I'm honored to be part of the May 22 podcast on NovelClass. It's very exciting to be part of such an amazing pool of talent. Thank you to host Dave Pezza for your warm welcome. The next edition of #NovelClass airs on May 22 and will feature @green_gila's Passport Control. Start reading, subscribe, and tune in! https://podcasts.apple.com/...
Thank you so much to my publisher Gloria Mindock who was kind enough to send me a photo of the first copy of White Zion. Right now I have a White Zion giveaway on Goodreads. Join me! And here's a new review from author Tara Lynn Masih: Gila Green has assembled a wonderful, atmospheric collage that depicts a family's historical jour...
I love author interviews. Please let me know in the comments if there's an author you'd like me to interview.
Serendipity day. I'm sharing my exciting moment today of finding my novel No Entry on Dragonfly. It's such a great feeling to find your novel unexpectedly on a site you admire and it makes the release date feel that much more tangible. September 1, you're only three months (and a couple of weeks away).
I was excited to read this email from author Miryam Sivan. I've never met her but hopefully one day I will have the opportunity to meet her and thank her in person for this lovely message. "I read Passport Control and thoroughly enjoyed it! Miriam's story was very moving. Her pain and needs were palpable and often heart breaking. I love...
I'm thrilled to tell you that a Flash story I workshopped with you last winter is a Finalist for a WOW contest! (The story was "Shared Calendars", about a trapeze student).I'm so appreciative of your guidance, and look forward to another class - I'm a Flash addict now. I hope all is well with you. Thank you again, and I look forward to working with...
I'm so excited to share that White Zion is coming out in May with Cervena Barva Press, USA. This novel-in-stories takes readers into the worlds of 19th century Yemen, pre-State Israel, modern Israel and modern Canada. You will hear the voices of a young boy marveling at Israel's first air force on his own roof, the cry of a newly married woman help...
I'm thrilled to tell you that my first young adult, environmental fiction novel No Entry is available for pre order. You can also request a review copy. Broken-hearted after losing her brother in a terrorist attack, 17-year-old Yael Amar seeks solace on an elephant conservation program in South Africa's Kruger National Park. Catapu...
I was thrilled to spend half an hour with author Janet Groom. You can listen to it on ITunes or watch it on YouTube. We discuss writing fiction and why I think we have to get away from characterizing fiction as either plot driven or character driven. Thank you so much for having me on your show, Janet. Stay tuned for a review of Janet's novel...
I'm delighted to announce my daughter's engagement. Welcome to the family! May you be blessed until 120!
I am excited to present this month's Jewish Book Carnival, a monthly event where those who cover Jewish books online "can meet, read, and comment on each others' posts." Organized by the Association of Jewish Libraries, the Carnival travels around and is hosted on a different participant's site on the 15th of each month. For me April&nb...
I love it when I'm surfing and find something unexpected. Just found this review of Passport Control on Amazon Canada posted on behalf of Tommy Dewar (unfortunately, reviews put on Amazon USA and Amazon Canada are separate). I've never met Tommy but thank you so much and I hope you enjoy White Zion coming out April 25. 5.0 out of 5 stars Great...
Just had a fantastic WiSh (Wisdom Share) with Bev Joy Ehrlich and shared a tip to help you create your next dream. Can't wait for this to air! I'll post the details to the WiSh as soon as it goes live. Meantime don't you love this photo from the Jerusalem Mahane Yehudah Market? Took it last night.
Contests With Deadlines in April April 7 (contest runs on Australian time, so deadline may be considerably earlier than midnight depending on your timezone) Up to 500 words based on prompt (released April 5). Prize: 500AUD https://www.writerscentre.com.au/furious-fiction/ April 10: Up to 2,500 words on topic "Identity." Prizes: £10,000, £3,000, £2,...
Check back on April 15th! Looking forward to sharing more Jewish creativity with you soon.
Thank you to Brian Henry for re-posting my article originally published on Mark Mirsky's Fiction Magazine website which I titled "My Ironic Story" and Brian re-titled "Sensitivity Readings." I've followed Brian's site Quick Brown Fox for years and I am always grateful for Brian's support of my work. I recommend his site, pa...
