What to Write This Week (8)
state of change
Read The Way Home by Mark Russel Gelade, author of the flash fiction collection Navigating by Stars.
Write a flash fiction about a family in a state of change.
On endings: Note how in this story, Gelade offers up the easy/happy answer at the end, but ultimately rejects it.
On resonating details: In your story, try to use some small detail of domestic life to illuminate this family's moment in time. Also, try to come back to that detail in the final paragraph, using it to come to a conclusion about what it all means.
On meaning and patience: It may take you a few drafts to get to the meaning. Begin by thinking of the conflict or moment of change the family is experiencing (it need not be such a huge shift as a divorce), and then work in the domestic detail. This story might take a few days to develop. If so, just let it sit in an incomplete state until you're ready to return to it.
What to Write This Week is a weekly series
. Every week, I share a flash fiction, short memoir, or other work of short prose, along with a writing prompt. Paid subscribers get all prompts with commentary, including archives. Free subscribers get at least one prompt per month.Michelle Richmond is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels and two story collections, including The Marriage Pact and The Wonder Test.