Post Photo Courtesy of: en.wikipedia.org

Monologging.org is pleased to present this week’s #Bite Twitter Tales!

The following 140 character tweets were written by monologging enthusiasts across the web in response to last week’s prompt, “#TrackAndField.”

Follow these authors on social media and join the growing community of collaborating writers and artists by submitting your own #Bite tweet.

Visit Monologging.org every Sunday morning to find out the latest prompt and submit free throughout the week via SUBMITTABLE.

THE BITES:

#Bite @RogerMarket A lion roared. Meek little Dorothy removed her slippers and sprinted—just a girl running for her life. #MurderCharges

#Bite @heyjamie Dirt beneath her fingertips, an icy puff of breath, knee up, and run! Today she sprints. Tomorrow she goes for the gold.

#Bite @jennadio3 The team slugged around the track late into the night. Zoe, the captain, just wanted to lay on the field & count the stars.

#Bite @19nik72 Boom! You explode from the starting blocks, muscle and sinew burning, concentrated fury unleashed, the finish line in sight.

#Bite @TheSquibbler The parents cheered their child on, hoping for State. Oblivious that the child longed for anywhere, except the field.

#Bite @TheSquibbler In position, she waited. A false start caused reset. At the signal she stayed frozen, her legs & mind unwilling.

#Bite @TheSquibbler The finish line within reach, one hurdle remained. He came to, his face feeling like sandpaper had been raked over it.

#Bite @NairobiCollins A long stretch. Breathe. Feet hit ground and miles fly. The reward: Experience and the pain of having lived and tried.

#Bite @ModernAlice123 He knew that his legs would never be long enough, nor his strides strong enough, so he simply collapsed upon himself

#Bite @jkres14 “Run, run as fast as you can… What’s the point unless the police are on your ass?”

***

Post Photo Courtesy of: en.wikipedia.org

Post Photo by Rachel Verhaaren

Post Photo by Rachel Verhaaren

Post Photo by Rachel Verhaaren

Post Photo by Rachel Verhaaren

Post Photo by Rachel Verhaaren

Rabbit Hole

-Theatre Review by Nairobi Collins–

Rabbit Hole, now playing at the Vagabond Theatre in Baltimore, February 27th -March 29, is a foray into one family’s torment. After suffering the loss of a young child, Danny, everyone seeks inward understanding and closure. Each character struggles to cope and to resume a normal life, but deep scars linger.

In the beginning, audiences glimpse a lovely home filled with all the accouterments of a successful middle-class lifestyle. There is a neatly kept kitchen with a back door and window treatments as well as a refrigerator stocked with food. An adjacent dining room connects to a warm colored living room, complete with a working television and matching couch and loveseat. Then there is the staircase leading to the deceased child’s bedroom. Here, Danny’s playthings lay scattered about, prompting too recent memories of a child’s life. Suddenly, the subtle coziness of this picture gives way to shadows, as powerful lighting and sound cues simulate the stark reality of a scarred home where the family mourns the tragedy of Danny’s accidental death.

“It looked liked things were finished here,” Jason (Brendon Morrisson) tells Howie (Don Kamman), in a tense encounter. Jason is the maladroit teenager who drove the car that struck Howie’s son. Angered by the teen’s intrusion into his house, “Well, they’re not!” Howie, replies in a rage so tense, the air crackles and burns. Howie’s shock has not worn off, and the scene is set for wounds to deepen and emotions to hemorrhage.

“Don’t you think you should do something to fix things up a bit?” Izzy, (Ryan Gunning) tells her sister Becca (Zarah Rautell), as the two consider what to do about Danny’s belongings. Newly pregnant, Izzy’s comical and upbeat personality adds light, balancing the play’s darker moments. Earlier in the play, Becca picks her sister up after a bar fight, possibly prompted by Izzy’s promiscuity. Izzy’s irresponsible antics, are meant to be a foil to her sister’s prim facade. Becca, for that matter, seems to contain a bomb waiting to explode. She is cold and emotionally unavailable, yet she can also be very accommodating, often offering her family comforts and acting the part of gracious host.

