This past weekend marked the second round of the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge 2015. And it was…ouch!
In a nutshell, it was one of the hardest, most emotional writing experiences I’ve ever had.
Before I jump in, let me quickly remind you the The NYC Midnight (NYCM) Flash Fiction Challenge is a writing contest where writers are given three prompts (genre, location, and object), and then 48-hours to write a 1,000 word story. Yeah, it’s crazy.
As usual, the chaos began on Friday night when I opened my newest assignment:
My first impressions?
Historical Fiction
A secret laboratory
A mouse
I hit a brick wall instantly. I did not like my prompts. Thankfully, I happened to be at my mom’s house and she gave me a quick, “You can’t change it, so get over it” speech. So, I did…well, sort of. While she began Googling secret laboratories in history, I curled up on the couch and tried to fish a random trivia fact out of my brain.
After a few minutes, I caught one. I looked at my mom and said, “What about the Manhattan Project? That was a secret laboratory, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.” She shrugged and returned to Googling.
Clearly, she wasn’t a fan of that idea. So, I curled up again and tossed my lure back into my mind’s pool of random facts.
I wandered away from the Manhattan Project and flipped through the other events of World War II. I don’t know why I felt drawn to that era. Personally, I’ve always been infatuated with the American Civil War and the Roaring 20’s.
After a few more minutes of deep contemplation, I recalled something I’d heard about…Problem was, I couldn’t remember if it was fact or fiction. So, I asked my mom. She wrinkled her nose and confirmed it had, indeed, happened. Then she went back to Googling.
Again.
Despite her lack of enthusiasm for the topic, I pulled out my phone and began my own Google search. Even though it frightened me, I wanted to see if I could find something to base my story on. I clicked on the first article that popped up and skimmed through dozens of photos. They were tough to look at, so I zipped past most of them.
Then this one caught my eye.
For a minute, I stared at the black and white Shirley Temple-lookalike. I wanted to know more about her, but I was terrified to find out. If she was connected to this topic, then her fate was likely a tragic one…But, I had to know. So, with great trepidation, I clicked on her photo.
Turned out her name was Jacqueline Morgenstern, and what happened to her…Well, it punched me in the gut and grabbed me by the heart.
After I shook off the urge to cry, I read the article to my mom. She set down her phone. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I’d found my story.
I decided not to do anymore research that night. I’d chosen a topic that would probably give me nightmares, so I didn’t want to start until the next morning. I thanked my mom for her help and went home to go to bed.
I woke up just a few hours later, too anxious to sleep. The contest’s clock was ticking, and I couldn’t write a single word until I did a ton of research.
And I did a ton of research. For over seven hours, I watched documentaries, read dozens of articles, and scrolled through countless pictures. I called my mom off and on to talk to her about what I’d found, and during each conversation, I broke down and cried.
After my fifth meltdown, my mom said, “Hey, maybe you should find a different topic? This one might be too dark.”
I almost agreed with her. I wanted to agree with her, but…I looked at Jacqueline Morgenstern’s picture and thought, “I stumbled upon her story for a reason. I’m supposed to write this. I need to write this.” So, I took a deep breath, wiped off my tears, and told my mom, “I have to keep going.”
She didn’t try and talk me out of it again.
By late afternoon, I finally began writing my story. Unfortunately, I had to stop within a couple of hours to go to a friend’s party…Yeah, I was awesome company at that get-together.
As you might suspect, I didn’t last long. I left the party early and returned home to finish an ugly first draft before bedtime.
The next morning, I woke up before the sun and went back to work. I felt calmer than I had on Saturday. The hardest parts of the weekend were over: Finding a story, researching the you-know-what out of it, and slapping together a first draft. Now it was time for the “fun” part: Molding my words and making them presentable to readers. Oh, and chopping my story down from 2K to 1K words. (Blast the word count limit!)
Around 8 a.m., I finished my second draft. About the same time, my mom–bless her soul–swept through the front door and declared she was ready to help me edit. I was shocked by her early arrival, but also grateful. I needed her moral support and critical eye to get me through the day.
For hours, we read my story out loud to each other, first focusing on the story and characters, and then on the word count. I had to cut over 700 of them to meet the 1K requirement.
The process was tough. Not only from a technical standpoint, but also from an emotional one. I don’t think my mom and I made it through a single draft without losing our composure and reaching for a tissue.
