burn after submitting
9/14/25
This morning my daughter and I watched half a dozen explainer videos on the 2010s show Riverdale. We skipped to the series finale because we didn’t have 137 hours to kill on a television show. Then we wanted to know what led to that series finale. So now all I want to do is write about a bad CW show from ten years ago. But nobody wants that. Especially people tuning in to read flash fiction from around the net.
I find this weeks round-up particularly interesting. First, Gone Lawn in a new journal on me and I really dig their vibe. This one paragraph story “Changing Maps” has a real gut punch. It got me.
I had never read Ryan Davenport until this week and now I follow him on Twitter/X and can’t wait to find more of his stuff. I feel as though Mr. Bull Bull has introduced me to a few must-read writers as of late.
Another writer I include here walked into my bar a couple months back. His name is Zvi Sesling. I was introduced to him through a poet I’m gotten to know over the past year. I had never read Zvi until this week. I am a big fan of Punk Noir and I stumbled upon his story
as I was going through their archive. Zvi runs his own lit journal called 10 by 10. I know this because at the bar he asked me to send him a flash. I did but the piece happened to be seven words light on his word-count, so I’m in the process of looking for something else to send. Most of the pieces I have written I have other places in mind for. The piece I sent kind of felt just right for 10 by 10. I could add seven words, but I don’t know what seven words those would be. Maybe I’ll come up with them. Or maybe I’ll send something else. In the mean time, I’ll just keep reading other people’s awesome work.
If there is one thing I’ve learned in 25+ years of writing—there is no rush. When I was in my twenties and early-thirties everything felt like a rush. I was worried every time someone said they would read something I needed to get it in their hands instantly or the opportunity would pass, the momentum would dissipate. That is not true. Creativity moves a glacial pace.
I have zero advice to give. I have actually learned nothing during these 25+ years of writing. Certainly nothing worth imparting.
Just read cool stuff. Whatever that means to you. Read more of it.
Here are six cool things to read.
Changing Maps by Meg Pokrass
https://gonelawn.net/journal/issue61/Pokrass.php
The Heart of Donner by Ryan Davenport
https://mrbullbull.com/newbull/fiction/the-heart-of-donner-price/
Champagne Pools by Guy Melvin
https://sundoglit.com/guy-melvin/
Molly and I See Five 90s Bands by Emily Costa
https://www.havehashad.com/hadposts/molly-and-i-see-five-90s-bands
Mother by Zvi A. Sesling
Things by Jon Doughboy
https://www.ergot.press/authors/Jon_Doughboy/Things
P.S. I have a favor. September is Negroni month. At the moment, I am up to win a trip to Scotland for a Negroni I came up with. Could you click this link and vote for me?
https://vinepair.com/botanist-negroni-nation-2025/
Follow the link above
click on the map for Boston
Select the bar in the middle of downtown called the Last Hurrah
Vote for Andrew Boylan’s Rhubix Straw-groni
