Compression: Glynn Custred
“Philosopher Paul Grice, in describing the process of ordinary conversation, formulated the maxim of quantity. No contribution, he said, should be more informative than required for the current purpose. This means that we are compressing messages all the time as a part of the normal communication process. Like everything else in language, compression can be turned to artistic purposes. This is clearly seen in poetry. Prose narrative can also condense experience in such a way as to focus more effectively on characters, relationships, moods, settings, etc.” — Glynn Custred
Compression: Matthew Brennan
“This is the first meaning of compression: aiming straight at the heart of a story and finding that one turning point that matters to the characters involved. The other side of compression is knowing what words are absolutely necessary to the characters in that moment and which words would better serve a longer arc, and are thus not needed to capture a single moment: which of the many elements of a character’s backstory to include.” — Matthew Brennan
Compression: James Claffey
“Compression is the shadow of the hummingbird on the plumeria tree. The scent attaches to the bird’s beak and flits into the evening air.” — James Claffey
Matter Press is now offering private flash fiction workshops and critiques of flash fiction collections here.
Upcoming:
03/23 • Kenneth Pobo
03/30 • Roberta Allen
04/06 • Avril Shakira Villar
04/13 • TBD
04/20 • TBD
04/27 • TBD
05/04 • TBD
05/11 • TBD
05/18 • TBD
05/25 • TBD
06/01 • TBD
06/08 • TBD
06/15 • TBD
06/22 • TBD
06/29 • TBD
07/06 • TBD
07/13 • TBD
07/20 • TBD
07/27 • TBD
08/03 • TBD
08/10 • TBD
08/17 • TBD
08/24 • TBD
08/31 • TBD
09/07 • TBD
09/14 • TBD
09/21 • TBD