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

Smoke Break

March 14, 2016 10 Comments

Smoke Break

By Kelly Evans

They deserve it, and really, what’s the worst that could happen?

Taking a drag of my cigarette, I exhale. Tendrils of smoke hang in the air.

No death penalty in Illinois. I’d go to prison, so what?  I’d be looked after: free meals, medication, room and board. Fresh air once a day—I don’t get out much anyway. I can live with wearing orange. I could finally be a writer; everyone’s writing books these days. I don’t see any down side.

I wonder if they have HBO in prison?

Finishing my smoke, check the gun, and go back into the office.

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. Kirsty says

    March 14, 2016 at 9:09 am

    Great reflection on modern society, and a way to be financed to write.
    Informative and beautifully written

    Reply
    • Kelly Evans says

      March 14, 2016 at 1:14 pm

      Thank you!!

      Reply
  2. parker says

    March 14, 2016 at 9:17 am

    Interesting thought process.

    Reply
    • Kelly Evans says

      March 14, 2016 at 1:15 pm

      A bit dark perhaps but I do like imagining what goes on in people’s brains sometimes…

      Reply
  3. jlcourtney says

    March 14, 2016 at 11:45 am

    Haha. Nice.

    Reply
    • Kelly Evans says

      March 14, 2016 at 1:15 pm

      Thanks, I enjoyed writing it!

      Reply
  4. Bobby Warner says

    March 14, 2016 at 8:19 pm

    Wow! I was blown away by that last line. It makes a tremendous impact.

    Reply
    • Kelly Evans says

      March 15, 2016 at 5:40 pm

      Thank you, I appreciate it!

      Reply
  5. Karen Saari says

    March 15, 2016 at 9:28 am

    I smiled at the end, but really it’s not funny. But it is. Not. Is.

    Reply
    • Kelly Evans says

      March 15, 2016 at 5:39 pm

      It’s not funny. But it sort of is. Sort of.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.