TSS Flash Fiction 400 Competition, winter 2018
We are pleased to announce the TSS Flash 400 longlist for the spring competition. Flash Fictions have been listed alphabetically.
Our huge thanks to all those who entered and many congratulations to the writer of these 40 fantastic pieces of writing.
Please feel free to announce your longlisting on social media, but do not specify which Flash Fiction is yours. Judging is still underway and work must remain anonymous.
The shortlist will be announced by the end of the month.
TSS Flash Fiction 400 Longlist (spring 2019)
A Small Mistake
Afternoons and Coffee Spoons
Aluminium
Bobby Beer Bottle
Cherry Bomb
Cistern
Eleventh Night
Evidence of Another Life
Except by my Sister
French Exchange
Girl & Pangolin
How to Enter Another Galaxy
I Married a Taxidermist
I’d Advise Any Woman to Steer Clear of a Man Like That
Just a Drop in the Ocean
Just a Normal Day
Matt’s Basement
Mind the Gap
Nature Walk
No Ghost
No Isabellas or Olivers, No Rental College Epiphanies
Paradise
Phyllis Wears Blue
Ring Pull
Skyscraper Woman
Slow Down for Armadillos
Some Meaning
Space Oddity
Swimming Solo
Swing
Terminal
The Age of the Dinosaurs
The Gentle Art of Sock Balling
The Kraken
The Man on the Ledge
The Parasites
This is How it Works
Tiger
Uki Survives on Scraps from the Fish MarketWestern
Diamondback Rattlesnake can survive six months without food
TSS Flash 400 Winners (winter 2018)
1st Place
The Grieving Gallery Attendant is Going to Quit, by Anika Carpenter
2nd Place
Catechism by Adam Lock
3rd Place
In My Dream I See My Son by Jason Jackson
Highly Commended
A Touch of Blood – Stephan Meijerhof
No Plans – Paul Jenkins
Face Full of Quills – Jasmine Templet
Comments from Guest Judge, Emily Devane:
First, I’d like to thank Rupert for inviting me to judge this brilliant competition. It has been a huge honour reading the stories – and so many of them will stay with me long after reading. We had a few tough choices to make, and had to part with some stories we loved, several of which were a tantalising tweak away from being winners. For the pieces that didn’t quite make it, I sincerely hope to see them out there in other competitions and lit mags.
The stories we chose are the ones that stayed with us, where each re-read rewarded us with new layers. The writer of third-placed ‘In my dream, I see my son’ impressed us with their technical skill – the use of time in particular, and those details that make a life – culminating in a gorgeous last line. In second place, ‘Catechism’ worked on different levels. It’s a witty piece and we loved the unusual question and answer structure, the way it builds momentum and finishes on the perfect note. Finally, first-placed ‘The Grieving Gallery Attendant is Going to Quit’ shows a remarkable moment between two people, where the actions of one has a profound impact on the other. We loved the quirky tone, the arresting imagery and that satisfying conclusion, provided in part by the – quite brilliant – title.
Previous winners of the TSS Flash 400 competitions
Boy in a Bearskin, Joanna Campbell
Sweet William by Alicia Bakewell
Learning to Speak Dolphin by Angela Readman
Second Skin – Jo Gatford
When last We Spoke – Douglas Jensen
‘Cubism’ by Adam Lock
‘Maria Belfiore’s Shoes’ by Emily Devane
‘What She Carried’ by Kevin Kissane