dreams pass into reality....

UnFair Coverup: The Grevillea Murder Mystery Series Book Three -- A Review

2012-01-14T14:05:00.000+11:00

This is my third review for the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.

You might also like to read my first two reviews of Claire Corbett's When We Have Wings and Anne Whitfield's Broken Hero.

Fact #1: I seldom read crime and mystery novels.

Fact #2: I avoid stories of crimes against children, particularly sexual crimes.

Fact #3: I am SO GLAD I went beyond my comfort zone and read UnFair Coverup by Goldie Alexander!

What it IS:
A story narrated from multiple (I counted 7) perspectives written in third person, describing a mystery surrounding a shredded body found in a sleepy town outside Melbourne, Victoria.

This story reminds me so much of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries. I loved them and I may have read all of them when I was young. The small town gossips, the dark secrets of close neighbours, and the slowly simmering tension that builds up to the revelatory climax are all reminiscent of Miss Marple. Kudos to the modern Agatha Christie, Goldie Alexander!

What it is NOT:
It is not a thriller, car-chase-filled page-turner in the likes of Dan Brown, with clues and mysteries that lead to an unexpected revelation. The pleasure of the read is in getting to know the charming characters and their quirks, and immersing oneself in their lives.

Best Parts:
Olivia's mouth-watering recipes that are peppered throughout the story add spice to the mystery! I haven't tried any of them yet, but other reviewers attest that they work.

Caution:
The multiple third-person close perspectives used in the story might be a bit exhausting for some readers.

This is the third of a series. While not having read the first two did not reduce the pleasure I had in reading this one, I caution other readers that this one has spoilers for the first two books. I do think I'll still enjoy the first two even knowing the culprits, as these books are really entertaining even without the suspense of a typical whodunit.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

'Broken Hero' by Anne Whitfield-- A Review

2012-01-12T15:55:00.002+11:00

This is my second review for the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.

I am a fan of historical novels, and I always love reading romantic fiction. Broken Hero by Anne Whitfield belongs to that genre of historical novels with strong romantic elements (I hesitate to call it ‘historical romance’, as this term evokes images of Viking romances and Regency romances—all of which, by the way, I enjoy reading, too!).

I picked this book for my next review with rather high expectations, given its interesting blurb and excellent ratings on Goodreads.com.

Audrey is a strong young woman caught up in the turmoil of the war in her home, which accommodates recuperating soldiers. She falls in love with Captain Jake Harding, an attractive yet reticent army doctor with a tragic past. Audrey uses her strength and intense passion for Jake to entice him out of his self-imposed shell and show him how to love—and live—again.

At first, I fell in love with all the characters at once, and found myself swept up in the drama of their lives. I admired Audrey's strength and passion, Jake's intense love for his dead wife and his compassion for his patients, Lucy's love of life and youthful gaiety. They were very sympathetic characters, and I enjoyed meeting them.

Unfortunately, my romance with the characters weakened with the progress of the book.

I regret to admit that I was disappointed in this story. I suppose the overall plot and themes are typical for novels in this genre, but I expected the writing to make something more out of the clichés and come up with something unique to the book. I have enjoyed many other novels in this genre having the same overall plot, thanks to entertaining writing.

I found the beginning of the book riveting, and I couldn’t wait to know the characters more deeply. By the middle of the book, however, I began to think Audrey’s tenacious efforts to get Jake to open up a little tiresome rather than admirable. The idea of Audrey persisting to break Jake’s shell was a good one, but at some point I wanted to tell her to give up. Or at least try a different tack with Jake.

Jake intrigued me in the first chapters and I wanted him for Audrey. But as the story progressed, he did not seem strong enough for Audrey. Even his resistance to her affections seemed tentative rather than resolute.

I thought the tension and drama could have been improved when Jake finally revealed what ‘horrors’ he committed during the war that he regretted. His revelation somehow seemed anti-climactic.

The dialogue could have been written to be less predictable. While the characters did not need be witty, it would have been nice to read entertaining dialogue and enjoyable banter.

