Beautiful sentences: Flash Fiction in New World Writing

I’ve been reading the Spring, 2014 Flash Fiction issue of New World Writing and swooning over some of the lines. It is said that in flash, you have to make every word count, every sentence, and it’s true. There’s no room for the ordinary.

Here are some of my favorites:

How many Monarchs are there? Enough to make the boughs of giant trees bend beneath their weight, even while each one weighs less than a paper clip. ~from “Dave at the Sink” by Gail Louise Siegel

and

Even though my mind is quite awake, my body is befud­dled, and parched from the ruckus from my head. ~from “License” by Girija Tropp

and

Downstairs, fail­ure waits at the kitchen table where my husband’s black work gloves rest palm to palm like the sin­gu­lar clap of a large man—a lum­ber­jack shak­ing the podium at which he speaks. ~from “Thaw” by Lydia Copeland Gwyn

and

“Wouldn’t it be great,” he said, “to row and row until we aren’t here anymore?” ~from “Oar” by Sherrie Flick

and

She fresh­ened her lip­stick com­pul­sively when she talked about him: his sil­ver beard, his open shirt, the gold chain across the hair on his chest, Just like a BeeGee, she said, smack, press­ing her lips to a square snatched from the bath­room roll. ~from “Kenny” by Tiff Holland

I’m honored to have a story in the issue called “Strings” and I hope you read that one, too. There are also flashes from such amazing writers as Andrew Nicholls, Bobbie Ann Mason, Ed Taylor, Eric Bosse, Nelly Zann, Pamela Painter, Terese Svoboda, and Tom Hazuka. And the issue is still taking shape, so stay tuned!

Many thanks to the fabulous Kim Chinquee.