Tag: #WritingCommunity

Week 625 of #ThursThreads was a success, and y’all never disappoint. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this, and why we’ve made it 12 YEARS! This year we’re going retro for Halloween. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Bill Engleson  Richard Gibney David A. Ludwig Silver James Eric Martell Honorable Mention Silver James | Website Kelex says: This tale really touched the heart of friendship. Many of us have lived this conversation with our besties, on either side of the equation. Great story. winner announcement Week 633 Winner David A. Ludwig Kelex says: What I loved about this tale was the real sense of dread despite the absurdity of a harlequin changing masks. And only in 133 words, too! You knew the situation was dire when the commander didn’t laugh or make light. Great tale. He had only followed his orders. That didn’t help him sleep. And it wouldn’t save him. “Sir?” A voice and knock on his door frame yanked Commander Tristan from his thoughts. “Yes, Willis?” The commander’s weary voice was weighed down with restless nights. “You wanted to know if the jester on the hill did anything?” That woke Tristan up. “Report.” Willis hadn’t served long enough to completely keep the confusion from his face or voice. “She, uh, changed her mask? To the sad one?” “Oh god,” Tristan dragged his hands heavily down his face. “She’s going to kill us all.” “Sir? We’re an entire regiment inside a fortress.” “It doesn’t matter.” “How can that not matter?” Willis’ incredulity crossed dangerously close to insubordination. That didn’t matter either. Not anymore. “Pippi Pierrot isn’t human.”~~~~~~~ Congratulations TWENTY-FIVE TIME WINNER David, and Honorable Mention Silver! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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Week 632 of #ThursThreads was a success, and y’all never disappoint. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this, and why we’ve made it 12 YEARS! If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Louisa Bacio for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Louisa says: Is it me or are the submissions exceptionally good this week? There may not be a ton, but they are mighty. Maybe because after all these years, our regular writers know how to cater their writing to this judge? Selecting the winner was difficult because I thought, “Oh, this is the one,” and then I kept reading. So many tasty offerings. Thank you Siobhan Muir for the continued inspiration. Entries: Bill Engleson Siobhan Muir Kelly Heinen Mark A. Morris Silver James Mark Ethridge David A. Ludwig M.L. Gammella Sheilagh Lee Honorable Mentions David A. Ludwig | Website Louisa says: At 186 words, Ludwig’s is the shortest piece, but it packs a punch. The added rhyme in the middle brings in another level of creativity. The serial killer element puts me in the Halloween mood (next week!). Mark Ethridge | Website Louisa says: Ethridge’s piece consists mostly of dialogue, and still successfully tells a story that slowly unravels. Honestly, he had me at “wild magic” and “white mage.” Special Mention Kelly Heinen | Website Louisa says: The pacing in this piece keeps the reader engaged. I was intrigued by “the Death world.” (Perhaps it’s because I’m teaching the poetry and Emily Dickenson’s use of the uppercase Death.) The varied syntax and storytelling felt complete even though the prompt was wrong. winner announcement Week 632 Winner M.L. Gammella Louisa says: There’s a point in every good story where the reader gets hooked. Gammella kicked it off strong with “You died.” Then the description of “‘Soul Sorting Center – like Hogwarts but without the magical hat and wizards.’” hit hard. Yes, tell me more. The combination of narrative, description and dialogue stands out.   “I’ll make it brief,” Azrael explained, his voice bored. “You died.” “What? How is that possible?” The man before Azrael glanced down at himself, looking for some logical explanation for his current predicament, a grievous injury or something obviously wrong. He looked as hale and hearty as one could, as much as a disembodied soul could. “Your heart stopped. Brain function ended. You ceased to be. Hence: dead,” he replied sardonically, with a wave of his hand. The man huffed before the Angel of Death. “Yes, but how?” Azrael rolled his eyes. They always want to know the details. “Is that relevant now? It doesn’t matter how. You’re still dead and will continue to be dead. Neverending deadness.” The soul sighed. “I guess not.” He looked