David Chevalier entered his first Flash Fiction competition in Newmarket, NH in 2011, just the second year the Newmarket event took place. His friend had invited him to try his hand at the short short style. He wrote his piece the very day he received the invite and admits to being shocked when it won. “After that, I became very interested in exploring all the ways you can squeeze a real story into three minutes.”

“I like being able to hold the whole story in my mind and find a shape for it that works in three minutes,” he said. “Finding more economical ways to accomplish the same narrative things as I edit is a fun challenge.”

His second prize winning submission, The Golden Gate Job My story was a sci-fi scene. His protagonist was a blue-collar worker who spends his life cleaning out the residue inside a time-bending starship gateway.

Chevalier has two previous flash fiction winners that have been published, and one of was actually produced on the NHPR show “Word of Mouth.” You can hear that story by following this link: https://www.nhpr.org/word-of-mouth/2014-06-04/6-04-14-the-hygiene-behind-bacteria-rich-body-sprays-and-the-thing-in-the-spring-hits-n-h).

Many people become somewhat anxious when it comes to reading their writing out loud to an audience, but that comes naturally to Chevalier. He has been a performer with Portsmouth’s Stranger than Fiction improv group for nearly 15 years. “I had done the flash fiction competition (and judged it) several times before, so I’m comfortable with this sort of thing,” he told us.

The author says he continues to write some flash fiction. “I do still write flash fiction, but I’ve also been working on writing more traditional length short stories lately (when I’ve found the time to write at all!)”

Good luck to all of the NHWP Three Minute Fiction Slam contestants this year.

Have you registered to attend the 2022 Final Competition yet? It is taking place on Saturday, November 12 at the Mara Auditorium on the SNHU campus. The event begins at 7PM and while there is no admittance fee, registration is required for a headcount. Registration closes at 4PM this Thursday, Nov. 11, 2022.  If you plan to attend, please register for the event here.

We hope to see you there!