#mony-python — Public Fediverse posts

Flash Fiction Fun on Substack

I’ve been delving into the world of Substack recently, and the bulk of my original posts there (not restacks) have been “Drabbles.” These are 100-word short stories, born in the UK in the 80’s at Birmingham University with a little help from Monty Python (of whom I’m a lifelong fan) An editor friend of mine, Sandy Smith has been posting a weekly challenge every Friday, which has been a nice distraction from the tedious task of polishing the final draft of my murder mystery.

I’ve done all three of the challenges so far, and while their quality might be questionable, the puzzle-solving-joy that they bring me is not. It’s actually quite challenging to encapsulate the beginning, middle, and end of a story into a mere 100 words. It would be easy if it were a poem, or some unresolved moment that left the reader hanging, but my novice-level understanding of the drabble form is that it must tie into a cute little package, maybe in brown paper and a bit of string. Done.

if you’re interested in writing one and posting it, head over to my substack and follow the links. For me, the trick is to not think about it too much. I’ve been calling it “a one-pipe problem” a la Sherlock Holmes. You have only until the pipe is finished, or the cup of coffee, or tea, or whatever it is that floats your boat, to get the bulk of it done. I’ll post the one I wrote today below, and you can read my other two on Substack if you want to. If you’re really keen, go check out 100 Word Story. I haven’t given it a thorough exploring yet, but it’s on my list of places on the interwebz to check out.

Stars

I was floating in space. To say I was merely wrapped in stars would be insufficient.
A brief moment of almost-panic washed over me. Breathless terror, then euphoria, as I realized that I was universe.
No hallucinogens ground my guts, this was just the result of self-directed meditative rebellion against the wailing and caterwauling going on around me. My body was still there on the floor.
“So what now?” I wondered. “What does one do with all this infinity?”
The facilitator turned down the pulsing music. The screaming stopped, tears were dried, words were said.
Then we broke for lunch.

Flash Fiction Fun on Substack

I’ve been delving into the world of Substack recently, and the bulk of my original posts there (not restacks) have been “Drabbles.” These are 100-word short stories, born in the UK in the 80’s at Birmingham University with a little help from Monty Python (of whom I’m a lifelong fan) An editor friend of mine, Sandy Smith has been posting a weekly challenge every Friday, which has been a nice distraction from the tedious task of polishing the final draft of my murder mystery.

I’ve done all three of the challenges so far, and while their quality might be questionable, the puzzle-solving-joy that they bring me is not. It’s actually quite challenging to encapsulate the beginning, middle, and end of a story into a mere 100 words. It would be easy if it were a poem, or some unresolved moment that left the reader hanging, but my novice-level understanding of the drabble form is that it must tie into a cute little package, maybe in brown paper and a bit of string. Done.

if you’re interested in writing one and posting it, head over to my substack and follow the links. For me, the trick is to not think about it too much. I’ve been calling it “a one-pipe problem” a la Sherlock Holmes. You have only until the pipe is finished, or the cup of coffee, or tea, or whatever it is that floats your boat, to get the bulk of it done. I’ll post the one I wrote today below, and you can read my other two on Substack if you want to. If you’re really keen, go check out 100 Word Story. I haven’t given it a thorough exploring yet, but it’s on my list of places on the interwebz to check out.

Stars

I was floating in space. To say I was merely wrapped in stars would be insufficient.
A brief moment of almost-panic washed over me. Breathless terror, then euphoria, as I realized that I was universe.
No hallucinogens ground my guts, this was just the result of self-directed meditative rebellion against the wailing and caterwauling going on around me. My body was still there on the floor.
“So what now?” I wondered. “What does one do with all this infinity?”
The facilitator turned down the pulsing music. The screaming stopped, tears were dried, words were said.
Then we broke for lunch.

Flash Fiction Fun on Substack

I’ve been delving into the world of Substack recently, and the bulk of my original posts there (not restacks) have been “Drabbles.” These are 100-word short stories, born in the UK in the 80’s at Birmingham University with a little help from Monty Python (of whom I’m a lifelong fan) An editor friend of mine, Sandy Smith has been posting a weekly challenge every Friday, which has been a nice distraction from the tedious task of polishing the final draft of my murder mystery.

I’ve done all three of the challenges so far, and while their quality might be questionable, the puzzle-solving-joy that they bring me is not. It’s actually quite challenging to encapsulate the beginning, middle, and end of a story into a mere 100 words. It would be easy if it were a poem, or some unresolved moment that left the reader hanging, but my novice-level understanding of the drabble form is that it must tie into a cute little package, maybe in brown paper and a bit of string. Done.

if you’re interested in writing one and posting it, head over to my substack and follow the links. For me, the trick is to not think about it too much. I’ve been calling it “a one-pipe problem” a la Sherlock Holmes. You have only until the pipe is finished, or the cup of coffee, or tea, or whatever it is that floats your boat, to get the bulk of it done. I’ll post the one I wrote today below, and you can read my other two on Substack if you want to. If you’re really keen, go check out 100 Word Story. I haven’t given it a thorough exploring yet, but it’s on my list of places on the interwebz to check out.