I guess, overall, I felt the story could have used a bit more drama and conflict. The first few chapters were enjoyable to read, but the tension between Jake and Audrey soon dissipated and I could not wait for the book to end. Audrey’s injury during an air raid, which I assumed should be an important turning point in the story, appeared not quite fleshed out enough. I felt the same was true for each turning point in the story. Every single one seemed rushed through, not elaborated, as if the writer was pulling her punches. The scenes when Audrey and Jake finally got together, for example, were quite disappointing. Likewise, I thought the sub-plot involving Audrey’s sister, Lucy, was a tad underdone, such that it seemed almost superfluous to the story. Valerie’s secret inner wound could also have been written to be more striking, despite being predictable.

I do think the story is a good one, and I can see why so many people liked it. I just think that the drama could have been amplified somehow, to challenge the emotions of the reader even more, and to deliver on the climax and tension that the opening promised.

This is the first book by Anne Whitfield that I have read. I’d like to read her other romance novels, to see whether I might enjoy her other work more than this one. Given the excellent ratings her books get on Goodreads, I was surprised I did not completely enjoy this book. I want to know what I might be missing in her other work.

Overall, I'd recommend the book to romance readers everywhere. But do be warned that some of you may feel let down if you’re looking for a more emotional and impassioned time with your romantic fiction.

My first review (Claire Corbett’s When We Have Wings) can be viewed here.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

When We Have Wings by Claire Corbett- A Review

2012-01-07T13:46:00.000+11:00

This is my first review for the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.

What would life be like, how would our cities look, what would ourvalues be, and who would we be when we havewings?

Claire Corbett masterfully addresses these questions and more inher debut novel 'When We Have Wings', published by Allen and Unwin in 2011.

The story is set sometime in the future, when bioengineering hasmade it possible for humans to fly. Through surgery, treatment and training,those who can afford them can have wings seamlessly made part of their bodies,with the appropriate modifications to muscles, sight and navigation skills, aswell. Society is no longer merely divided into haves and have-nots; this futureworld distinguishes between fliers and non-fliers.

Peri is a young woman with an enigmatic background. After seeing fliers on television for the first time, her troubled life in 'rural land' as a non-flier is consumed by the dream to fly. She moves to the city and joins the household of two high-profile fliers, theChesshyres, to become the nanny to their son, Hugo. Her unparalleled service to the Chesshyres earns Peri the right to have her own wings aswell. But the sudden and mysterious death of a fellow non-flier-turned-fliernanny compels Peri to take flight (pardon the pun), with Hugo in tow.

The Chesshyres hire Zeke Fowler, a private investigator, to find Hugo and bring him back. A non-flier himself, Zeke is thrust into theamazing and shady world of fliers, which he studies not only to find Hugo, butalso to learn more about the elite world that may be in store for Zeke’s ownson.

The story unfolds from Peri’s and Zeke’s perspectives. The mystery of Peri's parents and identity is slowly revealed through both their eyes. A sub-plot involves a mystery in the Church of Seraphim, run by a Luddite-likeOrigins cult that opposes the creation of fliers and embraces the many defectsthat afflict humanity. The mysteries are all neatly resolved at the end of thenovel, with the main plot and sub-plot emerging together as one thread. A minorplot of romance between Peri and another flier juxtaposes nicely against the bigger picture of Peri’s love for Hugo.

As one who has spent most of her sleeping hours having luciddreams of flying, I absolutely enjoyed the world that Corbett created. Hervision of a time when humans may choose to have wings is glorious, but she has alsoinsightfully raised the ethical issues involved in choosing to alter oneself soradically as to aspire to be angels. Are fliers evolving to be a new species? Shouldthey be considered superior to non-fliers, set apart in their own cities in theskies? Should parents choose for their children to be fliers? These moraldilemmas are addressed squarely in the story, without too much preaching orself-righteousness.

I was impressed by the depth of Corbett’s research into how birdsfly and navigate, and the different types of wind and clouds. I confess,however, that I skipped these highly technical descriptions during my firstreading, and went back to them after finishing the story.

The rendering of a future world is accomplished very well, withouttaking over the plot and delicately told story. Zeke’s artificially intelligent car is as mucha character in the book as iPhone’s Siri may eventually be in our lives.

