For a handful of exercises this month, we’ll look to works from the long and living legacy of Japanese literature for sparks of inspiration.

For today’s ten-minute writing exercise:

In Inter Ice Age 4, Kobo Abe imagined a world where children can be genetically engineered to live aquatically once the polar ice caps melt. Write a scene in an underwater classroom where the children swim freely and adults must use diving equipment to survive.

Our themes this month are:

• First lines and beginnings
• The 3am Epiphany by Brian Kitely
• Sparks from Japanese literature
• Borrowed forms

We’ll also be writing a complete work of flash fiction together the week of Monday, January 20 – Sunday, January 26. Yes, starting tomorrow.

We’ll spend just ten minutes a day writing, and exit the week with a complete work of flash fiction of ~900-1200 words. No prep needed, and as always, zero homework.

See you tomorrow for the start of Flash Week!