Announcing #fridayflash
Nearly all writers I know have heard, and heeded, the mantra that you must establish a platform to build visibility and a fan base. To that end they have established a blog or homepage. Then there is the social networking mantra writers are also beaten over the head with. Many writers I know, myself included, find that the time and effort devoted to maintaining a blog and a social networking presence significantly eats into the time they can devote to what they are actually supposed to be doing – writing. Yes, blogging is writing, but if you are a fiction writer you most likely are not blogging fiction.
Wouldn't it be great if we could write fiction, blog, and social network all at the same time? Enter #fridayflash. This is a concept I've been mulling over for a few weeks now. Modeled after #followfriday on Twitter, the idea is that you write a piece of flash fiction (1000 words or less), post it to your blog, and then tweet the link on Twitter along with the #fridayflash hash tag.
But won't that render my piece of fiction unsaleable?
Yes, it probably will.
If you are of the camp that believes in never giving away your writing for free then #fridayflash is not for you. If, on the other hand, you subscribe to the free-samples theory, then you can use #fridayflash to help build a following.
The 1000 word limit is just a suggestion. You can post whatever you like. Personally, I'd be loath to post anything much longer than that simply because longer pieces take more time to write and therefore I'm less willing to give them away. Plus, writing short forces the author to really hone their writing skills, which should improve your writing in general.
So, please join me this Friday for the first #fridayflash. Post some flash and then tweet the link. Don't forget the hashtag.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
~jon
Note: This piece has been edited to reflect the name change to #fridayflash. The original choice of name was already in use. 22-jun-09
~jon
Note: If you would like to have your story included in the weekly #fridayflash Report please enter the details
here. The Collector automatically generates the list for me, which is subsequently posted, usually by Saturday afternoon. 29-oct-2009
~jon
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