notification and access!

We can’t wait to travel with you again!

Join Me This Weekend: Readings and Readings and Workshops, oh my!

On March 4, 2021 By nancystohlmanIn flash fiction, Reading, Uncategorized, writing

Need something to do this weekend? Next week? I’m going to be part of three virtual events and I’d love to see you at any of them!

Friday March 5th: Fbomb NYC Reading, 6-9 pm EST

Fbomb NYC: Friday, March 5 KGB Zoom FBomb reading Mar 5^th 6pm est – 9 pm est.

Featuring:

Roberta Beary
Andrea Marusco
Nancy Ludmerer
Jayne Martin
Nancy Stohlman
Kathy Fish
Susan Weiman
Hank Paper
Linda Woolford
Sally Reno
Paul Beckman
Cindy Rosmus

Contact Paul Beckman for Zoom link at: paul@paulbeckman.com

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Friday, March 5th: Bending Genres Reading @ SMOL Book Fair, 9 pm EST

More about Book Fair here

March 5, Friday, tomorrow, at 9pm EST.
Featuring: DOMINIQUE CHRISTINA!
Also reading are:
AIMEE PARKISON
DESPY BOUTRIS
BILL SOLDAN
TOMMY DEAN
KIM MAGOWAN
KAJ TANAKA
NANCY STOHLMAN

PLUS GIVE-AWAY OF MERCH!
OPEN MIC TO FOLLOW FOR FIRST FIVE TO SIGN-UP

More info here:

Reading Schedule

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March 9-13, Writer’s Studio Literary Festival at Arapahoe Community College

More info here

For $50 (lots of discounts available too), you have access to SIX instructional workshops, and four different readings, all virtual, so you can attend from anywhere. As a bonus, when you sign up, you will get a copy of the Progenitor Vol 55 mailed to you (the one published during the onset of the pandemic–it’s very good!).

AGAIN: NEXT WEEK March 9th through the 13th Please consider registering! https://www.arapahoe.edu/…/writers-studio-literary…Featuring: Hillary Leftwich, Nancy Stohlman, David R Slayton and others. That’s three sessions you’ll love right there: Fantasy Writing, Flash Fiction Writing, and Writing About Your Ghosts

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Hope to see you soon at a virtual writing event soon!

xoxo Nancy

Sick Of This Cold and Stir-Crazy? A Friday prompt from Going Short:

On February 19, 2021February 18, 2021 By nancystohlmanIn Craft Essays, flash fiction, flash fiction challenge, Reading, Uncategorized, writing

Are you stir crazy and sick of being cold?

Are you losing it a little bit? (me!)

Going Short is ready to snuggle and do some writing.

“I can’t get enough of your love, babe.”

Prompt: Bribing the Muse: On Your Mark, Get Set…

A great trick to create urgency in a flash fiction story is by using another constraint: Time.

For almost a decade now, all my college classes have begun with a 10-minute timed writing. Timed writing is nothing new. We know that it helps us transition us into the writing space, like stretching before a workout. We know that it forces us to stay present and dig deeper—writing past where we might have naturally given up. And we know that keeping the pen moving quickly, without crossing things out or rereading, is a great way to evade the internal critic and uncover fresh ideas.

But I discovered something else through years of this practice: 10 minutes of writing without stopping is also the perfect amount of time to draft a flash fiction story idea from start to finish.

It makes sense: Flash fiction is defined by a word constraint, so why not create under a time constraint? Having that clock ticking while you furiously try to reach the end of an idea gives the piece a natural sense of urgency. And writing from the beginning to the end in one sitting also creates a sense of continuity—we see the end coming as we embark on the journey.

You can use timed writing in many ways. For instance, you can:

Set the timer while writing to a prompt.
Set the timer when you’re feeling stuck and don’t know what to write about.
Set the timer and rewrite a “flat” story from scratch while the clock chases you to the finish line (my favorite)

And as a daily practice it’s even better. Besides, you can do anything for 10 mins, right?