Original Flash Fiction: Lightning In a Bottle

Lightning bugs blanketed the air during the summer. Every night in the low light of dusk their lantern light flickered on, almost in unison with the streetlights on our cul-de-sac.

Original Flash Fiction: Pullchain

There are lights on each side of our bed, controlled together by a switch on the wall by the door, or individually by pull chains. At night, when we’re in bed, my side stays in the light, so I can read.

Raymond Carver Essay on Short Stories: Where Do Stories Come From?

I recently came across an essay by Raymond Carver that originally appeared in the New York Times Book Review in 1981. Among other things, Carver discusses writing habits and his decision to focus his work on the short story.

Original Flash Fiction: DeSoto of the Night

Our dad was a plant doctor, a botanist, and he’d take us on nature hikes through the woods behind our house on Hyde Park Drive. We’d run ahead of him, through the fields of knee-high monkey grass, and hide in waiting behind one of the live oaks dripping in Spanish moss that bordered the forest.

Original Flash Fiction: Morning Drive

Frank Baker sat in the wingback chair his wife, Carla, had left him in her will. He thumbed a stray thread on the armrest and thought about how much he didn’t care for the chair. It didn’t recline, and the faded floral cushions were stiff and uncomfortable, like sitting in the backseat of a pickup truck.

Tobias Wolff Interview: Story Structure and Possibility

I recently found an old Tobias Wolff interview that originally appeared in the Paris Review in 2003, just after the publication of his novel Old School. In the interview, Wolff, most noted for his short stories, discusses his novel as well as his thoughts on short story writing, the teaching of writing, and his personal writing habits.

Original Flash Fiction: The Pool

Every day during the summer we gathered behind my parents’ apartment building. We leaned against the cheap wooden railings of our back porch, dreaming aloud what we’d buy if we ever found buried treasure in the nearby woods. A new ten speed, a pair of walkie-talkies, even a puppy.

Writer's Block: The Editor Inside

Writer's block takes on many forms, and I'm sure almost any writer has experienced the condition in one way or another. There are dozens of websites dedicated to "curing" writer's block, but, for the most part, they've never provided me much assistance.