At last, around 6 p.m., swollen-eyed and hoarse, I submitted my story. Before I collapsed from exhaustion, I thanked my mom for cheering me on and holding me together. This was, by far, one of the hardest stories I’d ever written, and without her there, I don’t think I would’ve had the strength to finish it.
But, I did finish it. And I’m proud of myself for doing so. There are many events–dark, terrible events–in history that have been lost or forgotten, and we can’t let that happen. Even if they hurt and make us uncomfortable, we need to remember them to prevent them from ever happening again.
As usual, I’ll post my story later this week once we get the green light from NYCM. For now, here’s my title and synopsis:
“Kleine Mäuse”
Brief Synopsis: On the night of April 20th, 1945, a French prisoner and the twenty children he cares for at Neuengamme concentration camp are transported to a nearby school. There, they must face Dr. Heissmeyer’s final atrocity.
Update: If you’d like to read “Kleine Mäuse”, here you go!
Congrats to all those who participated and submitted a story for the second round of the NYCM Flash Fiction Challenge!
My first thoughts when I saw these prompts?
Yeah, I literally laughed out loud when I saw “dumbbell” as the object I had to use in my story. I mean…really? Seriously? Ugh.
Once I began writing on Saturday morning, the words tumbled out of me with little effort. I wrote and wrote and wrote, eager to get a first draft done so I could share it with my mom and start to refine it.
I decided to finish the first draft anyway and go over to my mom’s house so she could read it and give me feedback. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought? Maybe I just needed to make some slight adjustments to salvage it? Maybe there was still hope?
I almost screamed. It wasn’t fine. It was an absolute disaster!
After I breathed through a bout of panic, I told my mom, “I think I need to scrap this and come up with something else.”
Thankfully, she loved it.
By late afternoon, I had a decent enough draft to send to my beta readers. Once I fixed the problems they pointed out, chopped out a few more words, and gave the story a title (“
Yep! That’s it. Just 150 words to address all the vital components of a story and satisfy readers.
I finally decided to take the plunge a few months ago, during the 
That’s when it hit me: People value my opinion, and they value it enough to pay me. So, why not? Why not pursue another passion of mine by creating a freelance editing service?
Well, I handled each project just fine. I successfully edited two manuscripts, critiqued eight short stories, evaluated a screenplay (which is now being considered by 
I went into the competition feeling confident. I mean, how hard could writing a 1,000-word short story be compared to writing a novel?
Since then, I’ve learned a lot about the art of writing short stories. And with the rapid approach of the next 
Don’t muddle your plot or confuse your readers. Keep things simple and choose one main event to base your story on. Maybe it’s a killer virus, or a confrontation between two friends, or even a blind date gone wrong. Whatever it is, choose something specific and focus your entire story on it. If you do that, you’ll have an easier time identifying your story’s motives, characters, and ultimate goal (aka, “the big why”).
“I don’t know. What do you think, Maddie?” Sam asked.
Let me start by saying this is a hot debate amongst many writers. Some believe time/scene hopping works in a short story, while others (like me) believe it should be avoided. Why? Because, in my opinion, the more you move a short story around (especially through time), the more you dilute it. Characters lose depth, motives get fuzzy, and conflicts lose their edge.
When you write a story under 2,500 words, one of the best ways to cut down on confusion (“Wait, who’s telling the story?”), and to strengthen your plot is to use a single POV. It doesn’t matter if you’re using first or third person; just decide who your protagonist is and then tell the story from their perspective. If they can’t see, feel, hear, or think it, then it doesn’t exist. Period.
Yes, I know. Duh! But you’d be surprised by how many stories I’ve read that have used obvious premises. For example, during the NYCM Short Story Challenge 2014, my group was assigned these prompts: Suspense, Chef, Wedding. What’s the first idea that comes to mind?
There you go! Those are my top five tips for writing short stories under 2,500 words. Of course, not everyone will agree with them, and I know many writers who’ve taken opposite approaches and succeeded. But, for me, these tips work, and I hope they work for you too!
In a nutshell: You bomb, you’re out.
If you bomb round one, then you can try and redeem yourself in round two.
Each round has a different deadline and word count:
Each round has the same deadline and word count: 1,000 words, 48-hours
Examples:
Examples:
Yep! It’s as simple as that. If the judges like your story better than the 20-35 others in your group, then you’re moving on. If not, sorry. Better luck next time.
Okay, let’s see if I can explain this without over complicating it (because it’s not complicated, it just seems like it).
Actually, earning points at all is awesome, so I was proud of my scores. 🙂 And even when I haven’t scored points, I still got a lot out of the experience.
