Flash Fiction

9:04 AM Tuesday, February 23, 2010


No, I don't mean stories based on a certain fictional super hero!

I mean flash fiction as in really short stories.

I have recently fallen in love with flash fiction and have realized that many of my rambled writings can be classified as such.  Though this wasn't a new term to me, I realized I would like to know a little more about it.  Reading a lot of different things, I have come up with this definition of my own:  Flash fiction is a short story that is usually between 500 - 1000 words and still contains character development and an actual plot.

This is the type of writing that is appealing because it can be read while sitting in the waiting room of a doctors office, or in a car as the kids are getting out of school.  No long term time commitments needed, just short and to the point writing.

There is loads of this stuff all over the internet and some are actually very good. I particularly enjoyed  The Times That Bleed Together, by Paige Gardner.

Here are a list of some of the website I have found that feature flash fiction stories:

  1. Flash Fiction Online:  http://www.flashfictiononline.com/
  2. Every Day Fiction: http://www.everydayfiction.com/
  3. Flash Fiction.Net: http://flashfiction.net
  4. Very Short Stories: http://www.very-short-story.com/ (for if you like REALLY short stories)
My questions to you are:
Have you ever read Flash Fiction?
Would you ever read FF?
How interested are you in visiting a website or buying a book based solely on FF?

The answer to these will help me see if this is an avenue I wish to explore a bit more or if my energies are better spent elsewhere. Thanks!

Posted in , by Julie Beddoes | 0 comments

Giving Her Back

8:22 AM


Not entirely sure that this is ready to be shared with the world, but I have enjoyed some of the calls and emails on my other stories that have not only given me insight on how to improve, but also given my ego a big boost.  So here is my latest flash fiction story.

NOTE TO READER: This story has undergone major changes in the following weeks. For publication reasons, I will not be reposting it at this time, but here is the original (first draft) introductory paragraph.

 Giving Her Back

The time has come. He knows it as he feels the momentum of the vehicle coming to a stop. He sits in the back of the black limousine, dressed in his finest.  He looks like a million bucks, but feels more like 20 cents.   Grateful that the windows of this limo are tinted a purplish hue, he dreads the moment he has to step out into the bright mid morning sun.

Posted in , , by Julie Beddoes | 4 comments

Brain Power

7:35 AM



My hubby has been out of town for 2 weeks. This leaves me with 5 kids, 4 snow days, and no lap top (which is what I usually do all my writing on. It's so much easier to lock myself in a back room and work then around the chaos that is my life.)



This is a perfect analogy of what my brain is doing lately.






If this is what your brain is suppose to look like:




This is mine after an absent hubby and
too many snow days with the kids:


To coin a phrase from an old PSA,

Any questions?

Posted in , by Julie Beddoes | 0 comments

Book Reviews: Three books/One post

5:01 AM Thursday, February 4, 2010

(NOTE: This is actually a reposting from my other blog, but figured since it's book/writing related,

I'd repost it here. My apologies if it's a duplicate for you.)



I have read so many books lately.  I actually read one in less than 12 hours the other day.  Ok, it was a YA book, but still give me some credit.  (This should really be a testament to how dull my life has been, I actually have time to READ!)  Here are my thoughts on some of them.



I really enjoyed Zusak's writing style in The Book Thief, so I decided to try out another of his novels that is supposed to be more light hearted and humorous. I Am the Messenger acheives this but if you're looking for something actually humorous and funny, this isn't the book to grab. I still enjoy Zusak's style. It's very conversational. He makes it seem so easy; easy to write and easy to read.  And this book has a positive message to it.  Unfortunately, I think his story falls too flat at the end. Still worth the read though.




My Antonia... well, let's just put it this way:  It's literature.  Ya know, classic, gotta-read-in-college kinda literature.  Let me also add that I am a plot driven reader.  I enjoy the challenges of the characters and how they overcome them.  I like the thrill of the who-dunnit or the how-they-gonna-accomplish-that kinda thing.  If you're like me, you may wanna skip this one (unless of course you actually have this as required reading or something).  Cather is so wonderfully descriptive and her passion for the land and it's people are apparent, but I kept waiting for the plot to start... and it never really did (or only faintly at best).  If you like classic, descriptive literature, you'll love it. If not, skip it.