I am honored to host the next April Jewish Book Carnival right here, so check back April 15 for all new links. Also, this week my podcast on Janet Groom just in time for the Purim holiday this Wednesday. I'll post that, too.
I enjoyed this so much, I'm reposting this article by Jody J. Sperling on BookFox. I'd like to ask Sperling if this advice equally applies to young adult. If I get a response, I'll share it. Stories are only truly great when they confront the great fears. Bernard Malamud knew this. His character of Roy Hobbs, a naturally gifted baseball playe...
I am not very well versed in Jewish and Middle Eastern culture and politics. And while some of the historically impactful events the author refers to throughout this book were familiar to me, I'm relieved to say that my general lack of cultural awareness did not hinder my enjoyment of Passport Control in the least. In fact, it was quite easy ...
Ellen MarcantanoSat, Mar 2, 4:00 AM (1 day ago)Hi Gila,I just wanted to share my fantastic news. The Dime Show Review wants to publish a flash piece I sent to them. There are no words to express my thanks to you because without you this would not be happening. I bow to you my writing Goddess!!You are an amazing teacher and mentor who gave me the co...
White Zion, my novel in stories, will be released mid-April by Cervena Barva Press. I started this collection a dozen years ago and it was almost published a handful of times. Finally, it has found its proper home. So excited! I plan to do a giveaway on Goodreads, so stay tuned for that. Grateful for early reviews: In a journey of generations from ...
Today I'm excited to bring you an author interview with Jeff Gerstenfeld, a fellow writer in Israel writing in English. While I have not had the pleasure of meeting Jeff in person, I'm so pleased that he contacted me about his new book Downsized and Oversized. Often genre writers get sidelined and it's a great opportunity for me today to introduce...
If you haven't had a chance to read my interviews with these authors about their new works, this is a friendly reminder. I'm honored to be able to help spread the word about so much talent and creativity. If you have comments on my interviews or a question you'd like me to ask authors for future interviews, please comment below. Check out my...
I am excited to present this month's Jewish Book Carnival, a monthly event where those who cover Jewish books online "can meet, read, and comment on each others' posts." Organized by the Association of Jewish Libraries, the Carnival travels around and is hosted on a different participant's site on the 15th of each month. For me February ...
Thank you Debra Martens for hosting me and my dear friend and colleague, Anna Levine, on your site today. It was a pleasure. Working in silence, alone with your thoughts, writing can be a lonely business. But have you looked at the list of acknowledgements at the back of some books lately? They seem to be getting longer, as if a bo...
My poem Late Night on the Phone is out on The Dime Show Review. Thank you again. Late Night on the Phone by Gila Green I so rarely have time to write poetry, so I'm thrilled this was accepted. https://www.dimeshowreview.com/late-night-on-the-phone-by-gila-green/
A new short story has been accepted to The Bookends Review. I have a podcast interview lined up there as well (in August), so stay tuned. I originally titled the story The Kike Caller then probably in the politically correct climate changed it to Summer Job. Now, I'm unsure. I might change it back to its original title which reson...
I was planning to break until the fall but, due to demand, I am offering two new classes in June: WRITING FICTION: SETTING AND DESCRIPTION START DATE: Wednesday, June 12, 2019 DURATION: 4 weeks COURSE DESCRIPTION: Great story has a memorable sense of place. In this four-week course you will discover why setting and description are the...
I'm thrilled to be hosted on Joanna Penn's The Creative Penn today. Thank you so much for having me on your site. Writing Tips: Writing Beyond The 5 Senses The most useful way to show what you want to say is to tap into the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing and get into the 'why' behind each sense. In other words, you must ...
California's Dime Show Review! I'm thrilled to share that my poem, "Late Night on the Phone" was just accepted to Dime Show Review for online publication and they are considering it for their three times a year print run. Thank you to editor Kae Sable for accepting my poem.
In South Africa's Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, I discuss improving setting in your story.
Enjoy the view. Today's vlog was filmed at Chapman's Peak, a mountain on the western side of the Cape Peninsula, between Hout Bay and Noordhoek in Cape Town, South Africa.