Plus, you paid for this contest, so why would you bail early? Get your money’s worth and write a second story and get it critiqued by the judges.
Once you compete in both FFC and SSC, you’ll likely discover you have a preference for one or the other. Some writers like FFC more than SSC, and some writers like SSC more than FFC.
I guess you’ll have to enter to find out which one you prefer.
Before I began entering the NYC Midnight (NYCM) writing challenges, I assumed my writing skills were at their best…Wrong! In just a handful of Flash Fiction and Short Story Challenges (
I will, however, point out some specific benefits of participating in an NYCM Challenge. The main one is their private forum. NYCM offers competitors a location to interact and share stories with each other. And I love it! The forum helps you:
As some of you read 
I ended up spending most of Sunday staring into space, moving around like a zombie, and reacting to things at a snail’s pace. Even my four-year old nephew asked me, “Are you okay?”–HA! I told him I was; just very, very sleepy.
Somehow, I was able to quiet the butterflies and sleep for about an hour before the round kicked off. Then I was up and looking at my final assignment:
This was probably the brightest moment of the 24-hour period. I really liked the prompts. Not only were they interesting, but they easily fit the basic concept I’d thought of beforehand. So, after a quick happy dance, I went to work.
By 5 a.m. I was up and writing again.
By this point, I should’ve had at least an ugly first draft. But all I had was a handful of ugly paragraphs.
Even my mom began to lose her cool around 4 p.m. Instead of calmly telling me everything would be okay, she started snapping:
I’m pretty sure she wanted slap me a few times, especially since I kept growling at her to stop eating my M&M’s…No, it wasn’t because I was being possessive (okay, maybe I was a little 😉 ), but because I’d never realized how loud M&M’s were! The crunch, crunch, crunch kept shattering my precious focus. (Sorry for being such a pill, Mom.)
Honestly, in any other situation, I would never have sent this version to them. More likely, I would’ve thrown it out and started over. I always do that with my first drafts. They’re not meant to be seen. They’re meant to help me figure out the right story, characters, angles, twists and turns, etc. But that stupid clock was ticking. I had no choice.
Unfortunately, I only had a few hours left before the deadline, so I couldn’t do anything but take their advice and try to make my blah story as non-blah as possible.
I didn’t know which I felt more: exhausted or disappointed. I know I did my best in the amount of time I had, but I wanted to do better. This was a story I’d had high hopes for and it fell apart on me…Perhaps someday, when I’m not racing against the clock, I’ll return to it and write it the right way.
As usual, I’ll post my story here for review once I get the thumbs up from NYC Midnight. I don’t really want to, but I’ve come this far, so I may as well. For now, here is my title and synopsis:
Yeah, to be completely honest, I’m not sure how I feel about advancing. Don’t get me wrong. I’m honored and grateful to get the chance to compete in the final round. And I’m so proud of myself for making it to the top 40 (the competition started out with over 1,400 writers).
Okay, let me explain why I’m dreading this round so much, especially for those who might not know how the NYC Midnight SSC works.
I mean it. Round three is intense. No, it’s insane!
To help me get through the final round, I’ve created a basic “battle plan”. If I follow these steps, I should be able to make it to the finish line…(ahem, should):
3. EAT! As I mentioned earlier, I forgot to eat during last year’s round three. I was so focused and so drawn into my story, I didn’t even think about it. By the time I did, over 12-hours had passed and when I stood up, I nearly collapsed…Yeah, super smart! To prevent such a moronic mistake again, I’ll be setting an alarm on my phone to remind myself to get up and eat something every few hours.
4. Use beta readers! As difficult as it is, I need to try and send my story out to beta readers on Saturday to get their valuable input. This means I’ll need to quicken my pace even more so I’m able to send them a decent draft as early as possible. Otherwise, I won’t have time to fix whatever problems they find.
5. Breathe! I need to remember to take frequent breaks throughout the day. Even if it’s only five minutes at a time, I need to stand up, walk away from my computer, and breathe. Relax. Clear my head. Regain my center!…I know this will be the most difficult part of my battle plan to execute. I stink at taking breaks!
And if I don’t and I completely fall apart, well…I’ll still be proud of myself. These challenges are not easy (even when there’s more time and words to use), and the competition is fierce. I can’t tell you how many amazing stories I read in the first two rounds that didn’t make the cut. So, no matter what happens this weekend, and no matter how rough things might get, I’ll be proud of myself for making it this far and giving the final round a shot!
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