Audiences will find warmth again in the role of Becca and Izzy’s mother, Nat (Amy Jo Shapiro). Nat mitigates the family’s mirth and sadness with matronly wisdom. In an emotional scene, she manages to invoke a memory of Danny that involves the whole family and doesn’t inspire pain. Deftly, and with great animation, she tells the story of how Danny once ate chocolates from a gift basket given to her by Howie and Becca. The mood rises with laughter as Nat reveals that the chocolates were, in fact, chocolate-covered espresso beans, causing Danny to “get really wild, run around in circles and climb up the walls.” Afterward, Becca asks her mother candidly, “Mom, does it ever go away….this feeling?”

“At some point it does become bearable and you can carry it around like a brick in your pocket…” Nat answers. “It’s not that you like it, but it’s what you have instead of your son.”

Burdens weigh on each character in a way that fosters myopic dramatic tension. Although the full cast is often on stage together, audiences will sense a void between these characters that prevents them from expressing their feelings in a meaningful way or mourning their loss together. Each holds their own brick, clutching desperately to his or her feelings of guilt and remorse. Howie pines for his son and perhaps another chance at fatherhood, never directly communicating his desires. Aware of her father’s emotional paralysis, Becca works alone to remove small parts of Danny from the home. These passive aggressive efforts to cope on an individual basis eventually culminate in a confrontation. For example, Howie is livid when he discovers that Becca accidentally taped over his only recent video of Danny. Powerful ironies immerse the audience. Becca’s negligence has seemingly taken memories of Danny from her parents, yet her actions were not without reason. Had the family members consulted each other directly, however, they could have avoided tumult.

Nat, Becca, and Howie stretch out looking for the next step in their lives and a way to live with the death of Danny. Making preparations for Izzy’s baby employs Nat in the positive role of expecting grandmother. Howie, however, remains lonely. He is hurting and becomes so estranged that audiences will fear his potential to wander outside of his marriage in search of comfort. Becca is also an aloof mystery. When she enrolls in classes at a nearby school, she also begins casually stalking her neighbors. As her character descends further into crisis, she acts either the jealous mute or an angry spirit torn between mercy and justice. By the time Jason appears, tensions are at a peak, and Becca has already resorted to the same physical violence she scolds her sister for at the beginning of the play. Jason’s introduction adds yet another dimension, allowing Becca to become more accessible as an emotional being. His nervousness and candor during their interaction relieves tension.

Rabbit Hole is a compelling experience. Eric C Stein’s direction, the lush set, and powerful acting by the able and convincing cast, convey a heartbreaking reality. Closure and complete understanding are all too often elusive desires, but the family’s efforts to cherish memories and restart their dialogue, breathes tremendous life into the tragic story of young boy’s death.

 ***

Post Photos courtesy of: Rachel Verhaaren

#FlashTag: Uneven Steps

Monologging.org invites you to help create collaborative flash fiction. The following picture-inspired story, featuring artwork by Monologging artist, Loreal Prystaj, needs to be completed by Saturday, March 7th. A new line will be added daily by different authors around the world. Find out how to submit your twist to the evolving plot by visiting the #FlashTag Submission Guidelines… Submit Free!

Photograph by Monologging Artist, Loreal Prystaj

Uneven Steps

#FlashTag @monologging “What will we name the baby?” Cara asked. Her boyfriend pulled his cigarettes from his sleeve.

#FlashTag @JemmaMarieBeggs He stared at the ring nestled inside the packet for a moment. Cara prattled on oblivious. “I was thinking Ocean”.

#FlashTag @NairobiCollins It was coming and would be on its feet before they were on theirs. Dan felt Cara’s heartbeat: fingertips to belly.

#FlashTag @19nik72 As quick as a flash Dan proposed! Two birds with one stone and all that. Cara was shocked by the stone as she cried “yes”

#FlashTag @heyjamie “But I want to do it right. With family,” Dan smiled. “So let’s get us the hell off this island!”

