Whoah! It’s already round three of the Summer Flash Showdown, and what a ride it has been. Judges and Sundress staff alike have been impressed and humbled by the creativity evidenced by the first two submissions calls alone. We thank all the participants and readers thus far, and all the new ones to come. But let’s be real: this is only the beginning of the literary hurdles and envy evoking prizes hiding here in the Wardrobe! This week could be your chance to win a copy of Amorak Huey’s debut, full-length collection, Ha Ha Ha Thump! But let’s not forget the Grand Prize Round just around the corner. A crowned champion will walk away with the publication of their story on the blog, and FIVE FREE SUNDRESS TITLES OF YOUR CHOOSING!!! The winners of this round will have the chance to write for this finale of internet epicness. This week’s judge is none other than… B. Rose Huber!!!
B. Rose Huber is the flash fiction editor of Pretty Owl Poetry. She spends her days writing about research at Princeton University. She received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Cobalt, Pear Noir!, The New Yinzer, the Light Ekphrastic, BE Literary, and Weave, among others. She also binds books for those who ask.
The Challenge: On-Ramps and Off-Scripts
A character takes a step out his front door. A stranger comes to town. A family stuffs a station wagon full of sunscreen and packed lunches. A young writer hitchhikes across a bygone country. All these have been ingrained into our conceptualization of storytelling in one way or another, but its time to go against the grain with this prompt. The open-road archetype, especially in its American form, is arguably as celebrated as it is re-branded and reused. We want you to mold a new kind of summer road trip story. But to keep you out of the muck of stereotypes, we are locking down the word “vacation” completely. No vacations allowed for these asphalt adventures! Encourage your characters to kick the back of each other’s seats and get lost, but make sure to leave out the punchlines or the “Are we there yet?” adolescents. They can be fun, but we’d rather you surprise us with honest detours away from predictable paths between plot point A and point B. Limit 450 words for round three. Please include a concise, publishable third person bio with your submission. Send all stories to sundressflashsummer@gmail.com. RTF or DOCX file format preferred. Stories must be submitted by Monday, August 3rd at midnight EST! Best of luck, and thank you for submitting!