Thank you and Goodnight!

Well, that about wraps it up for this, the first ever National Flash-Fiction Day. I'm back from a wonderful launch at the Southampton Central Library where we had brilliant readings from Vanessa Gebbie, Sara Crowley, Tim Stevenson, Natalie Bowers, Gail Aldwin, Holly Howitt and, at the last minute, Bob Jacobs and Brendan Way. Massive thanks to them and everyone who helped out and who turned up!

I've seen on Facebook and Twitter that you have all been having great flash-fun today at various events up and down the country (and around the world!) and I look forward to catching up with them over the next few days. If you ran an event and would like to send us a blog post about it, maybe with piccies, we'd love to run it!

Thank you to everyone who has done anything for National Flash-Fiction Day. It has been truly amazing and you are all, individually and collectively, wonderful people.And thank you to the Arts Council who allowed us to do Jawbreakers and those wonderful cards and posters.

And a personal thank you to my fiancée Kath, for all her help and support. It wouldn't have been possible without her.

I will be adding new content to the site in coming days and weeks, updating blogs and generally catching up on the things that have gone by the by in recent days. Oh, and shipping out copies of Jawbreakers (still available to buy!) And we will be back with competitions, events and all kinds of flash-goodies throughout the year. Because, of course, we're building towards NFFD 2013 now!!

So, well done everyone, thank you again for all you have done. I'm off to sleep for a week now, but I'll see you soon.

All the very best
Calum Kerr
Director, National Flash-Fiction Day 2012.

The Winners of the FFW Flash a Famous Phrase Competition

As our contribution to National Flash Fiction Day 2012, run by director Calum Kerr, Flash Fiction World held a competition for stories built around a famous phrase. The response was fantastic and FFW thanks all entrants for their participation.

There were some superb entries, but as usual they had to be whittled down to first, second, and third. So, without further ado, here are the winning entries:

1st
Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation by Lorna Louise Hutchison.

2nd
The Day The Music Died by Iain Pattison.

3rd
Every Picture Tells a Story by Francesca Burgess.

Congratulations to Lorna, Iain, and Francesca. I will be in touch with you at the weekend.

The winning stories, with judge's reviews, will be available to read on Flash Fiction World soon!

http://www.flash-fiction-world.com/

Once Upon A Time Flash Fiction Contest – WINNERS

Firstly, we’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who entered and promoted the #OUATWRITING contest. We had 88 fantastic entries and it was a huge struggle to pick just 3 of these as our winners. We had everything from evil Cinderellas to sci-fi to modern day tales and it was a delight to read them all… hence why we decided to publish them all in an anthology which will be available as a paperback and eBook very soon!

So without further ado, the winners of the contest are:

GRAND PRIZE

Oliver Barton – ‘Pink Bells’

AWAKE PRIZE PACKAGE for ‘Best Adaptation’

Angela Readman – ‘A Mermaid in Texas’

TWIXT PRIZE PACKAGE for ‘Best Original’

McKenzie Barham – ‘I can show you the world’

We’d also like to remind you of the winner of the mini-comp…

#FANFAV (voted for by the fans via Twitter votes)

Cory Eadson – ‘Three Simple Words’

Well done to you all!

As well as the individual prizes, the 3 main contest winners will be published in the National Flash Fiction Day Winners Anthology, which will be available soon – details to follow.

The winner of the GRAND PRIZE is published below for your immediate enjoyment…

Pink Bells

Oliver Barton

The pair progress laboriously along the path in the park. He leaning on a stick, each step a pain, she almost bent double, hand in his. She clutches a paper bag. They sit carefully on a bench, very close, avoiding the damper spots. In front of them stretches a sea of pink bells.

It is nine in the morning, and the bag contains croissants. Gertie hands one to Arthur. They nibble in silence, flakes fluttering like confetti.

While a blackbird sings and sparrows edge towards the crumbs, Gertie extends a bent finger towards a plaque half-submerged in the flowers.

‘What does it say?’ she asks.

‘I don’t know,’ he says, because it is several feet away and his eyes aren’t too good.