Among the Hidden by Margaret Haddix.
Why am I reading a YA book, you may ask. I was impressed by this series long before I ever read this book.  It is the series that FINALLY interested my pre-teen boys in books!  D & S read them several years ago and couldn't stop talking about them.  D has been in love with reading ever since.  THANK YOU MARGARET PETERSON HADDIX!!  And as an adult, I can see why they liked them so much.  Keep in mind that the book is simple for the younger reader, but intriguing, and adventurous enough to keep even an adult interested.  I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Posted in , by Julie Beddoes | 0 comments

Wasted

9:51 AM Friday, January 29, 2010

This is a short story I wrote years ago in college and recently decided to revisit as a writing exercise. I made some changes at the recommendation of a friend, (Thank you, Lisa!), and here it is again. I have also posted a link from the posting of this story on www.goodreads.com. (By the way, if you are a member of goodreads.com, I welcome your friend requests.)


Please read and critique the following short story.

Wasted

Each of them sat facing opposite directions on the edge of the bed in the small, master bedroom of old house on 54th street.  For more than 30 years, they had lived here as husband and wife, but it still didn’t feel like a home to her.

The cool breeze that blew in from the garden delivered a sweet lilac smell, but provided no relief from the hot summer air that hung between them.  They had argued again, and this time she knew it was different. Her words this time were more bitter and harsh than ever before.

Now, she would not look at him.



She focused only on the picture of Christ on the wall beside her bed, pondering her journey to this time and place. She has spent more then 3 decades of her life with a man she didn’t even like.  Why did she do that? They have no children to be concerned about; no connections that couldn’t have easily been broken.

She didn’t love him. 

It was probably her mother’s influence.  Hours of cleaning and cooking turned into overbearing lessons of loyalty, marriage, and the inessentiality of love.  Her mother wanted her daughter to be married, and married for a very long time. Mother wanted her to be happy of course, but that was only secondary to the duties of a real wife. Until now, she never really understood the ramifications of her mother’s teachings in her life.

Well, she thought, at least my mother got what she wanted.

Papa was different.  He never lectured her on how she should be.  Although she was very plain and not what most men were looking for, Papa never made her feel that way; that is, not until she met her would be husband.   This was probably also the reason her father grew to like her husband so quickly. 

“He is a good provider; he will take care of you and your children,” he pressed her. She knew her father was too kind to say that she should take the chance to marry while she had one.  It would probably be her last.  He loved his daughter, but he knew reality as well.

In the end, it was not about what she wanted. Pressure from her old-fashioned family rendered it unacceptable for her to go to college and travel as she wished to. In the end, she never even brought up the idea. Now, she thinks she should have tried.

With these thoughts, a feeling of grief replaced her anger. She mourned for things she could have studied in school; the classes she could have taken; the things she could have learned, for lost memories and experiences she’ll never know, and most of all, for the years she now feels she wasted.

She sighs, inhaling the smell of the lilacs from the garden and exhaling their earlier argument, rendering herself numb. Since she does not love this man, then there is no reason to be angry with him either. It was all a waste of time. Dinner time was fast approaching and there was a meal to be made.


On the opposite side of the bed he agonizes over the argument that just occurred between them. The cool breeze brushes the scent of lilacs past him, but they are no consolation for the feelings of dismay he harbors. He stares at the picture of her in her wedding gown which hangs on the wall beside his bed.  Taken nearly 32 years ago, she gazes down upon him each morning and night to remind him how lucky he was to get her.

If she only knew how much I love her, was all he could think. 

Posted in , , by Julie Beddoes | 0 comments

An Introduction

5:42 PM Thursday, January 28, 2010

First and foremost, thank you for stopping by my blog today.

You may wonder why I'm here. Well, I decided that if I was going to take myself seriously as a writer, I needed a place to display my writings for multiple reasons:
  1. I need feedback. What things do I need to work on? Where can I improve? And let's not forget, What am I doing right?
  2. Someday, I hope to attract editors, agents, and publishers to my writings. Maybe this will be a tool I use for that purpose or maybe it's just a spot to clean up my act until that day. We shall see.
  3. By putting myself out there, I can avoid making excuses for not doing this. Now, I have someone to report to.
  4. I admit it...I like the "PUBLISH POST" button. It makes me feel good :)
No matter your level of expertise, whether the published author or just someone who likes to read, sit back and enjoy what you see here. And if you don't enjoy it, speak up! And if you do enjoy it, speak up too! I need all the help I can get here.

Posted in by Julie Beddoes | 0 comments

Book Review: My Life In France

11:45 AM Friday, January 1, 2010

I did finally finish "My Life In France" by Julia Child for our book club. The book was interesting but it isn't something I would have picked up on my own and I'm not even sure if it would have keep my attention all the way through if I didn't have to meet with the group to discuss it. I know who Julia Child was but had no idea how she became a world renown chief. All I can say is, now I do. It is not a page turner, but if you like autobiographical books, cooking, or France, this book is for you.

Posted in , by Julie Beddoes | 0 comments

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