This series of blog posts began out of a greater pursuit to read more. If I have to confess… now-a-days, I feel like I spend more time skimming articles, watching movies about books than actually reading them, … What happened to our love of words?! Has the saturation of words and videos in our online lives ruined our desire to ACTUALLY read stories?! How do we stop this declining trend in our society…My solution, setting aside time to read. So in an effort to curb my lack of reading, each week I will be featuring a book (or story) I’m reading to keep me on my schedule of self improvement, as well as, inform you of great reads (or not so great reads).
This week it’s a story of flash non-fiction, called Close to Shore. by C.B. Anderson, from Brevity Magazine. If you are unfamiliar with the term, flash non-fiction it’s one of my favorite things to read. All based on writing a creative piece less than 55o words, flash non-fiction gives writers restrictions in order to get a point across in a dynamic way through describing real life events. I was introduced to flash non-fiction in college during a writing class and, unlike other forms of writing, it is a good blend of short story, poetry and articles. Focused on descriptions and painting pictures for readers, flash non-fiction reminds me of our sense of smell connecting us with isolated memories by stringing thoughts and ideas together in a deliberate way.
Close to Shore, discusses the life of Thomas and his daughters after the recent abandonment by their mother. What I love about this piece is how it changed my perspective of divorce through focusing on random details after separation. Creating a unique juxtaposition of a parent giving it all and another who does everything for themselves it’s told in second person . Emotional and tangible, its a great quick read. If you like this short story, Brevity features lots of great stories when you just don’t feel like reading a novel, but you want some creative reads. Check it out here- Brevity Mag.
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