#FlashTag @jkres14 They climbed the towers uneven steps. From the lookout, they saw their spec surrounded by water. A cursed tempest hovered

#Flashtag @NairobiCollins “Trust me?”  “I do.” Darkness ahead, wind rose as Dan lowered rope. The first steps, a leap of faith into a storm.

*** 

Think you’ve got the next line to the story? Submit your #FlashTag response via Submittable!

Need a little help getting started? Click here to read: #FlashTag Examples

***

Post Photo by Loreal Prystaj

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Big Screen Streaming: Almost Famous

-A Look Back At Films Past by Roger Market-

When Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous came out in September 2000, the film’s journey began with a limited release. One can only imagine the resentment that this engendered in the fervent music and film aficionados of small-town USA, most of whom didn’t have access to the large cities where this rock and roll movie was showing. They had to wait a full week for the wide release. In those early days, no one could have predicted just how meta the film was going to be. Almost Famous commanded a high budget of $60 million, but it grossed only $47.4 million worldwide. Hence, much like William, its central character, Almost Famous was a bit of a loser—albeit one with a devoted following.

It all begins in 1969. William Miller is a special kid, or at least his overbearing mother Elaine likes to think so. He did skip the fifth grade, after all. Elaine is a college professor who is hell-bent on educating her children, but she also places unfair restrictions on them and shields them from the world. Anita, William’s college-aged sister, is so sanitized that in her first scene, she can’t even curse her mother properly. “Feck you!” she says before storming off to her room. Indeed, Anita’s constant rebellion, combined with her love for her brother, prompts an amusing revelation early in the film. “Tell him the truth,” she says. “Tell him how old he is.” Elaine is then forced to admit to William that in addition to skipping him a grade in school, she started him a year early. He’s eleven, not twelve, stranded in a class full of budding teenagers. William is understandably upset. The lynchpin in all the craziness, however, is Elaine’s refusal to allow her children to listen to rock music. Naturally, Anita rebels and has a secret stash of rock records. When she decides to leave home to become a flight attendant, she forces her mother to listen to the one song that can explain why she’s leaving: Simon & Garfunkel’s “America.” Minutes later, Anita is gone, leaving William her collection of records.

Her departure changes everything, revealing the thrust of the movie. Following Anita’s suggestion, William begins with the epic two-album rock opera Tommy, by The Who. A montage quickly transports the viewer to 1973. William is now a fifteen-year-old high school senior who writes music reviews for the school paper. Music is his life. He befriends Lester Bangs, editor of the music magazine Creem, and receives a trial assignment to interview Black Sabbath. Failing to gain the access he needs, he shifts his attention to the up-and-coming band, Stillwater. Soon, he receives an assignment to cover the group in an article for Rolling Stone. The centerpiece of the article is a one-on-one interview with lead guitarist Russell Hammond.

Despite Elaine’s better judgment, she allows him to take the gig, but with stipulations (one being that he must come home in time for his high school graduation). While she never really vocalizes her reasons for letting him go, the viewer can surmise that she’s afraid; if she doesn’t give in, she’ll lose her son just like she lost her daughter. Screen legend Frances McDormand is a force to be reckoned with in her portrayal of Elaine. Her performance mirrors her stunning achievement in Fargo a few years prior. Specifically, her phone conversations with William are a joy to watch. Her carefully wrought expressions, accompanied by subtle shifts in tone, lay her emotions bare before her son and the viewer.

Kate Hudson’s performance in Almost Famous, however, is the most noteworthy, earning her a Golden Globe. Hudson plays a young woman who goes by the name Penny Lane. Penny is a “Band-Aid,” or a groupie who doesn’t sleep with the band, but she makes an exception for Russell. Penny and Russell are in love, and their destructive semi-secret relationship is the main subplot of the movie. She follows the band around the country and becomes a close friend of William’s. Meanwhile, Russell keeps dodging interviews with William because he realizes that he’s made friends with a music reviewer, a.k.a. “The Enemy.” By the midpoint, William is prepared to cut his losses and return home to his frantic mother. During a rousing sing-along to “Tiny Dancer,” he tells Penny his plan to leave. She changes his mind.

