You’ve all waited long enough.
I liked your entry, but I had a little trouble understanding what had happened at the end. It seems that she was on her way to “talk out” fires, but in the end, it appears that she talked one up, burning her abusive parents while they slept.
I liked your entry. It introduced me to a flash fiction blog I was unaware of. I found you from your MFA comment on Elegant Variation. Great comment!
Also, there’s a “10 favorite short stories” meme passing through some litblogs you might be interested in. More info at my blog at http://www.wishythewriter.com .
Thanks for checking out the story, and I’m glad you found Jason’s site interesting. Thanks too for your response to my comment at Elegant Variation.
I’ll definitely check out the ’10 favorite short stories’ meme at your site.
I know what you mean about the cutting and cutting. When I started mine, I had no idea how to finish it. I had to part with some pretty cool lines.
I enjoyed the challenge. I wrote what I wanted and it was 500 words. I thought, “What do I cut?” By the time I finished I realized that it was much stronger and tighter. There’s not a lot of space for waste in Jason’s contest, and that’s a good thing. I definitely will try to keep this in mind the next time I edit my longer fiction.
I’m always amazed at how much I can cut when I do Jason’s contests. Like you said, a great lesson in writing tight. Great story!
I was a little unsure about the ending also but you presented an intriguing character.
Congrats on taking second place Sean. Bravo!