Win Cash Prizes & Get Professional Feedback @ Flash Fiction Magazine
Learn More
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

101 Words

101 Word Short Stories

  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Volunteer

Revisionist History

December 14, 2023 4 Comments

By Nancy Finston

I spent an hour trying to turn my sister’s frown upside down but lacked the Photoshop skills. Even tweaking the corners of her mouth a few pixels—to give her a hint of a smile—looked garish.

My brother and I knew to perpetuate the happy family masquerade. Our grins could have lit up a galaxy. My parents had polite, circumspect smiles; it was a portrait for the church directory, after all.

But my sister was always the truth-teller. She glared at me through time and sneered: “Really?” I finally relented and posted the unaltered photo to our Ancestry family tree.

Share this:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

The Power of Imagery with Nina Schuyler

September 12 & 13 on Zoom
Enrollment closes Thursday, September 3 at 7:00 PM Pacific

If your descriptions are vivid but your stories still feel thin, this workshop is for you.

Join award-winning author Nina Schuyler to learn the difference between description, which tells a reader what things look like, and imagery, which carries plot, character, and meaning at the same time.

In just two days, you'll learn to choose images that hold emotion without naming it, pair them so each one deepens the other, and build patterns that gather meaning as the story moves.

Learn More and Enroll

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David says

    December 15, 2023 at 4:31 am

    I like the idea of photos masking reality. Enjoyed it.

    Reply
    • Nancy Finston says

      December 20, 2023 at 2:41 pm

      Thanks for commenting David – glad to hear you liked it.

      Reply
  2. K F Lerner says

    December 20, 2023 at 4:05 pm

    Every family needs truth tellers – even if it’s just one. Well done.

    Reply
    • Nancy Finston says

      December 21, 2023 at 1:30 pm

      A now, finally in my senior years, I’m becoming a truth teller, too. (Took long enough!) Thanks for reading and commenting.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.