“You are home,” she says with a “magical” flick of her wrist. And that’s the end of it . . . for now. Here, Hudson perfectly channels the carefree hippie that is Penny Lane. Patrick Fugit (who plays William) responds with one of his numerous grins. Deftly portraying a teenage boy’s crush on an older woman, Fugit also drives home the unsurprising revelation that his character does, in fact, belong in the music world.

As Almost Famous progresses toward its climax, Penny becomes increasingly more important to William as well as the plot. Indeed, her storyline unfolds in spectacular fashion in the movie’s last act, when William is finally forced to go home with or without the interview. The culmination of Penny’s story is dark and imperfect, just like real life, and Hudson’s performance here is well deserving of that Golden Globe. William’s development, and in turn, Russell’s, is inextricably linked with Penny’s. Nothing works out quite like anyone thought it would, but there is plenty to smile about in the end.

If there’s one aspect that feels a little underdeveloped in Almost Famous, it would have to be Elaine’s transition from overprotective, rule-enforcing hard-ass to a regular worried mother who nonetheless allows her fifteen-year-old boy to travel the country with a rock band. McDormand is wonderful, but the script’s pacing proves a little uneven here. That said, the movie hovers right around two hours in length, so it’s understandable that something had to give. The film’s real focus is on William, Russell, and Penny—an impossible trio who deliver an emotional climax and resolution that pleases audiences.

Like its underdog central character, Almost Famous is a fun-loving friend to anyone who gives the film a chance. It’s a shame the box office takings didn’t reflect the movie’s greatness, but maybe that’s the secret recipe. Almost Famous received dozens of awards in 2001, including the Oscar for Best Writing, the aforementioned Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Kate Hudson), and the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical. Today, Almost Famous is a cult classic, and it’s available for immediate streaming on Netflix.

***

Post Photo Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Post Photo Courtesy of: en.wikipedia.org

Monologging.org is pleased to present this week’s #Bite Twitter Tales!

The following 140 character tweets were written by monologging enthusiasts across the web in response to last week’s prompt, “Secret Recipe.”

Follow these authors on social media and join the growing community of collaborating writers and artists by submitting your own #Bite tweet.

Visit Monologging.org every Sunday morning to find out the latest prompt and submit free throughout the week via SUBMITTABLE.

THE BITES:

#Bite @jennadio3 “Brown your garlic, let the oil sizzle, crush the tomatoes, and talk really loud into the pot.” Grandma’s sauce.

#Bite @diranasaurus Miss Ida used to catch a man without even glancing his way, arcane magic flowing out in tendrils. Then the magic stopped.

#Bite @RogerMarket A tree. A nerd. Binoculars. A naked woman. Three Rottweillers. A steady wind. Today had a few unexpected ingredients.

#Bite @19nik72 A smile to sadness, An up to down, Lift my spirits to reverse my frown. love and laughter. My not so secret recipe in life.

#Bite @everlastingMCL Mama and Katrina say we light on fixin’s. But I ain’t scared a’ hunger. Boudin mean whatever run across the yard next.

#Bite @ModernAlice123 It’s wasn’t so much a recipe as a song: toss, sprinkle, pinch/She kept this up until the stars sung her to sleep

#Bite @JemmaMarieBeggs Her hot dogs were a total hit! Grabbing her husband’s hand she chopped another finger off and dropped it in the fryer

#Bite @NairobiCollins “Food ain’t scarce, ‘tis all ‘round. T’was weak appetite fer nature that starved men.” Sweet grubs bobbed in hot stew.

***

Post Photo Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Introducing

“Pictured Pause”

-A new contest hosted by Monologging.org and HOOT–

This spring, pause and snap a picture! Monologging.org and HOOT are teaming up to offer fantastic prizes for writers with a sharp eye and the right words to describe the scene. The contest will be judged by Monologging.org editor, Jeffrey F. Barken, Hoot editors, Amanda Vacharat, Jannie Cannarella, Dorian Geisler and Monologging.org artist, Dara Lorenzo.

