5 Steps To Writing Great Flash Fiction And More

February 9, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

Occupy Pittsburgh has finally left its encampment in downtown Pittsburgh.  The occupiers stuck it out from October 15, 2011 to February 8, 2012.  Now what?

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These five steps will help you to write better flash fiction.

  1. Begin your story as close as possible to the resolution
  2. Use as few characters as possible
  3. Have the story unfold in chronological order
  4. The use of dialogue will give immediacy to the story
  5. The shorter period of time that the story covers (minutes, hours or days at most) the better

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Hello hello hello my brother and sister bloggers, readers, writers and my Flash Fiction Fanatics.  It’s around 10:00 AM.  The Old Soldier is getting a late start on this chilly (high around 39 degrees), sunny day in Pittsburgh. 

Two people showed up for karaoke at Del’s last night.  I don’t think karaoke on Wednesday nights at Del’s is going to work.  I still have karaoke at Del’s on Friday nights to look forward to.

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Read.  Study. Write. 

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine about sexuality and creative writing.

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Student Loans Are Driving The Middle Class Into Poverty

February 7, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

I made two payments to Sallie Mae this month.  The payments are not applied to the principle or the interest.  The payments are just to “service” the loan.  The Old Soldier is not alone.

The two payments bring me up to date.  I have had to take out every deferment that I’m allowed.  And I will continue to take every deferment that I can.  But that’s just my personal information.

The big picture is that a college education is becoming too expensive for anyone but (you got it) the 1% to afford.  If you are not wealthy and you want an education you have to not only get good grades in order to get grants but you must also borrow so much money that the chances of you getting a job that will allow you to live and pay back your student loans are slim and none.

What is wrong with that picture?

Occupy Wall Street

Image via Wikipedia

The American dream is fast becoming the American nightmare for millions of American citizens.

This is another reason why I seriously doubt that the Occupy Wall Street movement and all of its off-shoots around the county (and the world for that matter) is going to simply fade away.

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Read.  Study.  Write.

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine about writing and sexuality.

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A Truly Unique Reading Experience

February 7, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

Every once in a while, the Old Soldier feels that he has to do a little advertising for the Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette.

When this publication began publishing over three years ago, it was just a blog detailing the ups and downs of its publisher (me).  Since then it has turned in to much more.

I took the emphasis off of myself and put it on the reader; but not any old reader.  The reader I had in mind was interested in the events that shaped the world.  This reader enjoyed fiction.  This reader was interested in creativity.  This reader wanted a publication that could combine a serious pursuit of good writing with an unapologetic celebration of female sexuality.

This reader would appreciate the Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette.

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Occupy Pittsburgh

Image via Wikipedia

Some members of the Occupy Pittsburgh movement refuse to vacate their encampment downtown after a court ordered departure date passed yesterday.

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Read.  Study.  Write.

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine about writing and female sexuality.

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Occupy Pittsburgh Vacates Encampment

February 6, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

The local mainstream media is reporting that Occupy Pittsburgh is peacefully folding its tents and leaving the parklet that it has occupied since October, 2011.  This is in response to a judge’s order that was delivered last Thursday.  The parklet belongs to BNY Mellon.

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Do not despair my brothers and sisters of the 99%.  The debate on income inequality is now part of the national debate during a presidential election year.  The Occupy Movement will only grown stronger.

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How’s everyone doing?  The high will be 47 in Pittsburgh on a sunny February day.  It’s not noon yet and the PFF Gazette has 1,282 hits so far this month.  If the hits keep coming in at this pace for the rest of the month, this publication will breakthrough the 6,000 hits a month ceiling.

You can’t beat that with a stick!

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Occupy Pittsburgh

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The Old Soldier is always looking for flash fiction talent to publish.  The Submissions tab is at the top of the page.

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Read.  Study.  Write.

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine about writing and sexuality.

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Flashback: Hanging Out On Super Bowl Sunday 2012

February 6, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

I’m writing this on Sunday in my small pocket notebook as I sit at the bar at Del’s.  It’s around 4:00 PM.  The game does not start for at least another two hours.  Can you believe Madonna is doing the half-time show?

The Material Girl is still pulling in the big bucks.  Her tours are still big money makers.  She’s got to be around 50 years old.

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Before I left the apartment I checked my stats again and this blog had 1,040 hits for February.  That’s better than 200 hits every day.

The PFF Gazette has a good chance of getting at least 6,000 hits for February if the present conditions continue.

The music video for "Material Girl" ...

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People are even clicking on the link for the Ebook.  The review of the Ebook is on the Front Page.

Beautiful!

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Read.  Study.  Write.

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine about writing and sexuality.

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Occupy Wall Street: Can A Leaderless Movement Succeed?

February 4, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

Members and admirers of the Occupy Movement are proud of the fact that the movement is an affiliation of individuals, a true democracy at work.  The occupiers are proud that there are no leaders; or, that anyone at any time can be a leader.