Most of all, I really appreciate the message that merely having wingsdoesn’t make humans fliers; flight is a way of life. It is a culture and a philosophy. Corbett writes, “It takes more than wings to fly.” Peri’sexperience with the Audax, a group of fliers striving to test the boundaries of whatthey can do with their wings, reminds me of that other wonderful work I love: Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

Corbett quotes scripture hundreds of times throughout the novel,from both Peri’s and Zeke’s perspectives. While the reference to the Biblemakes the image of fliers as modern-day angels even more powerful, I found it quiteoverdone. It might have been fine if we just had Zeke quoting scripture;but having Peri constantly spouting verses from the Bible as well was too much.The spiritual and moral aspects of humans with wings were coarsely hammered tothe readers this way, rather than subtly rendered in broad strokes.

I also found it jarring how the first chapter was written inpresent tense, while the rest of the book was in past tense. At first I thoughtPeri’s perspective would be told in the present tense while Zeke’s would be inthe past tense, but this was not the case. The first chapter just stood outlike a sore thumb. If it had been a prologue, the different tense would havemade sense; but as Chapter One, it doesn’t quite work as smoothly, and rather distracting.

As a romantic, I would have liked the romance between Peri and aRaptor (military-trained fliers) fleshed out even more. The brief interludebetween Zeke and a flier was also quite a distraction; the story would haveworked without it, yet it could have made Zeke’s story stronger had it appearedas more than just a blip on the screen.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book, and will most likely read it a fewmore times. I recommend it for all those who would like to contemplate what itwould be like—and who we would be—when we have wings.

I have also posted this review on Goodreads.

When We Have Wings by Claire Corbett- A Review by C.A.T. Torres V is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012

2011-11-30T12:49:00.001+11:00

I've signed up for the Australian Women Writers 2012 National Year of Reading Challenge. It's exciting to be part of this worthy initiative to get people to read and review works by Australian women writers. It's also another good excuse (like I ever need one) to get out and buy more books!

While I've read some of the books on my tentative list, I've never written reviews for any of them. This Challenge is a really cool incentive to write about these books.

GENRE: Devoted Eclectic-- I love books, regardless of genre. A good story is always a treasure.
CHALLENGE LEVEL: Franklin-tastic-- It's no challenge unless it's really challenging!

Make Money from Writing: Links to Freelance Writing and Fiction Markets

2011-07-25T21:03:00.002+10:00

Ready to start earning money from your writing? Here are some great links.

If you're into writing novels or non-fiction book-length pieces- You can sell your book (either through traditional publishing or self-publishing). This won't be covered here. I've written about what to expect in terms of Making a Living from Writing books here. Learn some fascinating facts and actual figures on how much you can make publishing books there.
If you're into writing articles and other content- Become a freelance writer. See below for some great links
If you love writing short fiction- Submit to fiction markets (magazines and literary journals). Market listings are given below.

Disclaimer: The author is not affiliated in any way to any of the sites shown below. Please exercise due caution when browsing these sites, particularly those requiring fees or promising pay for work. If in doubt, Google the questionable site and the keyword 'scam', or visit Preditors and Editors for links to warnings.

In general, the best place for market information would be resources such as WritersMarket.Com. However, these sites charge fees for access or subscriptions. I provide a number of links below that do not charge any fee yet provide a lot of information on markets for writers.

Freelance writing

http://www.freelancewriting.com/ Not only does this site have articles on writing tips, but it also features jobs, writing contests
http://freelancewrite.about.com/ Since this is an About.com site, it provides lots of tips and how-to articles, as well as links to other related About.com pages.
http://www.online-writing-jobs.com/ As the URL suggests, this is a site for job ads
http://freelancewrite.about.com/ Has tips and articles on freelance writing
http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/ This has job ads and writing tips
http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/786/five-steps-to-starting-a-freelance-writing-career/ Gives great tips for those wanting to take the plunge into freelance writing

Fiction markets

General listings (not genre-specific)

Duotrope Digest My personal favourite. Provides excellent statistics on response times and acceptance rates; provides a submission tracker free of charge (you just need to register as user- also free of charge); has hundreds (thousands?) of market listings; great search engine allows you to search by submission mode (electronic vs. postal) and sort by response time. acceptance rate, and more
Fiction Factor Has links to various lists by genre
Absolute Write Flash Fiction Market Listing- Lists flash fiction markets; will also take you to Duotrope Digest and Ralan's Webstravaganza. I also write about flash fiction markets on my post here
NewPages.com Not very easy to navigate or browse, but lists notable literary magazines and journals with phone and email contacts