Here’s How It Works:

1.) Beginning March 1st, and running through May 31st, writers and artists are invited to submit an original image or photograph and brief (no more than 100 word) accompanying paragraph of poetry or fiction that is in conversation with their picture.

2.) The writing element should add either the essence of a character, portray a mood or set the stage for imminent action… Participants can collaborate to create their composite media or submit solo.

3.) Submit via Submittable. $3.00 entry fee.

4.) Submit as often as you like.

*Note: All submissions are subject to review by Monologging and Hoot Judges. Only entries approved by our staff will be published.

*Prizes*

“In One Place But Not The Other” by Dara Lorenzo

1^st place receives $50.00. 1 yr. subscription to Hoot’s postcard review of {mini} poetry and prose, and “In One Place But Not The Other,” original artwork by Monologging artist, Dara Lorenzo.

“Luckey” by Dara Lorenzo

2^nd Place Receives $25.00, 1 yr subscription to Hoot, and “Luckey,” original artwork by Dara Lorenzo.

“Screamer” by Dara Lorenzo

3^rd Place Receives $15, 1 yr subscription to Hoot, and “Screamer,” original artwork by Dara Lorenzo.

*Additional 1 yr Hoot Review subscriptions will be granted to the first 3 runners-up.

*People’s Choice Prize*

Monologging.org & Hoot seek input from their followers on social media. Throughout the duration of the contest, worthy “Pictured Pause” entries will be selected and entered to win an additional “Peoples Choice Prize” of $25.00.

Selected “People’s Choice” candidates will have their entry posted as the “picture of the day” on Monologging.org’s facebook page.

(This will be done on a rolling basis, so the sooner people begin entering the contest, the sooner we’ll have media to present)

Round up your friends and get them to Like your work. The entry that receives the most positive feedback over the course of the contest wins!

Judge Bios

Jeffrey F. Barken

Jeffrey F. Barken, editor and founder of Monologging.org, is a novelist and a reporter. He  is the author of “This Year in Jerusalem,” a collection of fiction stories loosely based on his experiences as a kibbutz volunteer in Israel, 2009-10. In 2013, Jeffrey traveled to Europe and Israel to conduct a promotional book tour for his self-designed and self-published book. He has recently returned to New York City where he is completing work on a new novel, entitled: “All the Lonely Boys in New York.”

Dara Lorenzo

Dara Lorenzo was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1983. She attended West Virginia University for Painting, 2001-2004 and received her B.S in Printmaking from Towson University in 2008. Most recently, she has completed an MFA in Printmaking from San Francisco Art Institute. Dara’s current work explores the claiming of spaces, through treading and marking. With a focus on the expressive forms found in carving, writing, construction and deconstruction, her work discovers the way we inhabit places and change them to suit our personalities and daily lives. Dara’s latest photography project involves collaborating with strangers who interact with places in a unique way. She develops her photography pieces through a photo-intaglio print process. To read about Dara’s work and some of the San Francisco artists in her circle, please visit KQED Arts.

Amanda Vacharat is an editor and founder and the art director of HOOT. Her work has been published in elimae, MonkeyBicycle, and elsewhere. She has trained her cat to stand up and lie down on command, and is currently working on a young adult novel.

Dorian Geisler, Editor/Co-Founder of HOOT, is a professor of poetry in Arcadia University’s MFA program. He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.  His poetry has been published or is forthcoming in The Believer, Hayden’s Ferry Review, LVNG, and the Berkeley Poetry Review.  His first book, from McSweeney’s will appear in late 2016. 

Jane-Rebecca is an editor at HOOT Review, a cat lady, and a Nutella enthusiast. When not poorly playing the piano, she chronicles the many ways that she embarrasses herself at the website www.youlifeisnotsogreat.com. 

***

Post Photo Courtesy of Dara Lorenzo 

Photo by Jeffrey F. Barken

EMPIRE STATE DAYS II

-Writing, Life and Publishing Reflections by Jeffrey F. Barken– 

Eliza Newman dropped me a line. She was visiting New York.