Today's question is about adding some levity to your flash fiction. You don't want to write an extended joke. What's the difference?
It was a pleasure to talk with Laura Parish, who hosts the fiction readers and writers blog, Novel Kicks. Thank you so much for having me. My first interview of 2019 and my first in the UK! Hi Gila, thank you for joining me today. Your novel is called Passport Control. Can you tell me about it and what inspired the story? Passport Control is a comi...
I'm so pleased to share Rebecca Klempner's review of Passport Control with you. Reviewed by Rebecca Klempner Gila Green's recent novel, Passport Control, is not light entertainment. But it's perfect for those readers interested in a suspenseful, well-written, and thought-provoking piece of literary fiction that may make them deeply uncom...
Register Now: Come as you are, with a fifth version of a piece you've been working on since your high school graduation or as a writer who has never heard of flash until you saw this advertisement and rushed to sign up. In the first part of this masterclass, we'll define flash fiction and take you all the way from idea to premise to micro fla...
"What I draw from is not a photographic memory, but an emotional one." Thank you, Amy Tan. I reread that again and again. I must use this as a prompt to write about the truths in fiction. What is the purpose of fiction? To write what I cannot say. Though I cannot tell you what happened for so many reasons (pain, shame), if I...
Live Write thrive, Writers Write, Christi Craig, Kathy Steinemann, Kathryn Schleich, Writers Helping Writers, Fiction Magazine, The Book Designer, The Millions, WOW-Women on Writing hailing from USA, Canada, and South Africa. The writing community is global. Writers take note and think BIG.
In 2013, I published my first novel King of the Class (KOTC). Three months later I wrote a post titled "What I learned from Publishing my First Novel." It was a necessary integration of what I'd gleaned after three months of full-time, dedicated hard work—the kind of 24-hour work after which you can't even think about the topic. I was burnt out of...
I won't make you wait. Here are three things I learned from writing my second novel Passport Control. 1. You can deviate from the traditional coming-of-age structure. Classically, protagonists in coming-of-age stories encounter a singularly painful experience that make them realize once and for all that they are alone in the world. They soon ...
I am thrilled to be hosted today by Christi Craig. In addition to my guest post, we are having a book giveaway courtesy of my publisher S&H Publishing.
Thank you Sasson Magazine for posting "Roller Coaster," an excerpt from my novel in stories White Zion, forthcoming from Cervena Barva Press, April 2019. Faith was too late getting down the stairs. By the time she made it into the living room it was over. She could only look from her son to her husband. Shock parachuted into the room li...
Today I was thrilled to be hosted on the Ottawa Mommy Club blog. Your Failure to Thrive Baby Doesn't make you a Failure as a Mother When most mothers think of challenging events in the first two years of an average child's life, they might think of vaccinations, fevers, tantrums, and night-waking. What about weighings? Believe it or not, for some m...
Warm up with a free copy of Passport Control. Thank you to Christi Craig who is hosting me this week on her blog. To add to the occasion I'm doing my first ever book giveaway courtesy of my publisher S&H Publishing.
I'm excited to share with you that my vlog: "What is the difference between non fiction flash & essay writing?" is on today's The Muffin on the WOW-women on writing site. If you have a question about writing, contact me and I'll do my best to vlog the answer in one minute or less. I'd love to hear from you.
My newest flash fiction piece is out on Writer's Bone. Britannia is a hilly area with duplexes and triplexes on tree-lined streets. The Dillain's new convenience store is on the corner at the bottom of the hill. It has a picturesque frontal view of the large, local park and the Ottawa River, the chief tributary of the Saint Lawrence Ri...
I wrote this post back in 2013 and it's fascinating for me to read now. The landscape has changed so much in five years that I felt compelled to repost. Yet, much of it remains spot on #2, #4, #8 #9 and did I mention #4? It also serves as a prompt for me to write a "Ten Things I learned from Publishing Passport Control" post at the end of this year...