Fiction- Science Fiction / Fantasy

Ralan's Webstravaganza- excellent exhaustive list on paying and non-paying markets. The first stop for most SFF writers
Fiction Factor sci-fi- sci-fi listings
SFFWA qualifying markets - if you want to qualify for membership in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, submit to these markets
Write Words Directory of Fiction Magazines - requires full membership for a fee to access

Romance

Fiction factor romance- romance listings

Mystery

Short Mystery Fiction Markets - self-explanatory title

So go start writing and submitting your work. May you make some money doing what you love.

Writing Tips from an Actor's Tool Kit

2011-07-21T11:55:00.006+10:00

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A peek into what actors might teach writers

We all know screenwriting resources can be very helpful to the fiction writer. It might be counter-intuitive, though, that writers can also learn from actors. Those glamorous celebrities on the red carpet, those ‘starving artists’ on stage in your local theatre, those familiar faces on TV-- not only are some of them (or their ghost writers) writing their memoirs, but they also rely on tools and methods which I've found very helpful to fiction writing.

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.ne

Enriching Character Development Through Varied Actions
You’ve probably agonised at some point over describing how a character moves and acts in order to convey his/her personality. You don’t want to say he’s bossy; you want to show him ordering his friends around. You don’t want to say he’s nervous; you want to say he’s jiggling his leg, she’s biting her lip; and so on. Sooner or later, though, you may find yourself repeating actions and words. Perhaps not in a short story, but more likely in a 90,000-word novel.

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A thesaurus is no longer adequate. It’s not enough to change ‘stare’ to ‘gawk’, ‘watch’ to ‘observe’. You want to convey a deeper appreciation of your character’s personality through a variety of action verbs and action descriptions.

That’s where actors’ resources can come in. Actors need to get inside their characters’ heads, and act out not just what’s on the script but convey the personality of the character through movement. To illustrate an actor doesn't simply 'walk'; he struts off with chest puffed out, feet trailing his body, to show that this person is one who is always impatient to get to his destination. An actress may not say much, but is constantly touching parts of her body and wetting her lips to communicate flirtatiousness.

It's just as important for actors as it is for writers to avoid clichés and repetitiveness in behaviour. Yet they both need to use signals and body language familiar to the audience.

There are a number of interesting articles on acting methods available on the internet which writers can also learn from. I summarise them below and illustrate how I think these lessons might be applied in fiction.

Action in non-action

Image: Andy Newson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

http://www.actingbiz.com/articles/acting-without-movement.php

This article by Bill Howey gives actors tips on how to convey action through non-action. Writers also need to describe stillness, and not have characters constantly moving and 'doing'. There's a list of when stillness would be appropriate (e.g before or after a decision, before or after a revelation, and more). As Bill says, "Strong character stories rise out of stillness".

For these scenes, writers can describe sensations and thoughts of the unmoving character. Use non-action verbs (e.g. those that evoke sensations, show desire, communicate opinion and the like) in place of movement. Just as the actor is internalizing the moment, so can the writer show introspection.

Non-action can also be a good time to describe the character's surroundings. As the camera pans from the character's pensive face to the breathtaking landscape around her, so can the writer illustrate the unmoving external environment and setting.

Sense Memory

http://www.acting-school-stop.com/method-acting.html#sense-memory

You've heard that fiction is the realisation of truth through imagined and created scenes. Sense and emotional memory methods can help writers struggling to describe objects, actions or scenes. By recalling a similar scene that might have happened to you, you would be able to better describe how your character acts or reacts in the same situation. Sense memory has to be linked very closely to the personality of the character, of course. While s/he may have a very different personality from you, your sense memory will still help in making the scene and the actions truthful and believable.

http://www.acting-school-stop.com/Stanislavski.html

How should your characters react and act in the scenes? You know them well, you know their motivations, their objectives, the stakes the plot has raised for them. Yet you might struggle at times to show them acting, well, in character. This article describes techniques an actor uses to distinguish action versus emotion. It suggests how you can tap into your own emotional memory, and focus on your objectives when acting out. Just as the writer needs to show the emotion rather than tell the reader what the character is feeling, the actor has to act out the emotion rather than simply yell, “I’m mad as hell!”

