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Writing Flash Is Impossible But I Refused to Give in and I Did It
How many videos do you have to watch, how many books to read, and how many rules do you have to follow before you get published?
Two years ago, I had never heard of flash fiction. Why would I? I’m a licensed psychologist who has always loved to read and write non-fiction articles, worked for trade publications, and met famous, bestselling authors. In fact, I recently discovered that I had worked with Leonore Fleischer, who was the queen of movie novelizations.
Who knew that? I didn't. I knew her simply as a co-worker who was always late to work and gave the most outrageous explanations. If she could get away with it, she’d tell you her cat just had a litter of puppies. But, who cared?
Leonore went on to sell, literally, millions of copies of her books. She actually published under her own name as well as a number of pseudonyms because she believed some books would sell better if readers thought the author was a man. Leonore understood sexism in bookselling. It stood her in good stead. I publish as P. A. Farrell to distinguish myself from my psychologist self.
I also had the good fortune to work at the same publication with Lavinia Russ who wrote “The Girl on the Floor Will Help You” and others. Lavinia was a woman with a quick wit, a loving approach to…