Do you have burning questions about the publication process and how to publicize your book once it's "out there"? We've paired a Canadian-Israeli novelist and short-story writer together with a German-American essayist and memoirist to share the fruits of their hard-won knowledge with you. Sign up and submit your question in advance so you can get ...
Come as you are, with a fifth version of a piece you've been working on since your high school graduation or as a writer who has never heard of flash until you saw this advertisement and rushed to sign up. In the first part of this masterclass, we'll define flash fiction and take you all the way from idea to premise to micro flash, threading imager...
The tribalism that reigned in Beit Shemesh for a decade is over Female mayor's election curtails runaway extremism in Beit Shemesh | Arizona Jewish Life Enter some description here... http://azjewishlife.com/female-mayors-election-curtails-runaway-extremism-in-beit-shemesh/
I recommend this emotional page-turner by Pinar Tarhan, Addicted to Writing Thank you, Pinar, for the review on your excellent blog Addicted to Writing. I look forward to our upcoming interview. I'll try to keep the plot summary short and sweet as to avoid spoilers. There are several twists, and they are pretty jaw-dropping. Plot Summary Due ...
Are Arabic-speaking Christian writers ever advised to make their heroines Hebrew-speaking Jews? Gila Green Gila Green sent me a very talented novel "Passport Control," that raised some of the most painful and yet important questions about contemporary Israel and how its political riddles touched the lives both of Israelis, Palestinians. What ...
I'll Bet You Think This Story's about You: When People Keep Finding Themselves in Your Fiction It was an honor today to be hosted on The Millions site. In today's post you can read a conversation with my mother. https://themillions.com/2018/11/ill-bet-you-think-this-storys-about-you-the-un-omitted-omissions-and-the-real.html
I'm thrilled to share with you that my latest flash piece, "Cutty Sark" has been accepted to the Writer's Bone. This piece is part of a larger manuscript titled Backroad.
I was thrilled this morning to find myself at the top of the Book Club Reader Recommended list on the Jewish Women's Archive site. Thank you JWA!
Passport Control by Gila Green is an amazing book with lots of plot twists and mystery. It tells the story of a Canadian Jew, Miriam Gil, who comes to Haifa University to study. She gets involved with many unexpected people and events. Passport Control is fiction, but to be honest, it's clear that everything Green writes about is a real possibility...
The autumn issue of The Fiddlehead is out and I'm honored my piece "Winnipeg 1987" is part of it. Thank you to editor, Alicia Elliott. I enjoyed your editorial so much, I repost it here. So many of you ask me for a definition of non-fiction, I recommend you read below. Whatever We Need It To BePosted on November 12, 2018 Late last year ...
THE TRIBALISM THAT REIGNED IN BEIT SHEMESH FOR A DECADE IS OVER BY GILA GREEN I live in Beit Shemesh, the city that made global headlines when a Jewish man spat on a young girl (in December 2011). As a writer I was asked to speak out, to write a blog post or article that would distance "us" from "them." But I felt articles created more hatred, wer...
Are you looking for a place online where you can find writing advice, read author interviews, watch short and useful vlogs and learn about life in Israel at the same time? You're here. I'm Gila Green, a Canadian author from Ottawa living in Israel. I'm excited to have a new writing space online and I would love to hear what you'd like to see ...
Thank you to Writers Write for guest posting this blog. You can increase your writing productivity by partnering with another writer and critiquing each other's work. But not any good-natured writer will do. If you really want to improve your writing productivity, look for these seven things in your next critique partner: Someone who wr...
Thank you to Writers Helping Writers for Guest Posting this blog. Book publishing is a tough, competitive business. Still, there's no reason to make the road harder to travel. Enter flash fiction—an excellent way to break into both fiction and nonfiction book publishing. Flash fiction pieces are very short stories that still include the...
Thank you to the Book Designer for guest posting this blog. We hear it all the time, "How can I possibly market my existing book while writing my next book?"or "I don't like marketing. I just want to write." But the reality is that to be successful as an author, most of us need to continually do both–marketing AND writing new books. The...
