All Stories, General Fiction, Short Fiction

Funeral Crashers by Mir-Yashar Seyedbagheri

My older sister Nancy and I love funerals. We go at random every weekend, ingratiating ourselves into the crowds, the friends, the family. We pretend to weep with the mourners, while we absorb things with the coldness of detectives, me in an oversized suit, borrowed from Dad. Nancy in one of Mother’s nice black gowns. We love the darkness, the garb, the somberness. The people gathered together, mothers and children, cousins, nephews, people with connections we cannot fathom. Being so close to darkness, a kind of whirl, excitement. We don’t know dead people, the wildness of loss. Mother and Dad are divorced, but that’s different. They wear fedoras and lavender and false civility. Even our grandparents still live, regaling us with tales of meeting Teddy Roosevelt and other trivialities.

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All Stories, General Fiction, Short Fiction

How to Write a Hit Song by Les Bohem

Laying the Groundwork for a Hit

  1. Choose between digital or physical production.
  2. Select a theme.
  3. Draft lyrics that are timeless.
  4. Split your lyrics into syllables on staff paper.

Composing a Hit

  1. Set the tempo.
  2. Write the bass line.
  3. Design a catchy melody.

wikiHow, “How to Write a Hit Song”

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Latest News, Short Fiction

Week 286 – Keeping It In The Family, Roger Mellie Is A Legend And A Beast Without A Moustache.

Here we are at Week 286

The year is fair flying in.

We sometimes say to submitters to try relevant sites if their work is specialised, or if it is a genre that we don’t publish. But the one thing we don’t do is give out suggestions to where someone could place their work.

To be truthful I don’t think either myself or Diane have much knowledge of any other fiction websites.

Continue reading “Week 286 – Keeping It In The Family, Roger Mellie Is A Legend And A Beast Without A Moustache.”

Latest News, Short Fiction

Week 285 – The Wonder Of Telling Everyone You Are Wonderful, Laugh Out Loud Whilst Reading Is A Writers Holy Grail And Bacardi Was My First Love.

And here we are at Week 285.

It’s interesting reading some of the introductions that we receive in the initial emails.

Before I moan too much, at least these folks do acknowledge that we are out there.

I’m not saying that anyone exaggerates but some of the plaudits some of our unsuccessful submitters have are extraordinary.

Continue reading “Week 285 – The Wonder Of Telling Everyone You Are Wonderful, Laugh Out Loud Whilst Reading Is A Writers Holy Grail And Bacardi Was My First Love.”

All Stories, General Fiction, Short Fiction

Canned Ravioli by Patti Procopi

I can’t think about my brother William without cringing from guilt.  What a terrible childhood he had.  None of us loved him or tried to make him part of the family.  He was just someone who shared space with us. Which was a tragedy.  For him.

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Latest News, Short Fiction

Week 284 – Diane, Leila And Marco Inspiration, Embracing Your Nasty And Embracing Your Own Nasty And Not Talking About It Saves A Few Quid.

Well here we are at week 284.

Diane’s answer to the first of Leila’s questions on the Re-Run got me thinking.

How much do we understand our characters?

Continue reading “Week 284 – Diane, Leila And Marco Inspiration, Embracing Your Nasty And Embracing Your Own Nasty And Not Talking About It Saves A Few Quid.”

All Stories, General Fiction, Short Fiction

Air Guitar Eddy by Richard Leise

Because we didn’t know his name, and he played air guitar outside Family Dollar, we called him Air Guitar Eddy.  He had two dogs.  We called the pit bull Pitbull, and the other, a terrier, Funky Bitch.  Funky Bitch was pregnant, bursting at the seams, and she would sit and pant in the shade.  Because it was Family Dollar, Air Guitar Eddy, Pitbull, and Funky Bitch didn’t get much by way of charity.

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All Stories, General Fiction, Short Fiction

The Stillness of a Garden Broken by Marco Etheridge

Jakob Pichler cherishes his quiet mornings and the green stillness of his garden. His neighbors have gone off to their day jobs, leaving him in peace. The only traffic that passes the garden gate is the occasional old woman walking a tiny dog. Jakob lights his morning cigar, settles back, and lets his mind wander over the infinite possibilities the morning offers.

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