SmokeLong Quarterly

What do you love about flash fiction?

Flash Fiction, from the writing side, doesn’t take years to write.  It’s an elastic form.  It’s open to mixing funny and sad—but all writing is open to that, so, OK.  It works well with magical realism and real life realism.  If one story doesn’t work, you can move on to a new one without tears.

Are there certain themes you find yourself returning to in your work?

Sure, and these aren’t themes as much as elements: struggling couples, hapless dudes, snow, neon, birds, music, verbal teenagers, weird neighbors, beer, more snow.

What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

It’s the standard: Keep a schedule, stick to it, but it’s OK when you don’t.  The world doesn’t need your stories, so make sure you need to write them.

What kind of story would you love to find in your queue this week?

Something beautiful on a sentence level, of course.  I prefer dialogue but can live without it if the narrative works.  The funny/sad thing is always welcome. Strong images. Nailing the ending/opening—if the first sentence fails, you’re not trying hard enough.