It's also interesting how a writer might apply the method of exploring a character 'from outside in' through his/her physicality and voice. A writer might be familiar with a character's thoughts, objectives and emotions, but how does that character sound? What are his/her physical mannerisms? How does a character's physical aspects feed into how he or she behaves in the story?

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Emotional reactions, physical actions

http://www.jbactors.com/actingreading/tenactingtips/personalinventory.html

Act out the emotion you want to convey, to see what happens physically. To illustrate-- you’re tired: your arms feel heavy. You're angry: your jaw clenches.Seems obvious? Read the article anyway to learn tips on how to tap self-examination techniques. Writers can't just observe how others behave, after all. We can also benefit from knowing ourselves better.

Actions: The Actor’s Thesaurus
by Marina Caldarone and Maggie Lloyd-Williams

http://www.amazon.com/Actions-Actors-Thesaurus-Marina-Caldarone/dp/0896762521

(You can preview the book on Google).

I found this to be an interesting read, and one that even writers can use. Besides being a thesaurus specific to action verbs, it also illustrates different ways for a scene to be interpreted by changing the active verb that guides the actor on the objective for the dialogue. For example, the authors illustrate how Olivia's line in Act 1, Scene 5 of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night can be interpreted in three ways below:

OLIVIA: Whence came you, sir? [Actor speaks this line acting out the objective 'to examine']
or

OLIVIA: Whence came you, sir? [Actor acts out 'to captivate']
or

OLIVIA: Whence came you, sir? [Actor acts out 'to analyse']

Although the writer would not use these verbs (examine, captivate, analyse) in the text itself, the subtle differences between them provide insight on how a simple line can be transformed by how that those words are spoken. In imagining the different interpretations, a writer can also visualise different ways of showing the scene.

Other than that, the thesaurus itself might be worth the price.

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Other Tools:

Actors, like writers, also study psychology and body language, two disciplines that provide valuable insights to how people act out their feelings and thoughts.

This is slightly off-topic, as this article comes from a business site rather than an article for actors. But I really want to share this excellent link to body language, with notes on cultural and gender differences. It even has a matrix for each body part and the various meanings of movement of those parts.

I've found it to be a helpful reference in describing actions. Most of it may not be new, but it's a good reminder that there's more than one way, for example, that a man can unconsciously show his interest in a woman, and vice versa. Or that aggressiveness can be conveyed in many different stances and gestures. After all, we can't be all like Dr. Cal Lightman (of Lie to Me). Many of us can use a handy reference to micro-gestures and micro-expressions.

Know of any other tips and tools from acting that help you in writing? Please do share in the comments below!

When you should copyright your work

2011-06-24T19:38:00.027+10:00

Somebody asked this question in my writing group. Below is a revised version of my response.

N.B. I am a lawyer and work on copyright licenses in the research organization where I work.

Short answer: Copyright attaches to your work from the moment of creation.You own the copyright to all your drafts. Whether on paper or purely electronic, from the moment you write, you own the copyright. Registration of copyright is no longer a prerequisite for owning your intellectual property.

Read more:

Unless you explicitly assigned your copyright in a binding agreement, you own all rights to your writing, including submissions to writing groups, workshops, and magazines.

Your book contract, even contracts with magazines for short stories, will require you to license, perhaps even assign, your copyright to the publisher. You do not need to register your copyright before signing such contracts as you already own the copyright to your work. However, your publisher will either register or have you register your work formally with the copyright office, prior to distribution of your work.

When should I register my copyright?

Short answer: Copyright attaches to your work from the moment of creation. Registration is no longer necessary under copyright laws in most jurisdictions.
(N.B. This is a different rule from patents and trademarks, where registration is essential.)

Your copyright ownership, either registered or unregistered, is effective in all countries that have signed the various copyright treaties.

Read more:

While you own what you write, you do not own any copyright to your ideas. Only expressions of ideas may be protected as intellectual property.

Registration is mainly for purposes of evidence in cases of infringement lawsuits. The date on your copyright registration will prove the originality of your work if the date is earlier than the other party's registration.

Because copyright attaches to a work from the moment of creation, you may put 'all rights reserved' or 'copyright [insert year]' on your work without need of registration (as I've done below).