“Any literary places you’d recommend?” she asked.

“Your timing couldn’t be better,” I answered. “We’re shooting the book trailer for All the Lonely Boys in New York that night.” Then I sent a quick list of sites to explore, suggesting she start at Ground Zero. “That’s hallowed ground for me as a writer,” I explained. “Sets a mood. Then you have to climb out of the dark.”

“Don’t leave the city without us grabbing coffee,” I added.

I was excited to talk about our virtual collaboration in person and to make our friendship “real.” Eliza first submitted her poetry to Monologging.org over the summer. Since then, she has covered the L.A. art scene, reporting on gallery openings and critiquing shows.

The last few months have been all about making monologging.org connections, as well as my fiction, real. I’ve been working with director and filmmaker, Dan Slottje since the summer, to write a script for the trailer, organize props and equipment. Dan had enlisted the actor, Ben Rezendes, to read lines from the book and portray a spooked, unnamed terrorist. His character delivers a bomb to Times Square by bicycle on the night of March 6^th, 2008, the evening my book takes place. I’d already heard the recordings of Ben reading, but the mild January day I set out to meet Eliza, and film the trailer, would be my first meeting with a character I’d created.

Eliza was waiting for me downstairs at the Empire State Building. She’d saved a table for us at Starbucks.

I had brought the first proof of my novel along. I was excited to show Eliza the illustrations by Diana Muller and outline all of the events we are planning to accompany the launch. Eliza, likewise, had a story to show me.

We traded manuscripts and talked first lines:

Boy, my mind was busy. That dirty song was stuck in my head, and it wasn’t even dark yet…”

-All the Lonely Boys in New York, By Jeffrey F. Barken

Even as the winds howled and rain seeped in through the holes in the roof, we were warm beneath the blanket…”

-Untitled Story by Eliza Newman

I could tell Eliza was in character. She’d wandered New York all weekend, “soaking up,” as Garp says in Irving’s novel. Her imagination, however, was way out west, conjuring a stormy night story based on the famous 2006, Hanukah Eve Windstorm that blitzed Olympia, Washington.

“Sounds like your characters are all tucked in,” I told her, envying the warm scene she’d depicted.

Next, we got talking about experimental writing. I told Eliza about the new, interactive writing games I’m hosting on Monologging.org with the help of poet, Patrick Milian, and fiction author Diana Mumford : #Bite and #FlashTag. The former category prompts writers to produce a weekly, one-two line twitter-ready response to a given prompt. The latter invites multiple writers to share the process of writing a collaborative flash story in response to a picture and first line, all published over the course of a week.

Flipping through the pages of my proof copy of All the Lonely Boys, I explained my evolving vision for Monologging.org: “Books have only one entry point,” I said. “Imagine a publication with unlimited portals, actively existing in a fictive realm. I want authors to launch their characters here, or fill in the backstory for their published works. We should use the platform to connect everything we’re creating, even merge stories so that characters from one writer’s imagination can interact with another’s…”

That’s a coffee buzz tangent for you. I was ripped, ready to power through a long day of work and an all night trailer shoot. “Here’s to future collaborations,” I think we said, toasting empty paper cups before we parted.

Back upstairs in the “Crow’s Nest,” I knew there’d be time to kill after work, so I sent Wesley Burdett a line.

“Meet me downtown to pick up this dog I’m watching,” he replied.

That was the perfect set-up to slip back into my old character, Myles Fletcher. I owe Wes the setting for All the Lonely Boys in New York. Back in 2008, when I was down and out, I spent almost six months crashing on his couch. The Upper East Side Apartment where we lived together, struggling through the darkest days of the Credit Crisis, inspired me to imagine a fictional meeting house where soldiers and anarchists discuss their opposition to the Iraq War. Eventually, my characters plot the still unsolved terrorist attack on the Army Recruitment Center in Times Square.

Wes and I caught a happy hour in the West Village before zipping down to the Financial District to pick up the dog he was watching.