An excerpt from my young adult novel, No Entry is out. My novel is now signed with Stormbird Press, Australia for a September 2019 release. I'm working on a sequel right now.What's No Entry about?Teen heroine, Yael Yekutiel, signs on to an elephant conservation program and ends up coming face to face with violence, greed and murder. The story takes place in South Africa’s famous, breathtaking Kruger National Park. Yael vows to devote herself to saving the planet from human greed and is set to learn all she can about ivory poaching when she accidentally encounters a murderous poaching ring taking place below the surface of her newfound paradise. She receives a second blow when she discovers her idol Clara Smith, the prestigious and well-respected program director, profits from blood ivory, while preaching about the sanctity of wildlife. Yael is forced to decide on a new mission: expose this poaching ring to...
You can check out Passport Control and please let me know what you think.My October release turned into an August one! As of today it is on Amazon Canada, too.
Imagine a group of friends and relatives coming together throughout the afternoon over food and drink, staying late into the evening to share stories that engender laughter, tears, empathy and admiration. The profoundly satisfying stories in White Zion are rich in intimate detail, peopled with a cast of heart wrenching characters at once familiar and unique, a gathering of personalities that leaves me reluctant to leave their company and eager to revisit them.Pearl Luke, author Madame Zee
I'm excited to share with you that my new story "No Entry"will be published in terrain.org. in September 2018. As soon as it's up, I'll post the link.
I'm thrilled to share with you that my novel Passport Control will be coming out with S&H Publishing October 2018."Many novels have attempted to orchestrate the impossible marriage of politics and human relations in the state of Israel, but few have presided over that perilous ceremony with the grace, affection, and emotional clarity of Gila Green's Passport Control. A stunning achievement."Steve Stern, author of The Book of Mischief, A Plague of Dreamers, The Frozen Rabbi, and The North of God.What's it about?Miriam Gil flees Canada for Israel when her Israeli dad says he needs more room in their house — for his new girlfriend. Soon at university, living in a dorm with three bickering roommates, she falls in love with Guy, a former combat soldier who dreams of peace. Miriam is caught off guard when her visa and passport application are rejected on the grounds that she’s suspected of being a Syrian Christian. In rapid order, the university...
The Fiddlehead, Atlantic Canada's Literary Journal, accepted my story "Winnipeg 1987."Look for it in the autumn 2018 issue.
My short story collection White Zion is coming out with Cervena Barva Press.White Zion migrates between 19th century Yemen, pre-State Israel, modern Israel and modern Canada. Stories explore racism, alienation within the family unit, and the fall-out after generations of war.In a journey of generations from Aden to Palestine to Ottawa, one Yemenite family encounters new and difficult realities: racism and war, rejection and divorce, resourceful survival and tragic death. With smells of delicious breads wafting up from the page, embroidering detail upon detail in fine literary stitch, Gila Green draws us fully into her narrative, as she generously shares with us the hidden core of family life and the stories she is not afraid to tell. Yael Unterman, author of The Hidden of Things: Twelve Stories of Love & Longing. Voices in the collection include Assaf, a Yemenite boy growing up in pre-State Israel, Miriam, a young Canadian girl growing up in...
