What is flash fiction?

Flash fiction is simply a very short story; prose fiction. The best examples have all of the elements of a traditional short story, but with a tight focus and a precision of expression that gets their point across in a compact but powerful way. Here’re some examples:

 
• Three Soldiers by Bruce Holland Rogers

 

• Mr. Ted by Ashley Arnold

 

• The Kissing Booth by Katie Williams

There is no set formula for a great piece of flash fiction. The most important thing is a strong idea, delivered in a vivid piece of writing.

How can I take part?

This event will follow the same format as last year’s Underword event, featuring a range of stories read from the stage by their authors. Most will be under 500 words but we will have a very few slots for stories under 1000 words. Maybe you have something already; hopefully you have time to write something new. We’re looking for stories with conflict, emotion, impact … stories the audience will remember long after the event. But don’t be intimidated. Send your best stuff and be part of the day.

You can send up to three stories. Submissions open on Wednesday 1^st May and the deadline is midnight on Saturday 8^th June, although we’ll start confirming a few places before that, so the earlier the better. Please send your stories as attachments to nffd.submissions@gmail.com, along with a brief bio and a bit about your performance experience (it’s ok if you don’t have any, but it’s helpful for us to know). RTF files are our favourite, but we’ll also accept Microsoft Word files, PDFs and good old plain text.

Our time slot in the venue is sadly limited so we can only accept a certain number of stories. We can’t take everything we would like. But we definitely want to read yours.

SÉANCE FICTION: An evening of literary necromancy. 7-10pm, Wednesday, 31th Oct 2012,

The Bongo Club, Edinburgh.

In the months running up to All Hallow’s Eve, the members of  Writers Bloc have been contacting the spirits of the dead – invoking the shades of literary giants, and using spirit guides to produce terrifying tales of The Other Side.

On Halloween, Writers’ Bloc invites you to a thrilling live séance at The Bongo Club. Using black magic and cutting-edge technology, Bloc will command the dead to speak, or at least tip some literary tables over. You will see them rise from the grave, and catch a thrilling glimpse of the ghosts, demons and bogles who reside beyond this mortal coil.

Come and witness the birth of a new literary movement: SÉANCE FICTION.

• Andrew C. Ferguson has been in the recording studio with his band Tribute to Venus Carmichael. Download tracks at Tribute to Venus Carmichael’s bandcamp site or get the latest news on Andrew’s brand new blog.

• Bram E. Gieben’s been editing: Weaponizer Magazine #1 goes on sale tomorrow in the UK and Europe, with a US edition on its way. It includes 50 pages of stories by Andrew J. Wilson and Andrew C. Ferguson among others, all beautifully illustrated, plus comics, and an exclusive interview with China Mieville. Copies are available through the site www.weaponizer.co.uk.

• Gavin Inglis is running Underword for National Flash Fiction Day on Wednesday 16th May, 7:30-10pm, at the Bongo Club. Details and information on how to submit a flash piece at www.underword.co.uk (submission deadline 7th May).

• Helen Jackson is interviewing Edinburgh author Roy Gill about his novel The Daemon Parallel at Pulp Fiction on Wednesday 23rd May (doors 6:30pm, reading and interview at 7pm). It’s free and you can get tickets online at The Daemon Parallel Unleashed on Eventbrite.

Plus, Charlie Stross’s latest novel Rule 34 has been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke award. The ceremony’s today. Good luck Charlie!

Comrade Wilson will be reviving his surreal chat show “The Last Man in Space” on Friday night: “Direct from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, join notorious fan-turned-filthy-stinking-pro Andrew J. Wilson, his handler Stuart Wallace and a rogues’ gallery of unusual suspects for the chat show from hell. ‘The Larry Sanders Show meets The Twilight Zone, as directed by David Lynch.’ (May contain nuts.)” Confirmed guests include writer Michael Cobley, scholar Dr Antony G. Keen and impresario Ian Sorenson. The show will also feature the live première of the lost classic Sinister Butler of the Daleks. He may also read his poem about Ming the Merciless… “The Last Man in Space” will be held in Room 41 (Winchester) from 21:30 to 23:00.

Find “The Last Man in Space” on Facebook.

Saturday night will see “Writers’ Bloc presents FANtasia”, again in Room 41 (Winchester), from 20:00 to 21:00: “What happens when SF fans find themselves in skiffy stories? Members of Edinburgh’s leading spoken-word performance collective dish the dirt in their own inimitable style. ‘Particularly neat’ (Locus Online). Featuring Mark Harding, Hannu Rajaniemi, Charles Stross, Stuart Wallace and Andrew J. Wilson. This will be a high-octane show featuring some classic stories, some of which will have been tweaked to fit the venue…

Find “Writers’ Bloc presents FANtasia” on Facebook.

Finally, on Sunday comrade Mark Harding’s Mutation Press launches the anthology Rocket Science. The launch is in Room 12 (Tetworth) at 12:00 and the anthology includes a story by comrade Helen Jackson. In the same room at 15:00 there is a panel, “The Science of Rocket Science”, featuring Iain Cairns, David L Clements, Martin McGrath, Deborah Walker, and moderated by editor Ian Sales.

Read the Rocket Science blog.

There’s a great review over at writer Colum Paget’s website The Singularity Sucks. Here’s a taster:

How is it then, that these Glasgow and Edinburgh writers aren’t just hugely world famous? This was the most throughly entertaining thing I attended at the con. All the stories genuinely enjoyable, and each included that vital element that’s so missing from stuff that I read in ‘Year’s Best’: They were fun. FUN. Remember that? Most of the writers proved to be born performers too, putting on accents and obviously enjoying themselves.

Visit The Singularity Sucks to read the full review.

Bloc’s next gig will be Brave New Words, at 8pm on Wednesday 4th April, Scottish Storytelling Centre.

How many clones does it take to change a light bulb? Why did the chicken cross the wires? The members of Edinburgh’s premier spoken-word performance collective offer their unique perspectives on science and fiction in all-new stories. Warning: may contain rocket science, brain surgery and assorted nuts!

Tickets are £8/£6 and should be booked through the Science Festival.

It’s called “Garden of Bedsteads” and is published by Mariscat Press.

The launch is at 6.30 for 7 on December 7th at the Scottish Poetry Library, all friends welcome (free and unticketed).

10 years of soviet lunacy

Comrades,

To mark 10 years of Writers’ Bloc spoken word performances you are invited to the launch of our new 10 year plan:

Better Read Than Dead

Favourite stories from the past 10 years, plus new initiatives forged in the heat and sweat of the bars of Edinburgh. Presented by comrades old and new.

Highlights include:

• Will our production targets continue to be gloriously exceeded?
• Will our drinking consumption continue to be gloriously excessive?
• Will the return of comrade Stefan – hot from the barricades of Aix-en-Provence – be prevented by the running dogs of revisionism?
• What is revisionism?
• Will the regressive ideologies of Halloween – Satanic worship, drugs and orgies – distract our pure-hearted footsoldiers of literary endeavour?

Not so much a 10 year plan as a way of life

Long live the revolution!

Writers appearing at Better Read Than Dead will include: Kirsti Wishart, Andrew C. Ferguson, Jane McKie, Andrew J. Wilson and Gavin Inglis, new members Helen Jackson, Stuart Wallace, Bram E Gieben, Mark Harding.

Plus a special appearance of comrade Stefan Pearson.