Lightning Flash Writing

It’s time for some shameless self-promotion: Green Light: A Gatsby Cycle, my second chapbook, came out on April 10th. It’s relevant because it was inspired by The Great Gatsby and published on the 100th anniversary of that classic. And in this month’s Substack, I’m talking about classics… with a twist.

While diving deep into all things Gatsby, I discovered Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor. If you haven’t read it, stop reading this now and go get a copy. Seriously. I can’t believe this book was only on my radar because of a random library catalog search for Gatsby because it’s a great read even if you don’t care about Daisy & Nick & Jordan & Tom & Myrtle & Gatsby… (yes, that’s a silly callout to my t-shirt).

Because I loved that book so much, I started reading everything else I could find by Cantor. At first, I was hooked by how she gave the women of Gatsby fully imagined backstories. Now, I’m equally obsessed with how she rewrites history—or at least, how she imagines what might have been.

• Margot explores what might have been if Anne Frank’s sister made it to America.
• The Hours Count follows a woman who befriends Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
• The Lost Letter weaves together multiple timelines and narratives in a way that’s just… breathtaking.

(And as a bonus, her YA novel The Code for Love and Heartbreak features a character who makes “mochas” the exact way I did as a teen: coffee, hot chocolate, and milk. Totally off-theme but too charming not to mention.)

What really struck me, beyond the stories themselves, were Cantor’s author’s notes. She shares the inspiration behind each book, how she researched, who helped shape the story. It reminded me of the joy of chasing an idea—diving deep, obsessing a little, and creating something meaningful from it. That process, that dedication, shines in her work. And I realized I’ve been missing that kind of spark lately.

Writing flash fiction is fun—and don’t let the word count fool you, flash can be just as labor-intensive as longer works. Every word has to earn its place. But a flash piece is a snapshot. There’s something different about living inside a longer project, whether it’s a collection like my first chapbook, Won’t Be By Your Side, or a retelling of something already established, like my latest release, Green Light: A Gatsby Cycle. (Hey, at least I warned you about shameless self-promotion!)

This chapbook isn’t just my flash fiction—it includes found poems from Janet Dale. We met in college and… well, you know what? All that backstory will come in a post on AllisonRennerWrites.com on April 24th.

Until then, here’s to twisting classics, chasing inspiration, and never underestimating the power of a random library search.

Again, shameless self-promotion… Check out Green Light: A Gatsby Cycle by Janet Dale and Allison Renner. Need a copy? Buy directly from the author and cut Amazon out of the equation! As a bonus, you’ll also get a book cover postcard and sticker sent in a shiny green mailer.

Also, I obviously really want everyone to read Jillian Cantor’s books so we can talk about them.

I used a sentence from the first page of each chapter of The Great Gatsby to kick off a flash story. This month, your writing prompt is to pick a book (a favorite or the one closest to you) and find a sentence on that page to use to start a story. Share your pieces with me in the comments, and/or share what book or sentence you used so we can all join in the fun!

I’ll share a line that stuck with me from my most recent read, Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson: Sometimes, when a person comes around, it’s simply too late.