I took one of your classes and, you may remember, the story (The Storm) I wrote? Anyway I entered it in a contest and placed third which pleased me.Nancy SheltonSpringfield, MO
Please see my latest noir flash fiction in Akashic Books Mondays are Murder Series./
Come see me at WriteSpace for Spring Flash Fiction SeminarsCan't come to Jerusalem? Virtual Classes start May 11, 2016Eight Weeks Flash, Six Weeks Short Story, Four Weeks Mini Publishing Workshop. OR join me at the Jewish Women's Writers Seminar May 24
3, 2, 1, lift off…Come meet fellow writers and flex your writing muscles with guided prompts.Find out more about WriteSpace Jerusalem and meet a selection of our instructors:Jane Medved (poetry), Gila Green (flash fiction), Mitch Ginsburg (literarytranslation), Anna Levine (young adult & children), Sheffi Raiskin (bibliotherapy),Batnadiv Hakarmi-Weinberg (creative nonfiction), and Nadia Jacobson (fiction).Date: Thursday, April 7, 2016Time: 19:30-21:30Location: PICO Jerusalem, 4th floor, Poalei Tzedek 2, Talpiyot, Jerusalem (oppositeHadar Mall)Entrance is free of charge and light refreshments will be served.An additional perk: Receive 10% off your first seminar or workshop.Reserve your place:Subscribe to our mailing: www.writespacejerusalem.com/contact-us.htmlEmail:
Focus on Flash Fiction Half-Day Seminar Date Options:March 7 / 8 / 13 / 14 To Register and for more Info: WriteSpaceEveryone has time to read flash fiction. That’s one of the reasons why it’s become such a popular genre.What value is there to distilling whole stories into narratives under 1,000 words, down to even 6 words? We read fiction to build empathy, to explore new realities, to escape, Can you do that in so few words? Yes, you can.Flash is ideal for our modern short attention spans (though there’s nothing really new about it). The 21st-century reader has made flash fiction "in-demand" fiction. It’s ideal for our screens: tablets, smartphones, netbooks, and laptops. Reading a whole story on a single screen is an aesthetic experience and, best of all, it’s an increasingly sought after genre offered by small presses. There’s even a National Flash Fiction Day on, you guessed it, the shortest...
Some Flash to Read by Gila Green TMy Mom fought the fifties. I never knew. If anyone would have asked me I would have told them that my mother was straight-laced, demure, a Canadian Capital City poster girl, not just in character, but on the ground.In the photo I like best, my mother is a teenager, a head turner, a talent. She and her acting group have just returned from yet another triumph at the annual Dominion Drama Festival. Mayor Charlotte Whitton has come as part of the surprise welcome home to the young, gifted locals. The camera has captured the confetti in my mother’s bark colored hair and I imagine the scent from the rose petals overpowers the usual train station smells of machinery and cigarette smoke. Well, it’s not the usual train station atmosphere, it’s a party.The thought that she is going to be giving birth in six years time...
We just started this week, but there's still plenty of room and lots of time to catch up.Four Fantastic Virtual Workshops:Flash: 8 weekshttp://wow-womenonwriting.com/classroom/GilaGreen_FlashFictionWorkshop.phpLiterary Devices I & II 6 weeks: http://wow-womenonwriting.com/classroom/GilaGreen_MemorableWritingLiteraryDevicesI.phpHow to Publish Your Short Story 4 weeks: http://wow-womenonwriting.com/classroom/GilaGreen_PublishShortStoryWorkshop.phpOR if you're in the area, sign up for my four week workshop in Jerusalem offered through Temech. The JWWS network, in conjunction with Temech, is pleased to announce our FOURTH SESSION for all women writers…The JWWS Writers’ Educational NetworkFor WomenRegistration is via Temech’s office (02- 538-8665, press 0 and say you are calling for JWWS/ Writers’ Courses) and tell them you are registering for the next JWWS course that is to begin on Jan 19th. To ensure your place you must pre-register. These JWWS courses will be a pre-paid and pre-booked only in advance option.Price for full course, all four sessions: 200 NIS per personPrice for only one session at a time: 75 NIS per...
I have enjoyed the (Flash Fiction) course. I found the way you gave us pieces to study most helpful. The two lessons which gave me the most were those on sensory detail and pacing.Thank you,Regards, Eileen Cooke Australia.
I often receive e-mails from class participants (Thank you. Keep them coming).One of the most troubling comments is this: I can write, but I can’t edit. This type of writer usually proves she really believes this when she sends in a new piece instead of an edited version or revision of a piece she’s already sent me.If this sounds familiar, you need to stop thinking this way because it hurts your chances of publication. This bears repeating. Stop selling yourself this line. I don’t know who made it up, but it’s got to go.All writers need some self-editing skills. This is not to say that writers don’t need editors. They do. I do. Still, at some point all writers must switch from writing to editing mode. Editing mode is not the same for all literary forms. If you are editing a Flash Fiction piece, your first goal will be to eliminate...
