Flash Fiction with an edge at Brighton Digital Festival

The Brighton Digital Festival is currently running throughout September and there’s a whole host of events and opportunities for writers. Today and tomorrow RICHARD HEARN writer, magazine columnist and creator of the brilliant flash fiction site Paragraph Planet – describes what’s going on and how we can get involved.

A number of Festival events run in a programme at The Latest Bar in Manchester Street. On the 9th September, Rattle Tales – the popular and lively spoken word night in which writers get to read their work and the audience can ask questions, just so long as they’ve rattled the rattle – arrive at the festival with a digital twist on the game of consequences.

Brighton’s independent publisher, Myriad Editions host ‘Quick Fictions’ on the 19th September including readings from their successful short fiction app, and then on the 26th September there is Flash Lit Fiction. Two years ago, I was asked to be a guest judge at the first Flash Lit Fiction in the first Digital Festival, and last year and this have been privileged to be a co-organiser together with Amy and Tim from Grit Lit and Tara from Ethical-Seo.

Flash Lit Fiction is a spoken word event with a competitive edge, plus a Twitter competition which takes place in the run up and announced on the night.
For a writer, it’s a great way to test a story. There’s nothing like reading aloud to test the rhythms of your own writing, find out how your dialogue sounds, and whether your punchlines or twists work.
We are currently looking for entrants – you’ll need 3 x 300 word stories – so check out the website HERE

This year, we also have flash fiction workshops and presentations from 4pm, including me giving a short talk about my website, Paragraph Planet, and Geo-Writing, another event for writers that I’m running in the festival. More on that tomorrow….

Thanks Richard.  Geo-writing is exciting, imaginative and very different. I am going to get involved. Come back tomorrow to find out how you can too…

….meanwhile get writing. They WANT more 300 words stories. This is a great chance to showcase what you can do.

(By the way, do you find reading your work aloud as helpful as Richard suggests? Is it useful even if you are just reading it to yourself or do you need a listener/audience?)

photo credit: Chaval Brasil via photopin cc