This month we’re a little more mainstream than usual. Our first story, “Deconstructing The Nihilist” struck me as interesting because of the development of the narrator, who is essentially seeing the lack of development in her lover. His assessment of her becomes more disconcerting over time, and the not-with-a-bang-but-a-whimper result seems just right for this […]
I asked Evan once what he believed. He paused, scissors in one hand, photograph in the other. “Everything,” he said. He touched his tongue to his lip, all his focus flowing to a point, and he snipped a near-perfect circle out of the picture. “What did you do that for?” The picture had been taken […]
This is the third column in Bruce Holland Rogers’s new writing series, Technically Speaking. The first column, and the entirety of his Short-Short Sighted columns (dedicated to writing very short fiction), visit his author page. In part one of this article, Bruce explained some theory and then wrote: The title pulls the reader in. Then […]
Sir Charles Wilton had just poured himself a glass of brandy and flipped open a book he’d been looking forward to reading, when a sudden whooshing sound made him look up in time to witness a demon materializing in the library. For a moment Sir Charles considered running out of the house and then down […]
I found Uncle Jim in his workshop at the end of his garden. “Hello, Paul,” he said, “what’s the problem this time?” I blushed at this but he was smiling so I sat on a three-legged stool next to his bench and said, “Julie wants a divorce.” “You’ll have to talk while I work,” he […]
Punch, September 23, 1914 “Everybody’s doing it,” I said, “so as to have more for the Funds. Also for other reasons. The only question is what?” “Well,” said Ursula, “let’s make a beginning.” She produced a silver pencil and some celluloid tablets that are supposed to look like ivory. “What first?” she asked, frowning. I […]