Flash Fiction Carnival 2008

Okay folks -- I'm a big fan of the flash fiction carnival idea because it kicks my tuckus and gets me to write when I'm otherwise NOT writing. Having just hosted the December version, FFC III, I realized that hosting a FFC in a personal blog can be difficult at times. I loved doing it, but it occasionally overwhelmed me and I kept wishing there was a dedicated blog just for the FFC. Therefore, I created one. See the link below.

If someone else wishes to host January's FFC and has a theme in mind already, please holler at me and I'll add you to the team for the blog so you can post your theme and guidelines. As in FFC III, writers without blogs, or those who'd simply prefer it, can have their stories hosted in the FFC 2008 blog when the carnival goes live.

If no one wishes to host for January, I'll do so. My time is pretty fluid, so I can if necessary.

Input is welcome. Please visit the blog and let me know what you think.

Thanks!

AJ, if you want to host one that's fine. The dedicated blog is a way to make it easier to host stories for those people who don't have blogs or who haven't a blog they can use for a fiction piece. It makes things easier too, because some people wouldn't necessarily want to have their stories hosted in another person's blog and by having a central generic FFC blog to do the hosting it makes the FFC more available to more writers.

Another reason I created the dedicated blog was in order to open up the FFC to the blogosphere a bit more and have more writers outside AW find the FFC 2008 and feel free to join in. I'll be promoting the site and the FFC all over the net in order to get as many writers involved as possible. Having one main location for the FFC will enable someone who doesn't like the theme one month but has a story they'd like to share for a holiday theme later on to return to the blog and participate in the FFC of their choice. They can just bookmark it. Also, an established date for theme announcements can be set which will make it easier for people to make a date to come in to see if they like the theme for a particular FFC.

One thing I want to do with the dedicated blog is give prizes and eventually find sponsors. Not monetary awards, but perhaps books or something. It's all tenuous at this point. The more people who participate, the better shot we'll have at getting better sponsored prizes. I want this to be FUN for people as well as a way for them to write something they might not have written otherwise. Oh yes, the prizes would be awarded randomly. Each writer is only competing with themselves.

Also, if anyone else is interested in hosting, please go have a look at the FFC 2008 blog and get in touch with me. It would be great if we could get a whole bunch of hosts lined up. We might even get enough to have specialized FFCs like mini-flashes of 100 words or somesuch. I'm completely open to suggestions. All I did was make the blog. I fully expect others to join the team. And I want and need them to join!

Please?

The theme is NEW! Thanks to Ava Jarvis, the January topic and guidelines for the first FFC of 2008 are up and running. Please follow the above link to her post at the FFC 2008 blog or click on the link below.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

Submissions are due by midnight US PST, January 18. Specific guidelines are posted in the FFC 2008 blog.

You do NOT have to have a blog to participate. This is open to any interested writer, so please tell all your writing friends.

FFC III was a great success. Let's make the FFCs of 2008 even BIGGER!

Three cheers for BunnyGirl ! ! ! She's joined the FFC 2008 blog team as our holiday flash host and will help us all wend our way through all our special days. Valentine's has been mentioned for February, but I have a feeling she'll be amenable to Mardi Gras and Leap Year themed flashes as well. I dunno about Groundhog Day or Presidents' Day, however.

We are seeking regular monthly FFC hosts for the remainder of the year too. I posted about it yesterday, January 13th, so if you go to the FFC 2008 blog and poke around you'll find it. Ideally I'd like to have a few folks signed up for each month in case we need a back-up host.

Finally, if you wish to host a mini-carnival, whereby you choose a theme for folks to write on in 24 hours or so, and then post them in the FFC blog, we're open to that. Just make sure you're not the only one who's going to write. If you host a FFC, it's your job to promote it! And really, it's not that bad.

And again, for good measure, WELCOME to the FFC 2008 blog team, BUNNYGIRL! ! !

Unfocused Me, you will be welcome with open arms, hon.

Ava Jarvis, you are too kind.

BG, is it just for Valentine's? Or can we write about Presidents' Day or Groundhog Day too?

Meanwhile, I'm still looking for hosts! Hello? Is this thing on???????

WoM, you can write anything you want. However, you might do better with that hatchet with my prompt than BunnyGirl's, but feel free!

Meanwhile,

I want to thank Ava Jarvis once again for hosting the first FFC of 2008. She was very patient and lovely to work with and any time she wants to host again, she is welcome!

Finally, don't forget that the HOLIDAY FLASH is going on. See the FFC 2008 blog for details. AND . . .

The THEME ANNOUNCEMENT for the regular February FFC will be up at midnight EST. Because of the Valentine's flash, I'm making this a mini-flash. Only a week to write and 500 words or less. Crits are now going to be optional, but both BG and I recommend them because it's amazing how helpful they can be. It is up to you, however.

Please include a short biography if you are having your flash hosted at the FFC 2008 blog.

Time's running out, so if you're going to write for the mini-FFC you'd best

Valid point, UM. I'll just have to link to it here.

*shameless bumpingness*