“I’m off to China again for work,” Wes told me about his latest freelance lighting design project.

Cheers to China. Cheers to filming the trailer. We talked about our craving for creative space, and what claustrophobia in New York does to one’s imagination… Cheers. Cheers again, till our glasses were empty. Then we paid and hopped a train.

Damn, that whippet was hyper. We let the dog mark every sidewalk as we walked uptown past Ground Zero, the very soulful stretch I’d suggested Eliza trek. I realized that was the closest I’d been to the Freedom Tower since I moved back to New York. Amazing how a symbol evolves… By the time I arrived at the rendezvous point on 63^rd and York, Dan and Ben were waiting with the bike and camera.

“Lee told me what twists and turns his mind had taken as he rode his bicycle downtown,” I recited a line from the book as I shook hands with Ben. We were trading characters…

***

Click here to read the first entry in this series: Empire State Days

Post Photo by Jeffrey F. Barken

#FlashTag: Stumbling

Monologging.org invites you to help create collaborative flash fiction. The following picture-inspired story needs to be completed by Saturday, February 28th. A new line will be added daily by different authors around the world. Find out how to submit your twist to the evolving plot by visiting the #FlashTag Submission Guidelines… Submit Free!

Photography by Jeffrey F. Barken

Stumbling

#FlashTag @monologging $10 in his pocket, dinner on his mind. A day adrift reflects the scents of church & chicken.

#FlashTag @jennadio3 Much to Hal’s dismay, Popeye’s was closed, leaving his stomach to munch on itself instead of supple biscuits & wings.

#FlashTag @19nik72 The first raindrop smashed into the sidewalk, instantly spreading into the dehydrated asphalt. What next? Hal mused.

#FlashTag @NairobiCollins Aiming towards home, Hal counted paces between bus stops and rain clouds. He ran pitifully as a bus left him cold.

#FlashTag @JemmaMarieBeggs Shivering, Hal stumbled to a stop. As the sky unleashed its fury, he ducked into the doorway of a deserted shop.

#FlashTag @jkres14 Across the dusty floor, Hal saw a stack of newspapers. Drying his face, he couldn’t believe the headlines or the date.

#FlashTag @LunchOnTuesday It was today. There was nothing wrong in the world. Anywhere. Not a jot. Hal shivered as the thunder grew closer.

***

Think you’ve got the next line to the story? Submit your #FlashTag response via Submittable!

Need a little help getting started? Click here to read: #FlashTag Examples

The Boyhood of Raleigh by Sir John Everett Millais. Photo Courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storytelling

Introducing #FlashTag!

-Collaborative & Interactive Storytelling by Monologging.org Followers-

Ever play “Story to Pass?” The writing game where one person imagines the first scene of a tale and then passes their creation along so that their peers can fill in the ensuing plot and details…

Monologging.org seeks to create great Tweet-ready Flash Fiction by inviting your participation in weekly collaborative story prompts.

Here’s How it Works:

1.) Every Monday morning, Monologging.org will publish a new, titled post, containing a picture and 140 character twitter-formatted first line of a story.

Example:  

#FlashTag @monologging Wind whipped the fluff atop his head & rattled the tabloid flyers clinging to the wall.

2.) Starting that Monday morning, writers are invited to submit the ensuing lines of the story in five daily installments.

*In order to be eligible for publication, submissions must connect with the preceding line(s) in a meaningful way, enhancing the scene, further establishing the characters, or providing a new twist to the evolving plot.

Submissions will be reviewed nightly by Monologging editors, Jeffrey F. Barken and Diana Mumford. The selected 2^nd line will then be posted the next morning, at which point the process repeats and participating authors are again invited to submit the 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th, installment of the story in daily increments.

*Every #FlashTag Story must end on Saturday at midnight. The final installment to the weekly collaborative piece will be added Sunday Morning.

3.) Compose your submission:

Responses must follow this format:

#FlashTag @(Your Twitter handle) (Your original content)

*Responses will be rated for their relevance to the preceding lines in the story, the author’s word choice, style, and ability to abbreviate (where necessary) with clarity.

