Insights into the FFC
Posted By Absolute Xpress on March 9, 2010
For our third Flash Fiction Challenge (FFC for short) we recruited the help of Marie Bilodeau, Author of the Heirs of Broken Land trilogy. Despite her own time lines, the final book in her trilogy “Sorceress of Shadows” comes out this April, she agreed to be a Special Guest Reviewer for the challenge. Below are a few of her insights about what it’s like to be on the other side of this challenge; what it’s like to be a reviewer.
Absolute XPress threw down the gauntlet once again with its third flash fiction challenge. This time, writers everywhere were challenged to write about thieves and scoundrels in the genres of horror, science-fiction and fantasy. And many fine writers answered that call.
Let’s face it – deep down inside we all love scoundrels. A little piece of us would love to be as wild, free and uncaring as they are, able to move without fear of repercussion or worry of society’s reactions. To just be your insane self, with clear purpose and direction, and the tools, skills and lack of inhibitions to get you there – come on, that just sounds like fun!
The theme, however, proved more of a challenge than we could have imagined. Not on the writers’ parts – they certainly tackled the theme with unscrupulous ambition. It was the reviewers who had a tough time. So many great stories and so many different perceptions of scoundrels!
The authors gave us a lot to chew on. As reviewers, we had to analyze what we felt best represented scoundrels. It was tough. As it turns out, there are lots of ways to break laws and freak people out. There was so much potential in all of the stories that it took us an extra week of debate to get it down to the final 20.
Those who didn’t make it in this anthology, take heart.
Your stories were not bad. Some had vital flaws that might have been caught with careful re-reads and test readers. Others needed some refinement and growth, and a good copy editor. Some just had too much crammed in there for a thousand-word long story. As readers, we need some familiar footing to find our way to your characters and plot. I was personally pissed off with some stories – they were so good, but those fundamental flaws lowered their ranking. So I hope you all stick with it and try again, or try somewhere else, write something completely different – it doesn’t matter, just stick with it and keep increasing your skills. It’ll be worth it to catch your publication prize. After all, like most thieves and scoundrels teach us, half the fun is the thrill of the hunt.
The success of this contest is increasing, so expect another one soon. Thanks to all of the authors who sent in a story, and those of you who didn’t make it in, please try again! I personally can’t wait to read more from all of you.
Merry hunting!
Marie Bilodeau
http://www.MarieBilodeau.com
AXP is proud to announce that our Novella collection “Women of the Apocalypse” has been nominated twice for an Aurora Award (Canadian Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature – like the Hugo in the USA).
Would your characters try to swindle a dragon out of his treasure? Perhaps they’d try to steal the fastest spaceship in the galaxy? Or are they after something a little more sinister that’s in need of taking? Where ever and when ever they take place, the stories of these Thieves and Scoundrels will take hold of your imagination and ransom it back to you.
On January 15, the third Flash Fiction Challenge closed with almost 80 submissions (almost double what we received for challenge #2).
