Living the Fictional Dream

My flash piece, “The Wall,” is live in the September 2009 issue of Hypersonic Tales. Check it out here — you can read it or listen to the audio version. I’ve been trying to break into the audio fiction market for a while now, so I’m excited about this publication.

This story made the rounds for a while before finding itself a home. I wrote the first version about 10 years ago, while I was still in college. It was a much longer version with a romance and a happier ending. I pulled it out of mothballs when I renewed my focus on writing back in 2oo7, and, with the help of my writing group, refocused the story and made it flash. For this story, the shorter format works — it makes it pop. There wasn’t really enough plot for the longer version.

I don’t remember any more what inspired this story, but I see it as a combination of the fantasy and sci-fi genres. When I shopped it around, a lot of sci-fi markets said it was too fantasy for them, and vice versa on the fantasy markets.

If you haven ‘t read the story yet, this paragraph is a spoiler, so skip to the next one. Personally, I think the end of “The Wall” is a happy one. In my mind, Hannah was saved from her prison in Orlon by what she knew as the Chaos, but in reality, life on the other side of the wall is beautiful and free. However, you could also interpret the ending in many other ways. That she was willing to die rather than be reprogrammed is also a valid reading of the story. I’d love to know what you thought.

I was beginning to think this story was cursed. It kept getting “almost” accepted, and then, once, it actually got accepted, but the market shut down before “The Wall” could actually be published (bummer!).

But, now “The Wall” is finally having it’s day, and I couldn’t be happier with Hypersonic Tales. Go check it out when you have a chance, and let me know what you think. You can leave a comment here.

Watch out for the Chaos — it will pop up when you least expect it!