Nanu Nanu

Just got home from the Morgantown, West Virginia area where I spoke to small group of writers last night. The drive there was hellish -- the weather was fine starting out but then, after an hour or so, it started to snow and things just went downhill from there. We were making somewhat good time until we got about 10 minutes away from our destination and then got stuck for about 40 minutes in a long pileup on the interstate because of an accident. But today on the way back? The weather was perfect and we had no problems whatsoever. Anyway, it was a good time, so thanks to Morgantown Poets for inviting me, especially those who braved the cold and ice to attend. I have a story featured today at Nanoism, which I believe is one of the best markets for Twitter-fiction. Here's how the story came about: when putting together the design for the anthology's cover, my editor asked me if I could try to write a story that had the words hint and fiction closer together. They weren't happy with the wording of the story already written, thinking those two words were too far apart. So I did, but the words were way too close together, and the designers went with a different wording, and there's today's special behind-the-scenes look at the making of the anthology. I did include the story, which I titled "Definition," in Eight Hints, which, until now, contained two unpublished hint fiction pieces. I actually have several left over and will be taking the rest with me to AWP, but since I love and appreciate all of you who read my blog, if you'd like a copy of your own, send me an e-mail at robert (at) robertswartwood (dot) com with your name and address by midnight Sunday EST and I'll drop one in the mail and you should (in theory) receive it in time for Christmas (it, like the anthology, makes a great stocking stuffer).

And speaking of Christmas, if you like SpongeBob SquarePants and Legos (because who doesn't?), then you'll love this:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLuK-QEOmcg

More Hint Stuff

A reminder that I'll be speaking tonight at the Monongalia Arts Center at 7 pm. So, you know, if you're in the Morgantown, West Virginia area, why not stop by and say hi. It's sure to be an interesting experience seeing that I'm still fighting a bad cold. Along with the usual DayQuil and NyQuil, I took this tonight:

As you can imagine, it didn't taste very good, but hopefully it'll do the trick.

Lyle Rosdahl of the San Antonio Current has this to say about the anthology:

I’m a bibliophile and a lover of language. That’s why I claim that books make the best presents for the holidays. And in the spirit of the Flash Fiction section, I’m recommending Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer, edited by Robert Swartwood. Not only is the name of the form brilliant, the stories are too. Here’s an example by Joe R. Lansdale, taken from the first story in the book. It’s called “The Return”: “They buried him deep. Again.” The obvious point is that it hints, like the most brilliant stories, at something outside of it — a cultural reference or the lumbering body below the surface of the page, the words, the meaning. These are the perfect stories to thumb through on a sunny winter morning. Happy holiday reading.

And the Booking Mama also recommends the anthology as an excellent holiday gift:

Coming from someone who can't stop talking or typing, I'm in awe that authors can successfully convey story ideas in so few words. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and the depth of so many of the stories. Some actually made me reflect on the characters, some hit me like a punch to the gut, and others left me wanting more. I honestly didn't expect these few words to have such a powerful effect on me.

Have you seen the trailer for the documentary Bad Writing? Well then, here, you have no more excuse:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raWLS2_PEfI

The 2010 Nobbie Awards

I am extremely proud and happy and honored to learn that the Hint Fiction anthology has been chosen by The Nervous Breakdown as one of the best books of the year. Thank you to TNB, thank you to everyone who has bought a copy, and thank you to everyone who plans to by an extra copy for that special loved one this Christmas. You can see the list of the rest of the awesome books here.

A Few Things Regarding Hint

Yesterday Robin Vidimos reviewed the Hint Fiction anthology for The Denver Post and said many nice things, including:

"Hint Fiction" is not a collection of memoirs, but a collection of short stories meant to challenge and enlighten. These works feel like a beginning with a number of possible conclusions, it is left to the reader to do the heavy lifting.

The resulting stories offer a punch that runs intuitively counter to their length. The resulting volume will end up broken-spined and well-thumbed, because the favorites are ones that will be returned to and shared, time and again.

Whisper n Thunder has been inspired by the NPR piece to hold a Hint Fiction contest of their own, with some pretty decent cash prizes.

Speaking of contests, there is still time to enter SmokeLong Quarterly’s 30-Word contest.

Friday night was the last stop on the mini Hint Fiction tour at the Big Blue Marble. Not many pictures were taken, but those that were can be found here.

Finally, depending on what time you read this, you might be able to check out my live interview with Sean Moncrieff of Newstalk, Ireland’s independent talk radio station. It's supposed to start at 3:30 GMT (10:30 am EST) today. You should be able to listen live on the website, I believe.

Coming soon: a non Hint Fiction post. I promise.

A Million Little Hints

Well it was bound to happen. I knew the streak of pretty positive reviews wouldn't last forever. Emily St. John Mandel over at The Millions gives the anthology a mixed but very thought-provoking take. (I wanted to include some kind of image with this post, like The Millions' logo, but when I looked for an image on Google nothing came up except that small thumbnail. Very strange.)

Anyway, I'll mention this again at the end of the week, but if you're in the Philadelphia area Friday evening, feel free to stop by the Big Blue Marble Bookstore where we'll wrap up this mini Hint Fiction tour. Contributors scheduled to appear include Randall Brown, Frank Byrns, John Cashman, Bruce Harris, Minter Krotzer, and Don Lee (yes, that Don Lee). Festivities start at 7 pm, so I hope to see some of you there!