Stars

I was floating in space. To say I was merely wrapped in stars would be insufficient.
A brief moment of almost-panic washed over me. Breathless terror, then euphoria, as I realized that I was universe.
No hallucinogens ground my guts, this was just the result of self-directed meditative rebellion against the wailing and caterwauling going on around me. My body was still there on the floor.
“So what now?” I wondered. “What does one do with all this infinity?”
The facilitator turned down the pulsing music. The screaming stopped, tears were dried, words were said.
Then we broke for lunch.

Flash Fiction Fun on Substack

I’ve been delving into the world of Substack recently, and the bulk of my original posts there (not restacks) have been “Drabbles.” These are 100-word short stories, born in the UK in the 80’s at Birmingham University with a little help from Monty Python (of whom I’m a lifelong fan) An editor friend of mine, Sandy Smith has been posting a weekly challenge every Friday, which has been a nice distraction from the tedious task of polishing the final draft of my murder mystery.

I’ve done all three of the challenges so far, and while their quality might be questionable, the puzzle-solving-joy that they bring me is not. It’s actually quite challenging to encapsulate the beginning, middle, and end of a story into a mere 100 words. It would be easy if it were a poem, or some unresolved moment that left the reader hanging, but my novice-level understanding of the drabble form is that it must tie into a cute little package, maybe in brown paper and a bit of string. Done.

if you’re interested in writing one and posting it, head over to my substack and follow the links. For me, the trick is to not think about it too much. I’ve been calling it “a one-pipe problem” a la Sherlock Holmes. You have only until the pipe is finished, or the cup of coffee, or tea, or whatever it is that floats your boat, to get the bulk of it done. I’ll post the one I wrote today below, and you can read my other two on Substack if you want to. If you’re really keen, go check out 100 Word Story. I haven’t given it a thorough exploring yet, but it’s on my list of places on the interwebz to check out.

Stars

I was floating in space. To say I was merely wrapped in stars would be insufficient.
A brief moment of almost-panic washed over me. Breathless terror, then euphoria, as I realized that I was universe.
No hallucinogens ground my guts, this was just the result of self-directed meditative rebellion against the wailing and caterwauling going on around me. My body was still there on the floor.
“So what now?” I wondered. “What does one do with all this infinity?”
The facilitator turned down the pulsing music. The screaming stopped, tears were dried, words were said.
Then we broke for lunch.

Flash Fiction Fun on Substack

I’ve been delving into the world of Substack recently, and the bulk of my original posts there (not restacks) have been “Drabbles.” These are 100-word short stories, born in the UK in the 80’s at Birmingham University with a little help from Monty Python (of whom I’m a lifelong fan) An editor friend of mine, Sandy Smith has been posting a weekly challenge every Friday, which has been a nice distraction from the tedious task of polishing the final draft of my murder mystery.

I’ve done all three of the challenges so far, and while their quality might be questionable, the puzzle-solving-joy that they bring me is not. It’s actually quite challenging to encapsulate the beginning, middle, and end of a story into a mere 100 words. It would be easy if it were a poem, or some unresolved moment that left the reader hanging, but my novice-level understanding of the drabble form is that it must tie into a cute little package, maybe in brown paper and a bit of string. Done.

if you’re interested in writing one and posting it, head over to my substack and follow the links. For me, the trick is to not think about it too much. I’ve been calling it “a one-pipe problem” a la Sherlock Holmes. You have only until the pipe is finished, or the cup of coffee, or tea, or whatever it is that floats your boat, to get the bulk of it done. I’ll post the one I wrote today below, and you can read my other two on Substack if you want to. If you’re really keen, go check out 100 Word Story. I haven’t given it a thorough exploring yet, but it’s on my list of places on the interwebz to check out.

Stars

I was floating in space. To say I was merely wrapped in stars would be insufficient.
A brief moment of almost-panic washed over me. Breathless terror, then euphoria, as I realized that I was universe.
No hallucinogens ground my guts, this was just the result of self-directed meditative rebellion against the wailing and caterwauling going on around me. My body was still there on the floor.
“So what now?” I wondered. “What does one do with all this infinity?”
The facilitator turned down the pulsing music. The screaming stopped, tears were dried, words were said.
Then we broke for lunch.