A Place to Hang Your Hat by Jon M. Strother

Friday Flash started out as a Twitter meme on the Internet over two years ago. I have come to know hundreds of writers during that time, many of whom have gone on to win major awards (I can think of at least two without even trying), contribute to published anthologies, and become published novelists, both as independents and with established publishers. While it pleases me no end to see their names crop up in our weekly News Flash I can claim no credit for their success. That credit lies squarely on their own shoulders through their own hard work and perseverance.

There is no secret formula for becoming a good writer. As with any craft a person improves through constant practice and feedback. If Friday Flash has contributed to these authors success in any way it is simply via that – it provides a venue for regular practice of the craft, reader feedback, and encouragement to carry on.

Around the two year anniversary of Friday Flash I began to wonder – what next? What could we do to make Friday Flash a more valuable resource for writers beyond a once a week Twitter meme?

I've come to see the vast pool of talent that is the Friday Flash community almost as a virtual writer's commune. It certainly is a community. There are people who have been in it from the beginning and people who come and go on a whim. But all of them have something valuable to contribute. Wouldn't it be nice if they had a place where they could gather and collaborate amongst themselves, to help each other reach that next level of growth? With that in mind I started Friday Flash Dot Org.

In my introductory post I likened Friday Flash Dot Org to the old sprawling farm house at the core of any good writer's commune. My call for volunteers was instantly answered by wonderful people I have come to depend on. I am eternally grateful to our staff: Angie, ED, Estrella, Susan, and Tim. I don't know what I would do without them. Once we got organized we immediately began to formulate plans on how best to serve the wonderful community that has grown up around Friday Flash.

It seems to us that the true value of Friday Flash Dot Org has to revolve around the same fundamentals that have lead so many participants in the past to various degrees of success: regular practice of the craft, reader feedback, and encouragement to carry on.

To that end we have added several rooms to our sprawling farmhouse – we call them Groups. We just completed our first contest utilizing the Pet Contest Group. This will soon morph into the Contest and Challenge Group, providing more opportunity for regular practice. Since these groups are private your stories remain saleable. We have the Criticize Me Group, where you can get more in-depth commentary on your work, again in an environment with safeguards toward marketability. We also have several social groups where we can interact on a more personal level and encourage each other to carry on. Think of these groups as rooms within the big farmhouse. There is a peg by the door to hang your hat and a comfy arm chair waiting for you. Please drop in and spend some time.
~jon

Photo Credit: Helgafell Farm, Iceland, circa 1900 from the Cornell University Library.