It’s been a while since I’ve written flash fiction. 250 words doesn’t leave much wiggle room to tell a story, but it’s a lot of fun to be back as I get something ready for the Bridport Prize.
My last flash won the Fish Publishing Flash Fiction Prize, so at least I have some previous form in the form and may be in with an outside shout. You never know with these prizes, as you have to get through two layers of reader before the final judge even sees your work, so you are dealing with three different sets of literary taste buds.
What I am remembering is that every word is crucial. With the last story, I spent weeks scrutinizing, swapping and fiddling, down to the point where I changed one word about ten times. My planned Bridport entry is now fully written and within the word count, but I am definitely getting out the fine-mesh strainer to refine it over the course of this week.
Anyway, you can read my previous winner here if you have two minutes to spare to see just how tight you have to be.