Flash fiction story republished
This little story is under 300 words, and first had an outing in 2022's Flash Flood on the National Flash Fiction Day, when stories are published every 5-10 minutes. It's a real celebration of the very short form, and it's a joy to read such inventive work. The Co-Directors are Ingrid Jendrzejewski and Diane Simmons, both talented writers.
As I was a presenter at the Festival last year, Jude Higgins, another very talented writer and the Director of the Festival, invited me to submit a story for the anthology, so I sent this one. I'm very fond of it as I find it funny and poignant, and it took quite a bit of work to make it, well, work. I wrote the first few drafts several years ago, but dusted it off in 2022 and did a big rewrite. Such small stories often take a lot of effort, something I didn't appreciate when I first began writing them. These days I am less impatient, and let things grow in their own time, rather than trying to force them.
I am more naturally a long-form writer, but I have learned an enormous amount about writing from learning about flash. I really recommend giving it a go.
So I hope you enjoy "me and the foxes battle it out along the railway line"!
Photo credit: flashfictionfestival.com