After working away for the past few years (yes, years – plural) on a novella series that spanned over 260,000 words, I decided to try my hand at something entirely different, flash fiction. The length of what defines a piece of fiction as being “flash” varies, but I have set my cap at a 1000 words.
There is a minor caveat. Actually, it is a minor cheat. I am writing scripts for a visual medium. This means my 1000 words does require much in the way of descriptions. To do this I will be launching a YouTube channel, “Urban Legend Bites”, early in the New Year. As I am away from the month of February, it will likely be after my return.
Unlike the novella series, which led one into the next, the YouTube stories will be stand alone episodes. My other break from form is that I have shifted genre from sci-fi, “space-opera” for the fastidious folks, to horror. Specifically, psychological horror. A dark version of the Twilight Zone. I preparation for the launch I will be writing and creating, nine or ten episodes. Five to be released all at once at the channel launch and four to be released over time. This strategy gives me a buffer in which to continue producing content.
With the last book in the novella series published, this will be my primary, though not exclusive, writing focus for 2024. I am not sure how many distinct psychological horror episodes I’ve got in me, but I am loving (caps lock, underscore, bold) only having to track characters, events and settings for a mere 1000 words.