So in August, I finally made my new year’s writing resolution.
Not for the calendar year, dear reader. The academic year.
My resolution? To write and post an original microflash every Monday.
Three reasons.
First, I’m a very slooooow drafter and wanted to practice increasing my productivity.
Second, I knew time would shrink even further come September and another Covid school year that would include helping to plan my daughter’s wedding. I wanted a manageable, measurable goal so as to avoid burying my writing life within all those competing demands.
Then I got overconfident and announced my resolution to the world.
That was either really smart or really stupid, I told my students the first week of classes. I’d made them write and post Goal Cards in the front of the room for everyone to see and figured it only fair if I shared my writing goals with them.
Which is my third reason: Accountability. I hate letting people down. Myself included. For me, that sickish feeling of failure is a terrific motivator.
And I’m happy to report that my experiment was a success.
I wrote and posted every Monday through mid-November, the week after my daughter’s wedding. (It was BEAUTIFUL, by the way, and I have STORIES!!!) Along the way, I learned greater flexibility in my writing practice and how to do more with fewer writing minutes. I grew more confident with the shortest of story forms and learned I enjoy the challenge of crafting within their restrictions.
I also confirmed my earlier suspicion that, while reading microflash requires little time, crafting good microflash requires way more. That’s why Monday Micro is now Monthly. The first Monday of each month, beginning December 6, I will continue to post an original microflash of 150 words or fewer. I’m striving to make it a good story. One you’re glad to have read. One that sticks with you far longer than the minute or so it takes you to read.
Please let me know what you think.
Until then, I have a story to write.
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(Want a tiny story to tide you over until then? Click FICTION, above, for previous posts.)
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My Name was Supposed to be Elizabeth Ann 