With a groan, she gets to her feet and shuffles towards it. Bent as she is, she still can’t make it out. She retrieves a pair of spectacles hanging round her neck, and peers closer.

Arthur hears her saying something, but his hearing is not too good either. He sees her move forward among the flowers. As she does, she shrinks, smaller and smaller, until she vanishes into the pinkness.

Two sparrows squabble over a croissant crumb and fly off, startling Arthur. He struggles to rise. With his stick, he moves the blooms aside so that he can see the plaque clearly. He expects something like the name of the business that has sponsored this bed, but it simply says ‘Come in. Make yourself at home.’

So he steps into the sea of flowers, and at once the pink bells inflate and grow until they are several times his height. The scent is overwhelming, the chime of the bells deep and sonorous. He walks towards Gertie and the others, praying that it doesn’t rain. A raindrop the size of a settee would be unsettling. But, he thinks, they must have ways of dealing with that.

Back on the bench, a little breeze sweeps the paper bag off into a graceful dance, an homage, an obeisance, and all is still.

*

Winners will be contacted via email about their prizes.

Thanks again to everyone who entered - we hope you had as much fun with the contest as we did! Make sure you visit us at Yearning for Wonderland and SJI Holliday for more information about the anthologies.

Sprinkles of fairydust,

Susi & Anna

(Dark Fairy & Fairy Queen)

The Day Has Finally Arrived!!

Well, we have had so many activities in the run up to today that this almost feels like an anti-climax...

Almost! But not quite!!

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to National Flash-Fiction Day. This is what you have all been working towards, and I need to start by sending out a big thank you to each and every one of you for helping to make this day happen.

Lots will be going on today including :-
The FlashFlood journal pouring stories over you all day
The Write-in online from 11am till 3pm
FlashTag flash-mobbing in Manchester all day
Workshops in Trowbridge and Derby
Free e-books for your Kindle for 24 hours from 7am (including Jawbreakers!)
The official launch of the day and the book in Southampton at 6.30 this evening

And, of course, all across the country, from Edinburgh to Brighton, Cardiff to Leeds, there will be event after glorious event, all listed here: http://nationalflashfictionday.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/nffd-bulletin-10.html

Personally, I'm starting the day on the BBC Radio Solent Breakfast Show where they are going to give me a prompt to write a story live on air (eek!), then off to Winchester Uni for the physical part of the write-in, then back to Southampton for the launch with Vanessa Gebbie, Holly Howitt, Sara Crowley, Natalie Bowers and chums. But in-between all that, I hope to keep up with you online and (now and again) in person.

Thank you so much for pulling together and making this one (tired) man's dream come true!

Now, get out there and make me proud.
Happy Flash-Fiction Day to you all!!

Calum Kerr
Director, National Flash-Fiction Day 2012.

The Writers @ Lovedean

On 4th May Calum Kerr visited the writing group at Lovedean in Hampshire. He set them a task to write stories from 4 random words - two loved ones and two hated ones - the results will be appearing at http://nffdflashes.blogspot.co.uk/ throughout the day. (And the writers would like me to make it clear that any weirdness has been caused by the randomness of the words...)


The group's organiser, Charlotte Comley, wrote this review of the event:


"Calum Kerr visited The Writers @ Lovedean on the 4th of May 2012.  He spoke passionately about his flash fiction journey, and the 365 project which led on to National Flash Fiction Day.  We as a group had an opportunity to listen to some of his work.  After one of the best explanations of what flash fiction is, Calum gave the group an exercise to do.  All of us present thoroughly enjoyed the exercise.  We then had an opportunity to read our work aloud and receive that all important feedback.  We as a group were so enthused by his presentation that we made a pact to write seven days of flash each until our next meeting.  I have received so many positive comments from members about the event, and we have already asked Calum to come back next May to do an advanced flash fiction course with us."


I hope you enjoy reading the stories as much as they obviously enjoyed writing them!

NFFD - Bulletin 10

Hello again,

Well, this will be the last bulletin before the big day, which is just TWO DAYS away!!