By Gila GreenWriters are forever hearing they need to improve their writing skills. No matter what we produce and how frequently, there’s always some well-meaning editor, fellow writer or classmate hinting that you can never learn enough about writing. Interpret that as you wish. Perhaps, you see great writing as an exercise bike you need to ride forever, or like a sink in which dishes grow (if it’s anything like my kitchen sink). Either way most of these messages are downers. The answers we’re given repeatedly once we ask that inevitable question: how does a writer improve her craft are often framed as more of a chore than a bowl of cherries. No doubt you’ve read that writers have to be voracious readers, readers so starved for reading material that only the dry end of a book cover or sharp end of a kindle is true nourishment. Food is blasé in...
Dear Gila: This course has been superior so far. I can't thank you enough for your keen attention to detail and piercing critiques. A great learning experience!Also, thanks for your summary, How Not to Write flash. I see it covers most of the mistakes I've been making--so an invaluable guide. A great course, and I appreciate that you made it available to me over email. You're the best, Gila--may you thrive in your writing, editing, and teaching.Best wishes,Tom Allan
Flash Fiction (8 weeks)Create Memorable Writing with Literary Devices (6 weeks)Create Memorable Writing with Literary Devices II (6 weeks)Publish Your Short Story (4 weeks)
Hi, Gila! Hope you are well. Just wanted you to know about a flash market that’s very writer-friendly, a good place to land for some of your flash students who are looking for their first publishing credit (or have a good piece that doesn’t seem to fit with other markets): Every Day Fiction. I just had a piece published there (http://www.everydayfiction.com/campaign-button-by-joyce-barton/), and here was my experience:-Their response time was reasonable (90 days is their max; I heard from them in 88)-All 6 of their editors gave me comments/feedback on my story.-I was given the opportunity to make changes based on the feedback before publication, if I wished to do so (had a nice back-and-forth with one of the editors and added a sentence as a result)-Readers can comment and rate your story (1 to 5 stars), and the writer has the opportunity to respond to the readers (not something you see in most...
Fall Classes Begin October 5 and registration is open:FLASH FICTION WORKSHOP by Gila GreenHOW TO PUBLISH A SHORT STORY WORKSHOP by Gila GreenCREATE MEMORABLE WRITING WITH LITERARY DEVICES by Gila GreenCREATE MEMORABLE WRITING WITH LITERARY DEVICES II by Gila GreenNeed a little more time to catch your breath from summer?For the first time I'm offering two sets of fall classes. No need to wait for winter, but you can still pause a little longer than usual this year:November 16, 2015 registration is open CREATE MEMORABLE WRITING WITH LITERARY DEVICES by Gila GreenCREATE MEMORABLE WRITING WITH LITERARY DEVICES II by Gila GreenHOW TO PUBLISH A SHORT STORY WORKSHOP by Gila GreenFLASH FICTION WORKSHOP by Gila Green
The summer writing season has begun.If you would like a post on any particular topic, please send me your request.I'd be happy to consider it. Summer post by Gila GreenI have a confession. When I fill out forms in my kids’ schools or any other official forms —for some reason only schools seem to come to mind, but that’s another post—I always write ‘housewife’ under mother’s occupation and I instruct my husband to do the same. He always nudges me in the ribs with the same expression on his face, his jaw slightly lowered, his eyes at a half roll. “Because” I hiss at his unasked question. “How many times do I have to tell you?” This is normally enough for him to shrug his shoulders and follow my instructions. Would that all marital conflicts resolve themselves so easily.So, why don’t I put in writer or even editor? Because I always, yes always,...