3.) Submit for FREE via SUBMITTABLE up until 12PM EST every night that a #FlashTag story is under construction, at which point the category will close until the next line of the story is posted the following morning at 10AM.

*Submissions must be titled according to the weekly theme/prompt and comply with standard Twitter formatting. All submissions exceeding 140 characters will be declined.

Click here to read: #FlashTag Examples written by Jeffrey and Diana.

*Only 1 submission will be selected daily for publication as an extension to the weekly story. You’ll know yours was chosen when you hear your phone “tweet” and read this exciting news: “@monologging mentioned you in a tweet!”

We’re looking forward to reading your work and to sharing some excellent collaborative writing! Please visit and explore Monologging.org often. Submit to #FlashTag as often as you like and connect with the growing network of up-and-coming artists featured on the site via social media. Happy Tweeting!

*Note: All submissions are subject to review by Monologging Editors. Only entries approved by our staff will be published.

Editor Bios:

Jeffrey F. Barken

Jeffrey F. Barken, editor and founder of Monologging.org, is a novelist and a reporter. He  is the author of “This Year in Jerusalem,” a collection of fiction stories loosely based on his experiences as a kibbutz volunteer in Israel, 2009-10. In 2013, Jeffrey traveled to Europe and Israel to conduct a promotional book tour for his self-designed and self-published book. He has recently returned to New York City where he is completing work on a new novel.

Diana Mumford

Diana Mumford received her BA in Creative Writing and BSBA in Marketing from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. She currently lives and writes in Charlottesville, VA.

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Post Photo Courtesy of: en.wikipedia.org

Monologging.org is pleased to present this week’s #Bite Twitter Tales!

The following 140 character tweets were written by monologging enthusiasts across the web in response to last week’s prompt, “Sick Day.”

Follow these authors on social media and join the growing community of collaborating writers and artists by submitting your own #Bite tweet.

Visit Monologging.org every Sunday morning to find out the latest prompt and submit free throughout the week via SUBMITTABLE.

THE BITES:

#Bite @diranasaurus Wake up. Rub eyes. Taste morning breath. Pull on cap. Eat breakfast. Taste vomit. Open shirt. Clean PICC. Taste metal.

#Bite @RogerMarket Six visitors in four hours. #LuckiestGirlEver. The fifth one cleaned the puke bucket AND signed the divorce papers.

#Bite @TheBetsyBoyd The flu? (Raises hand.) I’ll take it — to stay home with TV, soup and soda. No boss! No bra! (Raises hand high.) ME!

#Bite @TheBetsyBoyd You’re sick—a sicko—you stink—blow—you’re hot with drain—you son of a sneeze on a city bus—in my own mirror: Monster!

#Bite @jkres14 The party raged and the night got blurry. A meeting at 9 but woke up groggy. I’m thinking today will be a sick day. *cough*

#Bite @JemmaMarieBeggs I’ll take one prescription for Disney & duvets with hourly doses of soup and self-pity. And don’t forget the drugs!

#Bite @TheSquibbler Lights flashed in the darkness. Uncontrollable chills while bundled. Was this an illness or the creep of death?

#Bite @mess_of_petals Hungover at my birthday lunch. “What’s wrong?” Grandpa asks sweetly. “Flu,” I say. “The 24 ounce flu,” mutters my dad.

#Bite @19nik72 This unwelcome parasite, lodged in with barbed hooks. From burning eyes influenza cries, “no work today.”

#Bite @AbbyHiggs I vomited in a department store entrance as a kid. My mom continued to shop; she just gave me a bag. Now I hate Macy’s.

#Bite @ModernAlice123 Sickly cups of chamomile tea drown my insides, while couch-bound and stuck inside I sit here and count the hours.

#Bite @NairobiCollins First symptom, coughing. The last straw, my aching body. I called in to call out. Hot tea, cold cereal, Netflix, nap.

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Post Photo Courtesy of: en.wikipedia.org