around at the nondescript large warehouse they were in. There was a large queue of people in front of him. “Where are we?” “Soul Sorting Center – like Hogwarts but without the magical hat and wizards.” “What?” Azrael unfurled his wings. “Look, I must go, more souls to collect. You humans never stop dying. Just get in line and once they call your number, you’ll find out where you’re headed.” A deli ticker tape number appeared in the soul’s hand. “How many places are there?” “You’ll find out. Enjoy your eternity. Hope it doesn’t get to hot for you.” Azrael disappears in a sweep of feathers. The soul holds up his number: 65,352 A raspy voice calls over the PA system. “Now judging 7192.”~~~~~~~ Congratulations Five Time Winner M.L., and Honorable Mentions David, Mark, and Kelly! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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Week 631 of #ThursThreads was a success, and y’all never disappoint. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this, and why we’ve made it 12 YEARS! If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Nicola Cameron for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Bill Engleson Andy Walker Siobhan Muir Miranda Gammella Silver James David A. Ludwig Wollfgang Mark A. Morris Honorable Mentions Miranda Gammella | Website Nicola says: Tightly written, painted a clear picture of a possible homicide. But you got the prompt wrong—it was “So that was how he ended his life,” not “So that’s how he ended his life.” I don’t have a problem with splitting the prompt across two sentences but you didn’t have to add the contraction, especially as it would have been stronger with “that was” spelled out. Silver James | Website Nicola says: Nicely done fantasy meet cute, but I’m not sure who’s who in the beginning. It isn’t until paragraph 6 that I realized the questioner and the stranger are two different people. Also, “the man had to good graces…” should be “the man had the good graces…” winner announcement Week 631 Winner Bill Engleson Nicola says: Witty, entertaining, and reminiscent of Roy Blount Jr. and Garrison Keillor’s political satire. The run-on sentence in paragraph four could be tweaked a bit as it’s a little too long. The Whimperville Gazette Report of the Passing of Wickersham Bottoms Sylvester Langthorpe, Editor/Publisher So, that was how he ended his life. Not with a bang, thank goodness, but with a political gesture. Yours truly, representing both the Gazette and the town of Whimperville, journeyed three weeks ago to attend Wick Bottom’s final Open Stage presentation at Leek Lindstrom’s Ballyhoo Barn Emporium. There in the midst of Ukrainian folk tunes, amateur political impressions, accordion solos, and everyone’s favorite child magician, Margie the Magnificent, Wick Bottoms, our long-time local jokester and a Whimperville Gazette columnist for over fifty years starting in 1966 with his weekly opinion piece, Wicked Ways, Thoughts on the Times. You youngsters out there in newspaperland may not remember that but Wick worked away with his thought pieces until 1975 when President Nixon packed it in and Wick’s writings, particularly his delightful earlier renderings of the Watergate fiasco, made him a household name across the land and eventually led that year to the birth of his nationally syndicated column, Bottom’s Up. Wick’s guest appearance at the Open Stage was both fun, sad, and remarkably short. He stood there, wobbly from the years, voice crackling from time, and said the following: “Friends, neighbours, strangers, even, I’ll make it brief. I’ve had an amazing life. Unlike Jimmy Carter though, I will not get to cast a vote this year. I’ll be departing tomorrow. However, know well who I would vote for. She will be a great one. And good night.”~~~~~~~ Congratulations THIRTY-THREE TIME WINNER Bill, and Honorable Mentions Miranda and Silver! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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Week 630 of #ThursThreads was a success, and y’all never disappoint. