Safety Pin Review

I'm reviving this blog out of its dormant state, partly because I've gotten re-interested in stories again, but also to promote this interesting review. I've been checking out Duotrope lately, so far mainly to take note of each day's new featured magazine. I have to say they all look pretty cool, and make me feel that lit culture isn't as dead as all that.

Today though, I thought I'd mention one that I thought had a great premise. The stories are SHORT--no more than thirty words. But the novel concept here is that they then get pinned to the back of someone's clothes and travel about the world at large like a kind of small billboard. Got thirty words that say it all? Then check it out!

     

NANO Fiction 2013--Contest open

If you like to write stories that are 300 words or less, this contest is for you. NANO Fiction has just posted their submission link HERE . They are taking contest entries till August 1st.

Good Luck!

May is short story month!

Last year, I tried to do a post a day in honor of this fact, but this year, for various external reasons, I'm going to cut myself some slack. Still, I'd like to pay a bit more attention this month, and in fact, I already have.

Really just for form's sake I began reading The Peripatetic Coffin and Other Stories by Ethan Rutherford, and already I'm liking it quite a lot. The title story has to do with a sad sack bunch of
Confederates who volunteer to man Dixie's submarine. Awfully good, so far....

BADS--pushing your story

Since I haven't gotten around to doing much with this blog myself lately, I thought I'd post a link to a guest blog post over at Writer's Digest by Elizabeth Sims that I just read. It's called How to Develop Any Idea Into a Great Story . There's a lot of food for thought in it. You'll be intrigued to learn, for instance, what novel Chuck Pahaluniak modelled Fight Club on... 

Short fiction challenges

Not just one but two flash fiction challenges have just come my way. Patti Abbott wants the Mystery of the White Van explained by March 13th. Details are HERE.

And this led one of her commenters to make people aware that NPR also has a three minute fiction challenge. They are between rounds right now, but the site is HERE. If I think to keep looking at it, I'll let you know when Round 11 goes live. Or you could always let me know if you find out. Meanwhile they have a lot of links to past stories. It's pretty cool because the winners are read aloud on NPR.

A kwik read

It's really rather embarrassing that I've had my last post up for as long as I have, considering it was only supposed to be Christmas filler. Although I haven't been reading very many stories lately, the good new is that I can post to a link to a very fun one. Adrian McKinty's "Michael Coalhouse" has been picked up by Otto Pensler for his new anthology Kwik Crimes  which will be published later in the year. But why wait? You can read Michael Coalhouse right now. And it won't take you any time at all. Go find it HERE.