Dreams Into Fiction, workshop for National Flash Fiction Day, UK

Picture by Royston Hunt.
www.earthnotes.co.uk

Join my free workshop for National Flash Fiction Day UK on Zoom from 3.30 pm – 6.00 pm, Saturday June 6th. It’s for up to 50 people. Lots of prompts and ideas to turn your dreams into fictions. I’ve run versions of this workshop before at three Flash Fiction Festivals. There will be new ideas and some old ones. But you are sure to produce at least four new drafts from your one dream. All you need is to do is to bring a tiny dream or dream fragment and be prepared to play. There’ll be small groups in between the large groups sessions, for you to share some of your drafts (only if you want) and chat with flashy friends or make new ones.

The beautiful dream-like photograph here was taken in Arizona last year by photographer Royston Hunt who is selling this picture and many other landscape shots as greeting cards or notelets from his website. Do have a look, they are all amazing pictures. If you haven’t got a dream ready to bring, you can also use this picture in the workshop for inspiration, as if were your dream.
Contact me on this email by Thursday 4th June if you want to come and I will send you a Zoom link.

Notebook Writes. May 2nd

It’s the second day of my Notebook writing prompts series where I colour co-ordinate an outfit to match one of my stash of unfinished notebooks. A purple/mustard combo here with my banana paper journal.

Why not dig out one of your notebooks and write some flashfiction in longhand? Today’s challenge is to write a 100 word micro, using my prompt, for the National Flash Fiction Day New Zealand Micromadness contest, which ends on May 15th.There are two contests actually. One is for ‘Lockdown’ micros, the other is on any theme. It’s free, so give it a go. Include one word or more from the list pictured and also include an item on the table. National Flash Fiction Day New Zealand publishes a story a day from the beginning of June up until June 22nd. If you get a micro published using this prompt, let me know, and I will send you a free entry (for another story) for Bath Flash Fiction Award

The notebook I am featuring today is made from banana fibre. I have hardly written in it but the paper is lovely and smooth, just right for longhand in fountain pen ink. It’s fun trying to match outfits to books of any kind, because it makes you consider different colour combinations you wouldn’t normally wear. I really like the mustard and purple mix.

I am running a trial Zoom session on Tuesday 5th May 10.30 am – 12.30 pm following the structure of the classes I have run face-to-face in Bath. Flash fiction prompts for in-class writing, feedback on stories from a couple of participants submitted in advance, a focus. Next week that will be on very short flashes. What works. Alison Woodhouse who won National Flash Fiction Day UK, micro competition in 2019 was commended this year and has been successful in several other contests since, is popping in for a guest spot to talk about writing to a very short word length. It’s all fun. Contact me asap if you want to join.