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this, and why we’ve made it 12 YEARS! If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Eric Martell for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Kelly Heinen Siobhan Muir  Bill Engleson  Silver James Mark Ethridge  Sheilagh Lee Wollfgang Mark A. Morris Louisa Bacio  David A. Ludwig Honorable Mentions Louisa Bacio | Website Eric says: Get out of my head!!! (complimentary) Wollfgang | Website Eric says: A nice tale to introduce yourself to our corner of the storyverse. Chronotelepathy is a cool word, conjuring up visions of experiences I’d rather avoid. winner announcement Week 630 Winner Mark A. Morris Eric says: This was a strong contender all the way through, doing a great job painting a picture (you saw what the man looked like, didn’t you, under that crisp white pillow), and that was before a perfect gut-punch of an ending. He thrashed about a bit, his body convulsing, elbows and knees bony and angular. I’d surprised him when plumping up his pillow, pressing it down onto his face. He’d had a thing about hospital equipment, dissatisfied by anything but the best – I’d smuggled in a duck down one to optimise his comfort. I’d not been able to swap over his sheets for higher thread count ones, though; he’d had to make do with utilitarian linen. It only took him a couple of minutes to die. I was heavier than him; Rubenesque he’d liked to call me when he was pimping me out, his face contorted into a leer. Even before then, I never liked him; he was too handsy and sly, his fingers straying where they shouldn’t have gone. Every second we spent together, it felt like years of subliminal torture, knowing the way his mind worked and how he’d describe me to his ‘gentlemen’ friends. So that was how he ended his life. Or rather, how I did him in. I considered myself a saint, ridding the world of a parasite, careful not to leave to leave the bed in disarray. I expected that a nurse would discover him first, laid out with his arms crossed neatly across his chest. He didn’t deserve an ounce of dignity, not at all. But I was always trying to better myself and eliminating that streak of slime was the only sure way I could ever get ahead. Good night, Daddy dearest. Farewell.~~~~~~~ Congratulations FORTY TIME WINNER Mark, and Honorable Mentions Louisa, and Wollfgang! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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Week 629 of #ThursThreads was a success, and y’all never disappoint. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this, and why we’ve made it 12 YEARS! If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Cara Michaels for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Bill Engleson  Silver James Kelly Heinen Mark Ethridge  David A. Ludwig  Mark A. Morris Siobhan Muir  Honorable Mention Kelly Heinen | Website Cara says: I have to say it was difficult to pick one here, because I enjoyed all of the entries. But Aightball won me over with the grim reaper world. I chuckled over Carla’s passive aggressive strategy to be the Wicked Witch for the Halloween work party, and Horace’s frustrated horror as Carla sends souls back to life is so cute. winner announcement Week 629 Winner David A. Ludwig Cara says: This one grabbed me with its insidious build of Angelina’s situation—torment, exhaustion, weeks (or maybe months)—and then the horror of this: “Is freedom not a small price for (immortality)?” OMG, who would want immortality without the freedom to go and live and explore and do? And then we learn that Damian has essentially turned Angelina into some kind of emotion vampire, and she’s trapped and being fed by his decidedly less than good intentions? Ugh, it’s terrifying and I loved it. “Don’t look at me like that.” Damian smiled darkly. Angelina looked up at her tormentor, exhausted. After weeks—or was it months—at his mercy, she had all but forgotten how she fell into his clutches in the first place. It felt like years. “Thanks to me,” he continued, “you will live a long life and never age. Why, you’re practically immortal. Is freedom not a small price for such a blessing?” What could she say? She had words when she came here, when he promised to help with her manuscript. No more. Four, maybe five feet separated her from her book on his desk. If he’d just go back to writing, maybe she could get it away from him. Damian drank in Angelina’s desperation for her book, like he was the one who could only feed on feelings now. His cloying smugness made her gag. And it was among his more palatable emotions. Angelina flinched as Damian’s hand moved toward her book. He paused. His expression softened and his mood shifted to her least favorite one. The one she swore she would never swallow. The one that terrified her with its soothing sweetness. “Someday, you’ll love me in return.”~~~~~~~ Congratulations TWENTY-FOUR TIME WINNER David, and Honorable Mention Kelly! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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