Back in February, after a Valentine's Day outing to St Cyrus beach, I sat and wrote a short piece for Flash Frenzy at The Angry Hourglass - (one of my favourite Flashdogs recommended flash fiction contests). I wrote it straight off in half an hour. It was the first time I had entered this flash fiction contest and I was stunned and delighted to hear that I had won - read my entry 'Inheriting the Mask' here (may never happen again - so boasting seems ok). As a result of this wee win, I was invited to 'judge' a subsequent contest, and after lots of humming and hawing and bailing out (sorry Rebecca!) I finally did so this weekend.
There were 13 very different entries - all prompted by a rather dark and intriguing photo cue. Vastly unqualified to 'judge' anything, I knew I wanted to comment on each piece and then do my best to choose the 3 winners. It was as hard as I expected it to be - you can read the stories and results here.
I asked Rebecca Allred to say a few words about her creation - Flash Frenzy, and this is what she said:
"The Angry Hourglass and Flash Frenzy were the result of me not wanting to lose touch with the online flash community. I'd been writing for Rebekah Postupak's Flash! Friday for several months, but my outside projects had begun requiring more and more of my time, making it difficult to produce new stories on a weekly basis. I'd made a lot of friends and enjoyed the camaraderie at Flash! Friday, and I didn't want to give that up, so—imitation being the sincerest form of flattery—I thought I'd try hosting my own. I'm thrilled it has been well received and even more excited that it's helped inspire the #FlashDogs. I hope Flash Frenzy continues to inspire writers, old friends and new, and that the popularity of the flash form continues to flourish."
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READING STATUS: Lots of flash fiction...and, the new Flashdogs Anthologies - Solstice - Light and Dark.
WRITING STATUS: Projects ongoing - my characters are all getting drunk and giving me the finger...
PAINTING STATUS: Rumours of changes afoot.
WILDCARD STATUS: Shuffling the deck.
ENERGY STATUS: Comes and goes like a true Scottish summer.
F. E. Clark, 30th June 2015.