My short story “The Lonely Hollow” won second place in the No Bad Books flash fiction writing contest. There were two categories, Fantasy and Superhero, each with a limit of 500 words. I entered both, and one of them won. Woo Hoo.
The story was read was read on this Semi-Sages of the Pages livestream. It’s the third story read, around the 18 minute mark.
If, for once, I had an advantage, it was that I had a fantasy story about 500 words long, which I've edited time and time again. Five hundred works is one of those key boundaries where one market might not want longer and another might not want less.
As it was, the story, when first written, was closer to 600 words. Moreover, if I didn't have to worry about limits, I have a 550-560 word version that I like the best. Cutting words forced some rewriting and refocusing. But in the end, it seems like too many words were cut and there were phrases or imagery that I would rather have included.
However, as another writer told me once, you gave the editor what the editor wanted, and next time you can restore it to how you wanted it for any reprints -- including in one of my own books. That might happen.
Similarly, I have another story which will be published in an anthology in the next week or two. It's exactly 1,000 words. While I was reading the final draft, I found three typos. I also found sentences and passages that I was questioning. Why did I say that? Why did I leave that in? Again, if I were to reprint this myself, no one will care if it's a few words over 1,000.
Finally, a reminder, September 1 is the official release date of A Bucket Full of Moonlight on Amazon, although it's already live on the eSpec Books site where there are a few signed hardcovers still available.
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