#FlashFictionFriday stirs memories

We wondered if the flash fiction prompt we posted here last Friday would bring back memories for some people. And indeed it did.

Here a writer tweets that she could not resist the prompt and has given us a beautiful and heartwarming tale of transformation,

She planned on rescuing her daughter from the radicals and ne’er-do-wells. The type that insisted on burning their bras. But her brother was killed in the war. She went back to the car to retrieve her handbag. Her daughter was right all along.

So much is said in so few words here. We learn about the mother’s preconceived ideas, her subsequent new experience and  transformed thinking.  It is a story of her loss but ultimately of her gaining new perspective, harking back to the past but looking forward to the future too.  We are so glad the writer could not resist the prompt because this story also has irresistible appeal to the reader.

Our second story has intrigued us as we are unsure whether the writer intended it as a comment on our  Twitterthread or as a piece of flash fiction.  The exciting thing for us is that we feel it doesn’t matter what the intention was – this little memoir stands up as a great little story, whichever way you look at it:

I remember being a library worker, on a picket line, decades ago, & a Tory matron lecturing us: ‘I’ve lived through 2 World Wars – & you – you’re a disgrace! Picket line colleague: you’ve lived through 2 world wars – & you’ve learned NOTHING …Theresa Musgrove @BrokenBarnet   Tweet  15.2.19

As readers, we can clearly hear the clash of these opposing views – many of us will have memories of such clashes and be nodding in recollection.

We are now building a fine collection of flash fiction.  We are excited to introduce a new prompt today.  We have plundered the GWL archive and selected an image from a magazine published in 1951.  Here it is:

Which story would you write, inspired by this image? Just fit your story into less than 240 characters and tweet it to us by Friday 1st March remembering to tag us @womenslibrary.  Don’t forget to dive right into the heart of your story and make every word count.  As we are discovering, you don’t need to tell the whole story – your reader will fill in the blanks!

Encourage friends to have a go too – the more the merrier! Have you ever thought of getting together for a flash fiction party?  We’ll look forward to reading all your stories as they appear on our Twitter feed in the coming days.  Remember if you are not a Twitter user, you can e-mail us your stories:  info@womenslibrary.org.uk  or for help typing up your story you can get in touch by ‘phone: 0141 550 2267.

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