I am definitely one of the 99%.  I am an admirer and a supporter of the movement.  This news magazine sympathetically covers the movement.  The Old Soldier recently purchased a book about the movement, the price of the book going to the movement.

But for the life of me I cannot imagine the occupiers succeeding without identifiable leaders or without some sort of leadership structure.  Imagine India without Gandhi or the Civil Rights Movement without the Rev. Martin Luther King.

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I wrote this post as I sat at the bar in Del’s waiting for karaoke to begin.  Getting out of my apartment and bringing my small pocket notebook and two ink pens with me seems to free me up.

The ideas are flowing.

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English: Occupy Montreal on Saturday, October ...

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I’m writing this part of the post in my apartment on Saturday morning.

Last night karaoke at Del’s rocked.  The place was packed out.  Everyone had a good time.  The Old Soldier got to sing People Get Ready by Rod Stewart, My Prerogative by Bobby Brown and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For by U2.

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Read.  Study.  Write.

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Snow is falling.

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine about writing and sexuality.

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Judge Gives Occupy Pittsburgh 72 Hours To Vacate

February 3, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

Members of the Occupy Pittsburgh protest group have been encamped in a small park in downtown Pittsburgh since October 15, 2011.  The park is owned by a bank, BNY Mellon.

The local mainstream media has reported that on Thursday, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Christine A. Ward gave the occupiers three days to vacate the park.

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Well, we knew this day was coming.  It’s a moment that all occupiers throughout the nation will have to face if they have not faced it already.  But don’t despair.  The message of income inequality and the corruption of our democracy by big money has become part of the national debate.

This is only the beginning.  Protesters can be evicted from a park.  But the message of the occupiers cannot be evicted from the national consciousness. 

And Summer is only a few weeks away.

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Occupy Pittsburgh

Image via Wikipedia

The Old Soldier got his Social Security check today and he paid his rent and sent a payment to Sallie Mae.  Happy days!

It’s around 11:00 AM, the sun is shinning and I’ve done my breathing and stretching exercises and my crock pot of chilli smells so good.  I’ll be ready for karaoke tonight.

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Read. Study.  Write.

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine of writing and sexuality.

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10 Great Basic Short Story Ideas

February 2, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

The short story writer is faced with one eternal question: what to write about?  A good idea for a short story is worth its weight in gold.  Let the Old Soldier give you a little advice.

You never have to start at ground zero.

Even if you already know this fact it is worth repeating.  There are a limited number of basic short story ideas.  That’s because there really is nothing new under the sun.  The same basic story ideas are simply recycled by each generation.  This has been going on for thousands of years.  The trick is for you to put your spin on these basic ideas.

Here are just a few basic short story ideas.  There are short stories about:

  1. Adultery
  2. Divorce
  3. Leaving home for the first time
  4. Death
  5. Birth
  6. Lost youth
  7. Fighting for self-respect
  8. Marriage
  9. Finding love
  10. Keeping faith with something or someone

I bet you could write 100 short stories just from these 10 basic short story ideas.

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The best short stories of Mark TwainHow’s everyone doing?  The Old Soldier is enjoying his most recent book purchase: This Changes Every Thing (Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement) edited by Sarah van Gelder and the staff of Yes! Magazine.

I bought the paperback book from The Big Idea Bookstore which is only a few blocks from my apartment.  The Big Idea Bookstore is a non-profit co-operative.  This means that the workers also own the store.

In other words this bookstore is owned by some of the 99%.  There are a lot of bookstores in the City of Pittsburgh.  The Big Idea Bookstore is in the Bloomfield neighborhood of the city.  It is now also my bookstore of choice.

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Read.  Study.  Write.

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine about writing and sexuality.

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Writing: Don’t Use Flashbacks In Your Flash Fiction

January 31, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

First let me say that every rule is meant to be broken; but rules do serve a very good purpose.  They give us guidance in life and in writing.  There is a very good reason for why you should not use the flashback in your flash fiction. 

Flash fiction is too damn short.

If your flash fiction story is 700 words long and you use a 300-word flashback, that’s nearly half the story.  And then you’re breaking another rule.

The flash fiction story is most effective when there is unity of viewpoint, place and time.

FYI

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embezzlers-clubDon’t forget.  The Old Soldier wants to publish you.  This publication supports aspiring and veteran writers.

At the top of the page are three tabs.  Anything Goes is for non-fiction.  Send Poetry is for poetry and Submissions is for short fiction.

Read.  Study.  Write.

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine about writing and sexuality.

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A Nude Woman Is Just Like A Flash Fiction Story

January 30, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

Stay with me now.  I will explain everything.

The Old Soldier is always trying to get you to think creatively about flash fiction.  My dictionary defines an analogy as: (1) correspondence or partial similarity. (2) arguing from parallel cases.

Here’s an analogy for you.  The photo of the nude woman included in this post is very much like a flash fiction story.

Notice that only the essentials are included in the photo.  The background is blank, the photo is black and white and for the most part the photo only shows a close-up that includes her face, most of her breasts and just parts of her arms and part of one leg.