This is the time for a roundup of all the things happening on Wednesday that you can still help out and get involved with. (All times are given in BST.)

• The whole thing kicks off tomorrow, actually, with the first official event happening at the Shrewsbury Coffeehouse from 8pm. There will be conversation, readings and even a chance to write. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/411297818883762/ and http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/midlands.html

• Then, at midnight, the FlashFlood journal goes live, with stories appearing regularly throughout the 24 hours of NFFD. Submissions don't close until midnight tomorrow, so do please send in your pieces and encourage people to do the same. Details: http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.co.uk/

• Throughout the day, the #FlashTag gang will be regaling the people of Manchester with small tales in a flash-fiction-flash-mob kind of way. Details: http://flashtagmcr.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/national-flash-fiction-day-flash-in-manchester/

• At 10am Emma J Lannie will be leading a workshop in Derby. There are still two places available, and it's FREE. So if you can, I think you should! Details: http://flashfictioncentral.eventbrite.com/

• And at 10.30am in Trowbridge, there will be a Flash Fiction workshop with writer and tutor, Josephine Corcoran http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/southwest.html

• At 11am the Write-In will start. This will provide a huge number of prompts for you to write an instant flash and see it appear on the blog. It will run until 3pm and no submissions will be accepted after that. We could still use some more prompts, so if you have a list of interesting words, phrases, titles, lyrics or whatever, do please send them over. Details: http://thewrite-in.blogspot.co.uk/

• And then, we reach the evening. The main launch event will be occurring in Southampton Central Library from 6.30/7.00pm until about 9.00 and featuring the launch of Jawbreakers along with readings from myself, Vanessa Gebbie, Holly Howitt, Sara Crowley, Gail Aldwin, Natalie Bowers, Tim Stephenson and more (along with some of videos if we get it working!) Do please come along if you can, it's entirely free! https://www.facebook.com/events/379325198752054/ and http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/southwest.html

• In Scotland, Underword are holding a flash-fiction event from 7.30pm in the Bongo Club in Edinburgh. Details: http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/scotland.html

• In Carlisle there will be an event at the Merienda Café/Bar from 7.30pm. Details: http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/northwest.html

• And in Liverpool there will be the final of Flash-Fiction At The End Of The World at the Unity Theatre: http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/northwest.html

• In Manchester, the folks from Bad Language will be finishing off their competition with an evening of flash at Afflecks theatre: http://badlanguagemcr.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/national-flash-fiction-day-finalists/

• Central Library, Hartlepool will be hosting an evening of flash from 6.30pm: http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/northeast.html

• And in Leeds, Dead Ink will also be hosting an evening of flash from 7.30pm: http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/northeast.html

• The Word Counts/Bookish/Abergavenney Focus competition reaches its end with an event from 7.30pm in The King's Head, Abergavenney: http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/wales.html

• While in Bar One at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff, you can enjoy artworks and the stories they have inspired: https://www.facebook.com/events/275638122527584/ and http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/wales.html

• The Albion Bookshop in Oxford will be hosting a flash-slam from 6.30pm, judged by Tania Hershman: http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/southwest.html

• At 7.45pm, if you're in Brighton you should go along to Grit Lit for some flash, some poetry and some other stuff! http://gritlit16may2012-eac1.eventbrite.co.uk/?ebtv=C

• And last, but in no ways least, the first ever NFFD also sees the first ever IFFD event (International, that is!) So, if you are in Dublin, get yourself along to Big Smoke for a great evening, including Alison Wells: http://www.inkwellwriters.ie/national-flash-fiction-day-at-big-smoke/

• There are, of course, competitions and things still going on over at http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/competitions.html and copies of Jawbreakers to order at http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/anthology.html and a range of the Kindle books we have listed on our site at http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/kindle.html will also be available throughout the day... for FREE!!

And that's pretty much it. Things will be happening over the next day on the blog (http://nationalflashfictionday.blogspot.com/), website (http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/nationalflashfictionday) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/nationalflashfd), so stay tuned and spread the word. 

And here goes National Flash-Fiction Day 2012!!

