(Reviewed by JD Jung)
#CommissionsEarned
How do you get a story about a serial killer from the prompt “Hot pretzels”? To answer that, we’ll have to dig into the mind of Scotty Cornfield whose Fast Fiction: 101 Stories 101 Words Each, provides readers with an eclectic and entertaining view of the genre of flash fiction. As the title suggests, each story is 101 words, comparable to a “writer’s improv”.
One piece that I particularly enjoyed was “How to Break the News” with the prompt “A dream coming true”. Another one was “What It Takes to Change a Man” with the prompt “Immutable”. That particular story ends with a surprise to most but made perfect sense to me. The prompt “Disinformation” would normally send you into the political arena, but not in this case. Some other prompts with interesting stories were “Urgent emptiness” “Prerequisite”, and “Reverse metamorphosis”.
Cornfield’s profession as a licensed private investigator probably accounts for some of the crime-type topics. Many are intertwined with humor, which I’m sure is from his hobby as a stand-up comedian.
After reading so many gut-wrenching titles in both fiction and non-fiction, Fast Fiction: 101 Stories 101 Words Each provided me with a well-needed diversion. I believe it will do the same for our readers.