The rest of the woman is left to the imagination of the viewer.  So, my argument is that this photo of a nude woman is very much like a flash fiction story.

Putting in just the essentials and leaving the rest to the imagination of the reader is exactly what a flash fiction writer tries to do.

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine about writing and sexuality.

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Writers, Inspiration Is Only A Click Away

January 30, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

Writing can be a lonely business.  Then there are the endless distractions.  That’s one of the strange things about being a writer.  Life can inspire you to write, but often times life gets in the way of you writing.

The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette may be able to give you the nudge to keep you writing no matter how many distractions there are in your life.  There are over 2,700 pieces of content on this site.  The site gets over 5,000 hits a month.  So far this month it has gotten over 5, 400 hits.

This publication has evolved over a three-year period into a news magazine of writing and sexuality.  Which means that it is not for everyone.

But maybe it’s just right for you.

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Read.  Study.  Write.

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The flash fiction writer searches for the significant event in everyday life.

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The Awesome Power Of Good Dialogue

January 29, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

The Old Soldier fell in love with writing dialogue when he was a young man after he was introduced to the fiction of Ernest Hemingway.  The Sun Also Rises is my favorite novel and it is full of good dialogue.

The novel is also full of wonderful descriptions of action, locale and terrain; but it is the dialogue that makes each character come alive.

THE SUN ALSO RISES By Ernest Hemingway

Image by roberthuffstutter via Flickr

When the novel was first published in 1926, reviewers nearly in mass pointed out how realistic the characters appeared to be.  Even reviewers who thought Hemingway over used dialogue commented on how life-like the characters seemed to be.

Well, few pundits today would claim that there is too much dialogue in The Sun Also Rises.  Today, over 80 years later, a critic who said there was too much dialogue in the novel would seem foolish.

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine of serious writing and sexuality.

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The Resurrection Of The Occupy Wall Street Movement

January 29, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

Except for a clash between police and occupiers in Oakland, California this past weekend, the Occupy Movement has been relatively quiet; or, the movement has been unable to catch the attention of the mainstream media.

But the movement is not going to fade away anymore than the destructive power of the 1% on our democracy is going to fade away.

This is a presidential election year and Spring is only eight weeks away.  Spring is not only a time of rebirth in nature.  It is also a time of rebirth for movements of greater equality.

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English: Protesters at the Occupy Wall Street ...

Image via Wikipedia

How’s everyone doing?  Yesterday, the Old Soldier walked to The Big Idea Bookstore in Bloomfield, which is only a few blocks from the Old Soldier’s apartment, and he purchased an 85-page paperback titled:  This Changes Every Thing (Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement) edited by Sarah van Gelder and the staff of Yes! Magazine.

I have my reading material for the next few days.

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The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is a news magazine of serious writing and brazen sexuality.

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How To Write A Great Flash Fiction Story About Sex

January 28, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

If you want to write a really good story about sex, forget the sex.  Concentrate on the dynamics of the relationship (s) of the people involved in the sex.  The days of just fucking is over.  We’re talking about really good sex short stories.  There will always be a market for trash; but we are not talking about trash.  We are talking about writing a first-class flash fiction story.

When you write your story about sex, pay as much attention to things like character motivation, dialogue, locale…You know, just as if you were writing a mainstream or a literary flash fiction story.

Then when you slip the sex in the situation will feel more life-like.  And that’s as hot as it gets.

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Read. Study.  Write.

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Life, Writing And Over 5,000 Hits For January

January 27, 2012 — pittsburghflashfictiongazette

And you thought this news magazine was only about naked women.

The Old Soldier has 65 years of life to look back on.  Ladies and gentlemen, the Old Soldier fucked up a lot.  He also accomplished a lot.

I’ve been lucky.  I distinctly remember wandering around at night in Vietnam in front of a sister battery and having my head almost blown off by the muzzle blast of a 105 mm howitzer.

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This is a good time to reflect on life as I lay here on the sofa with two pillows under my weary head and jot things down in my notebook and wait for my computer to finish a security scan as I do a load of clothes in the laundry room downstairs.

There’s karaoke tonight at Del’s.  I phoned the Matriarch on Wednesday and promised I would phone my younger brother Anthony (Tony) who lives in an assistant living facility; but he would probably ask me if I was going to karaoke tonight and I don’t want to lie to him.  He has not had a drink in over two years.  He is the classic drunk, always one drink away from disaster.

I’ll phone him Saturday or Sunday.

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English: Map of Vietnam, scalable format

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Tomorrow, when I go back to Del’s to see Rick and Di, my baby boomer peeps, I’ll first stop at The Big Idea Bookstore to pick up a booklet or two of fiction by some local aspiring writers in a continued efforts to find new contributors for the Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette.

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Today, my stats page said that the PFF Gazette went over 5,000 hits for the month of January.  There are still four days left in this month.  My goal is for this news magazine to get at least 10,000 hits every month.  Only time will tell if that is a realistic goal.

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Read.  Study.  Write.

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