All the best for the day,

Calum Kerr

Director

NFFD - Bulletin 9

Hello everyone,

Well, we are just ONE WEEK away from the big day and I don't know about you but I'm getting very, very excited!

It's all starting to come together, so let me give you a run down of the things you need to know. There will be another bulletin, probably Tuesday next week, with all the last minute stuff, but this is where we are now:

• First of all, as you may have seen, at midnight last night we opened submissions for the National Flash-Fiction Day pop-up journal:FlashFlood (http://flashfloodjournal.blogspot.co.uk/). I have put together a team of editors to work on this over the coming week for the journal to appear on the day itself, filling the day with flash-fictions from midnight to midnight! We are looking for stories under 500 words, on any theme, and from anywhere in the world. A maximum of 3 pieces per writer. Please spread the word and let's see just how many great flash-fictions we can get up online in the day. 

• Next, Jawbreakers is almost here! The printers have informed me that I can expect the book to arrive tomorrow (10th May) and, if it arrives early enough, we will be shipping all pre-orders on the same day (along with author copies and any requested for events, if we can). Books can be pre-ordered from  http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/anthology.html, or if you want a batch to sell at events (sale or return) then drop me a line here and I'll add you to the list. Can't wait to have my hands on the copies! The Kindle edition will be up on Amazon in time for NFFD next week.

• The anthology produced from Flash-Fiction South West - Kissing Frankenstein and Other Stories - is also now available to order from http://www.lulu.com/shop/flash-fiction-south-west/kissing-frankenstein-other-stories/paperback/product-20102484.html;jsessionid=D2211F6E8FDDA95AFB45DA94C4B9F2BD. 53 wonderful flash-fictions from all over the West Country. What more could you want? Best go and order now...

• Posters and story cards have headed out around the country. If you would still like some we have them, including Jawbreakersposters, so do get in touch. If you have received them, please send us photos of them in situ so we can show the world!

• There are events coming up this week to start off the Day, or which need pre-booking: 
• I will be running a workshop this Saturday at the Discovery Centre in Winchester. It's only £5 and promises to be a great day, so do please book and come along if you can. (http://www3.hants.gov.uk/wdc/wdc-eventdetails?id=152820). 
• Valerie O'Riordan is also running a workshop on Monday 14th (where she should also have copies of her new pamphlet andJawbreakers!). It is booked up, but you could always join the waiting list. (http://flashfictionatcitylibrary.eventbrite.co.uk/?ebtv=C)
• Hartlepool Central Library start their display of Flash-Fictions on Saturday. If you're in the area that would be well worth a look. (http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/northeast.html)
• Emma J Lannie is running a free workshop in Derby, actually on NFFD, for which places are still available, but pre-booking is necessary. (http://flashfictioncentral.eventbrite.com/)
• Jospehine Corcoran is also running a free workshop on the day, in Trowbridge, you can also pre-book for that (http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/southwest.html)
• And finally, the first actual proper event for NFFD will happen on the day before - 15th May - in Shrewsbury. So if you're nearby, or can be, get yourself along and be one of the first to celebrate National Flash-Fiction Day! (http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/midlands.html)

• There are also competitions which are still open, including the 'Random Words' competition (closes today) and our two Australian opportunities (close tomorrow) plus other new ones which we add as they come along. So do keep checking out http://www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/competitions.html for details.

• And finally, as we head into the last week, once again can I ask you to keep spreading the word, sharing the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/nationalflashfictionday, the Twitter address, @nationalflashfd, and generally bigging up National Flash-Fiction Day to anyone who will listen. I'm going to be on Radio Solent at the weekend talking about it. With only a week to go your local radio stations might finally be keen to feature it, so do start pestering them, especially if you are running an event that you want people to come to. And let's make this a day to remember.

Really finally, I just want to say another big thank you to you all. This was a little idea of mine, but you have taken it on board and made it your own. It is far bigger and much better than I could ever have imagined. One last push and then... we're off!

Until next week, thank you and happy flashing!

Calum Kerr

Director, National Flash-Fiction Day 2012

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