Author’s Note: I wrote most of this for the intro to this story on my Substack account. I’m reposting it here because why not?
Also, you can follow me on Substack if you want…if you’re not familiar with it (I wasn’t), it’s kind of a social media for writers and creators to post their stuff. Since I have this blog, I mainly post links to things here, but it’s a good way to a) be reminded when something new comes out and b) maybe find some other creatives making neat things. Plus, it’s extremely chill (compared to what’s happening on other socials right now).
I’m fascinated by brevity—probably because I’m so bad at it. I love the idea of flash fiction, micro-fiction, and nano-fiction, but I struggle to tell anything meaningful without making a whole big production out of it. I mean, don’t you want to know that the doorknob is worn pewter with a Celtic knot on the front and one of the slotted screws holding the plate to the peeling eggshell doorframe is badly stripped; upon turning, it is silent until three-quarters of a turn, when a banshee scream of metal on creased metal announces your arrival like a chorus of newborns in a chalkboard factory? I know it’s a chili recipe, but I just think details are important.
Three things: first, poems are generally short, and that makes it much easier (for me) to quickly create them. This lends itself to repetition; repetition is practice; practice is necessary to improve; I want to improve. Really short fiction is a similar story (pun intended); writing more is more good.
Second: like haiku, flash fiction is hard. You start at the end of the story and go from there; you cut anything not absolutely essential. To do that but still end up with enough to be interesting? A tough line to walk. Again, I want to git gud.
Third: I publish every Tuesday, which means constant demand for content. If a short story takes a month to write and a poem takes a week, well, you’re gonna see a lot of poetry, and sometimes I get tired of it too. The idea of a complete story I can write in a short sitting is therefore really appealing to me.
There’s another writer on Substack who’s been doing this same kind of writing and I really liked it. I’m not sure I’m as good, but I’m trying the style and seeing if really really short stories might be something I can add to the routine.
As for the actual story, it’s a little dark—in a fairy tale way. Revenge fantasies can be fun! Also, my web browsing got a little sketchy. Having “how to dispose of body” in your search history is one thing; bookmarking the page is just a perk of being a writer.
—jr
