Hot Flash Friday—Clearing TSA

The 50-word challenge: bite-sized fiction everyday!

http://fiftywordstories.com/ was something started in February 2009 by Tim Sevenhuysen. The goal was to post a 50-word story EVERDAY for one year. Well, that was 6 years ago and the rest is history—he’s still going. With a little help from reader submissions.

What is a 50-Word Story?

From the website: A 50-word story is a piece of fiction written in exactly 50 words. That doesn’t mean “roughly” 50 words; it doesn’t mean “as close to 50 words as possible”; it doesn’t mean 50 words or fewer. It means exactly 50 words.

As with any other form of fiction, a 50-word story should have a beginning and an end, a plot and character development (even if they are only implied), and a theme, meaning, or purpose of some sort. Many 50-word stories are built around twists or climactic moments.

To submit your stories for possible publication, see the Submissions page. A $10 prize is available for the best submission each month.

So why not set yourself a 50-word challenge and write EVERYDAY about something EVERYDAY. And, since this blog is about inciting, giving a poke to our memories, why not write about Clearing TSA. What’s this like for you? Is there pent-up anxiety followed by instant relief? What do you think about whilst standing in line? What could possible go wrong?

I picked Clearing TSA because it is something we have ALL gone through—as opposed to childbirth, winning a $902 million dollar lottery, etc. We’ve all queued up shoeless to expose our underwear, our carry-on, or toiletries in zip-loc baggies. What was your latest experience?

 AND don’t be afraid to take a memory and re-shape it. Francis Bacon, the artist has been quoted as taking an idea and pouring it over the nervous system—to heighten it emotionally.