A few weeks ago I found out about #fridayflash on Twitter and immediately jumped in head first (I held my nose, though, so water wouldn't go up it. I hate that.). Since then I've managed to post each week, a minor feat I am very proud of. I generally wrote everything from the ground up Friday late afternoon/night, but it's worked out for the most part.
Having a weekly, concrete deadline to write for is really helpful. It keeps the creativity flowing the way working on the same WIP all the time just can't. And I love my WIP; she's still my favorite (though her brother, my new, possibly future WIP, is gaining on her), but her story building is much slower. Friday Flash keeps things fresh so I can work on WIP 1 and WIP 2 without getting too frustrated.
The only conflicting feeling's I've encountered about #fridayflash have arisen from whether or not I feel comfortable setting my stories free into the wild, sometimes unsafe, internet. I'm the sort of writer that squirrels away her ideas for cold, barren winters. I never give away ideas (like I've seen on the NaNoWriMo forums) willingly and when I do I second guess myself later.
Take last week's post as an example. I posted a story inspired by two unrelated* events and am so fond of it, I'm almost sorry I posted it on the internet. What if I want to publish it, but can't because it's already been "published"?! But as soon as I though this, I realized I never would have written that story in the first place if its wasn't for #fridayflash. When I look at it that way, it seems alright.
#fridayflash is me trying to get away from this secret squirrel thinking, to free myself by giving my stories away without worrying about the bad things that might happen (i.e. stolen ideas!). Will it bite me in the butt? It may, but I'm hoping for the best.
Until next time,
Lena
*a) seeing dragon movies and reading dragon books, b) noticing the fire extinguishers hanging over the gas station and wondering if I should write a story about something on fire at the gas station. a+b = Marie & George: Hatching by Charcoal Grill Incubator.
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