For once, I wanted to violate all of my own preferences and do a story with a silly plot that happens just because, with no explanation. This column rarely goes much over 3,000 words, regardless of whether it's one short or a dozen flash-fiction pieces, but since it was The Cud's "All Things Lit" month, I violated not only my own story-structure rules but the word count as well.

• “All the Difference" - fantasy, 5,027 words
   

Once you've done something three years in a row, I guess it becomes tradition. In honor or Valentine's Day, this month's theme is about romance and sex.

• “Impossible Intimacy” – SF (alien), 938 words

• “Needing More” – SF (dystopian), 998 words

• “Frigid Women” – horror (zombie apocalypse), 1,005 words

And I don't mean pets that ate too much.

• “Punishment” – sword & sorcery, 694 words

• “Duty Calls” – SF (robot), 704 words

• “The Pinocchio Syndrome” – fantasy, 1,994 words

Earth Day is in April. In honor of that, let’s talk about trees and our responsibility as environmental stewards. The following stories each stand alone, but perhaps they can be read in the context of three chapters in human history. They’re fictitious chapters… at least, so far. Given how we treat our planet, that could change.

• “Yggdrasil” – fantasy, 1,092 words

• “The Tree of Life” – science fiction, 1,237 words
  “Others Like Us” – science fiction, 498 words

In honor of Towel Day, which is in honor of Douglas Adams and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. If you don't understand, you won't understand. Read the books.

• “Bath Towel and Goblin" - contemporary fantasy, 1,021 words

• "Beach Towel Genie" - contemporary Arabian fantasy, 880 words

• "Hand Towel Gremlin" - fantasy, 820 words

• "Paper Towel Glamer" - contemporary fantasy, 373 words

There's no fiction this month. Instead, here I present 12 writing exercises for writing short fiction. I use these routinely in my writing class. In reality, there are six basic exercises, followed by six advanced exercises that are similar to the first six... only on steroids.

• Basic Exercises: Word Lists; Mixed-Up Titles; Flash Fiction; Characters in a Room; Dialogue Only; Extreme Genres

• Advanced Exercises: First, we open with an introduction to the five key pieces of a story (protagonist, antagonist, plot, resolution, and change). Then we have: Word Lists Redux; Hopelessly Tangled Titles; Flash-Fiction Overdrive; Characters in a Detailed Room; Dialogue Only for Three; Extreme Genres Merged.

It was 45 years ago in July that Zager and Evans' song "In the Year 2525" made an impression on the music world that hasn't been forgotten, and 50 years since the song was written. I put together a tribute based on the verses of the song, but the tribute is so long I've spread it out over three months.

The three installments contain nine stories that are connected, being the continuation of the ongoing human struggle against problems it created.

In this first part, the two-part titles include titles of episodes of the original The Twilight Zone to offer other dystopian references.

• "2525: Two" - dystopian science fiction, 642 words
• "3535: The Obsolete Man" - dystopian science fiction, 1,441 words
• "4545: Eye of the Beholder" - dystopian science fiction, 916 words

This continues the tribute to Zager and Evans' song "In the Year 2525, which began in July.

The three installments contain nine stories that are connected, being the continuation of the ongoing human struggle against problems it created.

In this second part, the two-part titles include titles of an episode of the original Star Trek and two sci-fi movies to offer other dystopian references.

• "5555: The Ultimate Computer" - dystopian science fiction, 1,783 words
• "6565: Gattaca" - dystopian science fiction, 1,012 words
• "7510: The Terminator" - dystopian science fiction, 607 words

This concludes the three-month tribute to Zager & Evans; song "In the Year 2525."

The three installments contain nine stories that are connected, being the continuation of the ongoing human struggle against problems it created.

In this final part, the two-part titles include titles of episodes of the original The Twilight Zone to offer other dystopian references.

• "8510: The Beginning of the End" - dystopian science fiction, 847 words
• "9595: The End" - dystopian science fiction, 922 words
• "After 10000: The Beginning" - dystopian science fiction, 510 words

It's Halloween again, so we'll go a bit overboard on the word count with four stories of hauntings that aren't typical in horror fiction. We'll start with a bit of humor and move on to more serious fare.

• "The Other Side" - ghost humor, 101 words
• "Ghost in the House" - ghost (haunted house), 983 words
• "Ghost Virgin" - ghost (possession), 1,388 words
• "Phantom of the Treetops" - ghost (haunting), 1,397 words

Each November, the editor, Evan Kanarakis, does a "best of" edition from the current year, so there is no Cud Flashes in the Pan in November.
 

Sorry for the brief entry this month. This Christmas, my family experienced a loss of someone we all loved, so I’m in a dark place. The story reflects that. May we all find a star in the heavens for every loved one we’ve ever lost.