Just a Tree #100Words for the #FridayFictioneers

Good morning! Welcome to my little efforts on #FlashFriday for the #Friday Fictioneers. Today's prompt was the following photo. Here's my take on it.

It looked like a tree.

Long snaking limbs climbed in a profusion of tangles toward the sky, fanning out around a great central shaft covered in bark-like skin. The leaves on the branches rustled in the wind. Except, no wind stirred against Jericho’s cheeks and hair.

The damn thing was rustling on its own!

The "oak" whipped out a tendril, snatching a hapless sparrow with a surprised squawk, and yanked it out of the sky into the maw of a large "knot hole". Subtle crunching sounds echoed beneath the rustling and Jericho shuddered.

Yeah, it looked like a tree!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend. See you for Six Sentence Sunday! Happy reading! :)

How #FlashFiction Makes You a Better Writer

I love writing. I love it's myriad forms, it's subtle clues and hints, its vibrant colors firing the imagination. I love stories of betrayal and woe, ending with happiness and luck.

I'm a pretty good writer - I'm an even better oral storyteller, but writing reaches far more people (and I don't have to shout) ;) However, there's one form of writing I've only stumbled across recently that showed me I have lots of room for improvement.

This form of writing is called #FlashFiction. Ignore the hashtag symbol, it's just to help the search engines. FlashFiction is a form of writing that makes the writer really, really think about what they're writing. They only have 100-200 words in which to get a whole story down. It takes thought, effort, finesse. It ain't easy.

What can you say in 100 words, especially when part of the challenge is a photo, or a set of words, or even just a phrase? Wow, a lot, as it turns out, but you have to be creative and really focus to get the best out of it. It makes you think and use the best words you can to evoke images and emotions.

I've tried three such FlashFiction challenges: #MenageMonday from Cara Michaels, #HumpDayChallenge from Tracey Hansen (today at DRyanLeask's blog), and Madison Woods has the Friday Fictioneers. All have been a great way to improve my writing, but they've also been hilarious. Some of the entries have me ROFLMAO! ;)

This is a fun way to improve your writing and it helps take the stress of being stuck on your WIP. Give yourself a chance to have fun and see if you can write something you like in 100 words! Happy reading! :)

Judging a new #MenageMonday #FlashFiction Challenge

I have exciting news!

My writing twin sister is posting a #FlashFiction challenge each Monday called MenageMonday where you get 200 words to write about a photo, a phrase and a judge's addition (could be a word or genre or POV, etc.).

And this week, I get to judge the entries. Want to get in on the action?

Head on over to Defiantly Literate, Cara Michaels' blog, and enter your efforts. You could win a very cool badge like the one I have on my page and blog.

The contest rules are at Cara's blog and I'm looking forward to your entry! Good luck! :)

FlashFiction, 100 Words to Live or Die and the Sunrise

Today's FlashFiction writing challenge can be found here! Below is my submission. :)

The glow over the eastern horizon heralded something more than just sunrise.

"It's live or die time," Chiera muttered, straining to hear the sounds of their approach.

Oh, she knew the phrase was "do or die time", but the outcome would be the same, either way.

She'd never tried to catch a gryphon before, but Cecelia's taunts had been too much and now she was out here at the edge of the Rended Forest, with nothing more than her wits, a leather rope, and some catnip.

The soft hiss of feathers through the air was her only warning.

They'd arrived.

Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Reading! :)