Dear Gila,BH my book will be delivered to me this week in print. This is the link. http://www.mazoproducts.com/cat/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=276It was wonderful working together and I greatly appreciate all the help and advice you provided me with, even after the editing was completed.Good luck with all of your future pursuits,Love Chana.Dear Gila,Here's the link to my short fiction piece - Silent Partners. The WOW! quarterly contests are a great way to get motivated and test your skills. I appreciate your interest so please feel free to share it with your Flash class. I would be grateful for any feedback/critique you or your class would like to offer! http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/63-FE1-Fall14Contest.htmlThanks,Andrea
Carol Ungar on the upcoming publication of her cookbook Jewish Soul Food: Traditional Fare and What it Means. Dear Gila,I couldn't have done it without you!Carol UngarIt was fun editing a cookbook for the first time, if not a little fattening, but it improved my cooking skills and it's always a pleasure to work with Carol. Mazal tov! I look forward to part two.And to Pia Wolcowitz on the release of her novel The Nurse.Thank you for everything,Pia It was a pleasure to edit this novel and I wish Pia much success! I look forward to her next jump into adult women's fiction.Chana Bunim Rubin Ausubel whose memoir As Long as the Candle Burns is coming out this spring with Mazo Publishers. Thank you for choosing me as your editor, Chana. Your work is an important part of American Jewish history. Dear GilaYou were a marvelous editor!Love Chana
Flash into the Middle of Things by Gila GreenWhy do writers use in media res (Latin for “into the middle of things”)? There is nothing new about this narrative technique, which we find in everything from Homer’s Odyssey to films, poetry and plays. In media res is neither a frame nor a story within a story nor a self-contained story. In media resallows the audience to jump into a story right in the middle of the action. If done well, the audience is quickly consumed by the narrative, even though many questions are unanswered. For example, if a story begins with a murder we do not know the victim, the motive, whose side we are on, but our curiosity is immediately addressed. In Flash fiction in media res can be particularly useful because of the very short word count allowed. Yet, I find many writers find it difficult to break away...
Have you ever seen any of these comments in the margins of your work?· Slow down· Uneven· Lacks climax· FlatIf you answered “yes,” you should immediately browse through your writer’s toolbox of literary devices for pacing solutions—specifically how to slow the pace down.One device many writers threw out of their toolboxes long ago was indirect writing. Most of us were told by everyone from our high school English teachers to published writers in creative writing programs that direct writing is good writing and indirect writing is bad writing. That’s often true. But completely eliminating indirect writing is also a surefire way for many writers to ruin the pace of their work. They write each line so directly that the story is over before it begins; there is never any time to savor the scene, in particular the climax or mini climaxes; there is no hair-standing-on-end time; and no goose-bumps-down-the-arms moments because...
Hi, Gila! Just wanted to let you know that my first flash piece, Bar Rag, was published by The Legendary (an online literary journal). Less than a year after taking your course, not bad. ;)Go here & click on 'Joyce Barton' link: http://www.downdirtyword.com/fictionpage.html(Or you can access it from the bio page: http://www.downdirtyword.com/authors/joycebarton.html )Just wanted to say thanks again; your class helped me get started with flash, and now I'm on my way.Hope you are well, and Happy New Year!~Joyce
When I tell people I teach a virtual flash fiction course, I often get strange responses bordering on laughter. Isn’t flash fiction just really short fiction? What’s the point of taking a specific Flash class?No, flash is its own genre deserving of its own class and in my opinion, it’s still underrated as a way to break into publication. But the increasing number of publication opportunities is only one benefit of Flash. It also offers a break to a lot of writers who might be burnt out with a novel or short story. In the main, you get a break from following those longer-length piece rules and who doesn’t need a break from ‘the rules’ once in a while to recharge? Here are five rules most of us hear over and over again that you get to completely ignore in Flash:Tell don’t show. If you’re like me, you’re not the ideal...
This is the first in my blog post series on writing, particularly flash fiction. This post was on the WOW-Women on Writing site in 2013.Many writers think ‘brief’ these days. Short fiction is popular both on the internet and in print and whether you call it flash, postcard or micro fiction it all comes down to your story’s bottom line: reduce your work to its barest bones. One guideline is to eliminate literary devices. We are told that although we may write: “He was Usain Bolt in his running shoes, sprinting towards the hospital.” This is a no-no in flash. Change this to: He sprinted to the hospital. You just went from eleven to five words. This advice saves the writer six precious words. It also ups the story’s pace, intensifying the drama and focus and flash fiction is nothing if not about focus. What about the meaning of the story?...
My new writing class Create Memorable Writing has been updated and revised. Mark January 12 on your calendars.Enamored with the new short writing trend? Sign up for Flash FictionShort on time? Try my four-week short story mini publishing workshop
