weekly flash story?

[kailhofer]

Sure, I'll just send put them in the flash section of the zine... er, wait, we don't have one of those. There is no space set up in the site structure, much like I don't have a spot to put the Bill Warren Series stories that have been ready for a year and a half. (I think they're ready, anyway. No one replied to my messages about checking them out.)

I've got it! I'll just add one to the shorts section each week... wait, I still don't know the ftp password, so I can't do that, either.

So, all I can do is post one in the forum for the 25 or so of us that actually look here. Depressing, really.


There's all kinds of things I'd like to do but a really limited set of things I can do.

[Lester Curtis]

Someone could take on a similar project here at Aphelion.

BD, are you volunteering your services -- ? If you are, I'm sure that would be appreciated. Otherwise, it would, as Nate pointed out, just be one more thing no one has time for.

Why not just start a new thread each week and see who responds? Zero extra work for the staff, and you might just get what you'd like from it.

[Robert_Moriyama]

Someone could take on a similar project here at Aphelion.

BD, are you volunteering your services -- ? If you are, I'm sure that would be appreciated. Otherwise, it would, as Nate pointed out, just be one more thing no one has time for.

Why not just start a new thread each week and see who responds? Zero extra work for the staff, and you might just get what you'd like from it.

I think The Dweller was positing that if people knew that there was new content every week, they might be more inclined to visit the actual 'zine instead of just the Forum... Of course, flashophiles might visit only the Forum and the hypothetical Flash section (as some people now concentrate most of their attention on the Poetry section, some on Short Stories, and lamentably few on "Serials" (we really should rename that section since multi-parters are the exception, rather than the rule). Come to think of it, maybe that's WHY few people read the long fiction -- they don't want to have to make multiple visits to read a complete story, and don't realize that the majority of the material in "Serials" consists of stand-alone novellas (and -ettes). I don't think it would take much to change the label on the button (while leaving the behind-the-curtain stuff alone).

Rob, Dan -- what do you think (re: relabeling the "Serials" menu button)?

[Lester Curtis]

I don't think it would take much to change the label on the button (while leaving the behind-the-curtain stuff alone).

Rob, Dan -- what do you think (re: relabeling the "Serials" menu button)?

Someone brought that up not too long ago, and I agreed it would be a good idea. Rename it "Long Fiction." That shouldn't take much work.

It's not the same as what BD is suggesting (a one-click Flash locator), but that got me wondering WHY she thinks we need a dedicated Flash section. Is it just because other 'zines have them? Do we have to pander to readers who are too lazy to dig a little to find flash?

I could picture someone at their job, eating lunch in their cubicle and looking at the clock: "Ten minutes . . . I've got time for a story, IF I can find one quick enough . . . "

[Lester Curtis]

It's not the same as what BD is suggesting (a one-click Flash locator), but that got me wondering WHY she thinks we need a dedicated Flash section. Is it just because other 'zines have them? Do we have to pander to readers who are too lazy to dig a little to find flash?

I think that Flash stories are a legitimate form of Sci Fi/Fantasy literature. So what? - It's like having a haiku in a poetry section. An author has to be very precise to put down on paper a complete story in under 1000 words.
Serials, poetry, short stories, Features, series, flash stories (that change every week and draw attention to the rest of the ezine every week) - makes sense to me.

I'm not denying the legitimacy of flash. We just don't have the board set up for it, and Robert seems to think it would be difficult to add a dedicated space for it. But, probably even harder than that would be finding the extra man-hours to do it on a weekly basis. Our staff is already overloaded with board maintenance chores, and they have jobs and families. You may have noticed that some things here don't always happen on schedule. Bottom line, bottomdweller -- if you want a new feature here, volunteer your services, and maybe you could help make it possible. In the mean time, starting a weekly flash thread in the regular forum would get the stuff up there with NO extra effort on the part of the staff.

I can think of one possibility that might get you closer to what you want: once you have your weekly flash thread up, just ask admin to make it a 'sticky.' Then it would stay at the top of the forum list and be easier to find. Title it all in red or something, to be eye-catching. I have that capability, but you should make sure a higher authority approves it.

[kailhofer]

If I had a space to go with it and the access to actually put stuff, I'd do more, trust me. And personally, I don't think here in the forum is enough for new flash pieces. Too few people would find them.

Flash has lived on the fringe for long too long. I mean, I'm very grateful for the mention Robert puts in each month. But there are reasons this little corner of the forum is so popular and the residents so loyal to it. The curb appeal is built in. All we need to do is let people see them.