As many experts will advise, do not put copyright marks on your submissions, queries or proposals as this will mark you as an 'amateur', precisely because everyone in the publishing industry knows that you automatically own copyright to your work.

It would be a good idea to put copyright marks on your blog, website, photos, etc., as most internet users (I hope) are more circumspect about copying work that are appropriately marked.

Merely publishing work without putting a copyright mark DOES NOT put your work 'in the public domain'. If you want to make your work broadly accessible and you wish to freely allow reprints or dissemination of your writing, you may wish to use one of the Creative Commons licenses.

Feel free to send questions as comments to this post. For advice on specific instances or cases of infringement, please see disclaimer below.

Would you like to learn more about copyright and licensing? Post some topics you want me to cover as comments to this article.

Disclaimer: This article is posted for purposes information only. Nothing on this website should be construed as constituting legal advice. Please consult a lawyer for specific concerns on intellectual property rights.

Below are some useful links:

US Copyright Office

Australian Copyright Council

World Intellectual Property Office

Creative Commons

Copyright © C.A.T. Torres V. 2011
Except as permitted by the copyright law applicable to you, you may not reproduce or communicate any of the content on this website,including files downloadable from this website, without the written permission of the copyright owner. You may, however, provide back links to this page.

Part VB and section 183 entitlements reserved. For information about Part VB (educational use) and section 183 (government use) visit www.copyright.com.au and www.copyright.org.au.

Flash Fiction Addiction

2011-06-24T11:55:00.001+10:00

Hello, I’m C.A.T. Torres V, and I’m a flash fiction addict. If you’re an emerging writer still honing your craft, I suggest you become one, too.

I completed three novels (first drafts) before I discovered the heady pleasure of writing flash fiction. I always thought of stories in the long, drawn-out format. But now that I’ve sampled flash fiction writing, I’m hooked.

Fortunately, it’s not a destructive addiction. In fact, it’s helped me improve my writing. There’s nothing like a 500 to 1,000-word limit to force you to obey all those golden rules: begin in medias res; take out adjectives and adverbs; use strong verbs; limit use of dialogue tags; show, don’t tell. I’m now applying that vigilance in cutting down words and ‘killing my darlings’ in my draft novel.

The plethora of online markets for flash fiction is amazing. Check out the listings available on AbsoluteWrite and go through the search engine of Duotrope to select the best market for your work. Duotrope has helpful stats and details on submission requirements, plus a great submission tracker to help you keep track of all your submissions. By reporting your submissions, acceptances and responses, you provide more information to other writers also searching for the right market for their stories.

You might want to choose markets with fast response times but are challenging to get into, or those with high acceptance rates but take forever to respond (even to reject your work).

‘Democratic’ ezines such as The Fringe and Weird Year combine approachability with swift responses. Their main goal is to provide new writers publication exposure. Though they’re usually non-paying markets (i.e. you don’t get paid for your story), they’re free and thus more affordable than flash fiction contests that charge entry fees. These ezines don’t count as vanity publishing or self-publishing, since you don’t publish your story at your own expense. Contributing to these ezines will also help them grow to become paying or professional markets. It’s a win-win situation.

Exposure aside, there is invaluable benefit in submitting to tougher ezines. Feedback from these editors can be educational. Because they only read very short fiction, they’re able to respond quickly and personally, rather than just send form letters. They’re able to identify the weakness in the submission in a response as succinct as the story itself.

I would personally prefer to submit to tough markets with fast response times (i.e. less than a month). Since they usually prohibit simultaneous and multiple submissions, I’d prefer to receive my rejections quickly so I can either submit an improved piece to the next tough market, or another piece to the same market.

Oh, and you might want to try out Autocrit Wizard. You won’t need to shell out any money to analyze flash fiction text; just stick to the free service option. It allows you to analyse 500 words three times each day. It’s useful in finding overused words and repeated phrases that you might have missed, and excellent in marking generic descriptions and clichés.

If you read your work aloud to edit (which you always should, whether writing flash fiction or a novel), you probably won’t need Autocrit. With 500 words or less, reading aloud doesn’t seem so tough anymore.

So go and have a blast writing flash. And let me know if it's time to set up a Flash Fictions Anonymous.