Flash fiction is a wonderful form–especially for busy professionals with little time to read for enjoyment. It’s also fun to write. The process of distilling a complete story into one-thousand words or less is a great exercise in brevity and identifying what really counts, and the end product, when it finally sings, is quite satisfying. A number of my first published works are flash fiction.

Sample Excerpt

Here is an excerpt of one–it’s the beginning of a humorous piece, “Another Wrong World,” published at Indigo Rising Magazine in April 2012.

His shock and interstellar meandering now behind him, Maxwell nudged through the patrons of the End-Of-The-Line Club, forcing his way to the center bar. It was the seediest tavern he could find–a backwater haven for non-human thieves and drug addicts, a hell-hole carved from the belly of an insignificant asteroid in a rubble-strewn orbit of Arcturus. No respectable sentient would set foot here. Finally Maxwell could lose himself in self pity and loathing.

     “Hey!” he shouted and motioned to the tentacled bartender. “A stiff Rigelian Rye.”

     He slid onto the stool.

     How could he have been so stupid? With all his talent and after all his training … he was the best pilot in the human fleet. The shining hope! And he’d been proud–cocky really. “Deliver it?” he’d quipped. “I’ll shove it down their throat and poke ’em in the eye as they swallow!”

     Yeah, right…

Maxwell’s plight is sorry indeed. We find out a little more about him, his problem and his surroundings as the story develops. Ultimately, we learn–as does Maxwell–much more about his lonely place in the Universe than Maxwell desires to know.

My Published Flash Fiction to Date

Seed of Doubt, 714 words, (c) 2012 J. C. Conway, Untied Shoelaces of the Mind, Nov. 12, 2012

• Bobby and Madison have a seemingly quick conflict, but with potentially Cartesian consequences.

November Elf, 874 words, (c) 2012 J. C. Conway, First Published by Hogglepot, Nov. 11, 2012

• A man has a chance encounter with a modern elf.

Fog Light, 873 words, (c) 2012 J. C. Conway, Romance Flash, Nov. 1, 2012

• Will Shelly stay the course to qualify for the master’s program, or is Justin a distraction that spells disaster?

Battle Dress, 825 words, (c) 2012 J. C. Conway, Daily Love July 15, 2012

• Derek falls for a woman with depth and intelligence, then learn she is the lead attorney in a case against him.

Letters to the Luminiferous Aether, 927 words, (c) 2012 J. C. Conway, Bewildering Stories on June 11, 2012

• The Garveys are trapped in a relativistic loop. Will humanity catch up to them in time?

Time, Heat and a Smoking Ember, 821 words, (c) 2012 J. C. Conway, Daily Love, May 10, 2012

• Gina has no further interest in her old flame—at least not the flame she remembers.

Procyon Descent, 971 words, (c) 2012 J. C. Conway, Farther Stars Than These, May 3, 2012

• The youngest generation of a generation ship faces the first of its toughest decisions.

Another Wrong World, 585 words, (c) 2012 J. C. Conway, Indigo Rising Magazine on Apr. 8, 2012 (excerpt above)

A man walks into an asteroid bar …

Early Retirement, 989 words, (c) 2012 J. C. Conway, Static Movement, Apr. 2, 2012

• What can be done about the imminent end of the world? It depends on who you ask.

Exit Strategy, 573 words, (c) 2012 J. C. Conway, 365 Tomorrows on Feb. 2, 2012

• Escape from overpopulation is a great temptation. How long would you take to prepare?

For links and to see all of my available published stories, click here.