Glutton for Punishment

I submitted the following piece of flash to a Flashzine. The rejection letter I received was horrid. I'll post it after the story to give you time to make up your own mind.

I am not giving up. I just submitted a speculative flash story for their consideration. Am I a glutton for punishment? Maybe, but I will persevere.

Writer’s Block


The story was getting nowhere fast. The ideas were not flowing. No voices were talking. Indeed, it was going to be a long day of staring at this screen.

The phone rang.

The voice on the other end said, “Your last day on earth is Friday.”

The caller hung up.

“My last day on earth will be Friday,” Gary typed.

Suddenly a story about alien abductions flowed from Gary’s fingers. He typed straight through the night and into the start of a new day. It never dawned on him that it was Friday. Finally, he took a break.

Feeling the need to stretch his legs, Gary took a walk. He walked toward the drug store in search of the daily paper. He crossed the street. In front of him a truck carrying cement blocks turned. One of the blocks fell toward him. The End

146 Words

The following is the reasons for rejecting my story. -Rita

1: No. I found this story too predictable--there's nothing new here.
2: No. It's predictable and missing something to draw the reader into the story.
3: No. The ending is too predictable.
4: No. This piece is underdeveloped and too cliche'.