Flash Fiction (again!)

There's this literary agent whose blog is immensely helpful.  Periodically, she hosts flash fiction contests. One hundred words or less, with a word bank of five words that must be included in your entry.  This week's words were: snag, rag, creak, peak, and week.  They don't usually rhyme like this. Here's my entry for the contest:

They said I reached my peak at twenty two, but I wasn’t done yet.

The paper’s nagging headlines creaked through my brain.

Buttonweezer botches bout.

Just having an off day.

Felicia faceplants in fettucini.

So I slept through one interview? Big deal.  It was a bad week, and then a worse year.  A smidge of narcolepsy and suddenly I’m a liability.  No venue will book me.  My subpar agent stopped returning my calls.

I was patient. I waited. I prepared.

I slid the .357 under my jacket. It was time to show them just how many rounds I had left.

I didn't win, but I did get a shout out, which still makes me pretty happy, considering there were 73 entries. The competition is always fierce.  I don't mean the authors fight, or are nasty to each other.  I mean, the other entries are always amazing.  Sometimes, I can't even bring myself to enter because the entries are that good.  I've taken to drafting my own entry and submitting it before I read any of the others.  Otherwise, I may not enter at all.  

It's difficult to write a complete story in only one hundred words. I love these contests because they force me to get rid of all the fluff.  Reading the other entries also helps me note where my own writing is weak or has failed.  Even if I don't win, it's good practice. As a bonus, I get to read seventy plus other stories that are quick, engaging reads. 10/10 would lose this type of contest again.