The author Ernest Hemingway is credited with what’s known as flash fiction, a challenge to write a story in a set amount of words. Now Pamlico Writers Group is extending the invitation to the public: write a story about the above picture in 1,000 words or less.

It’s an exercise in the literary arts, with the length of a short story varying depending on the publication in which it appears. For this exercise, the publication will be a Pamlico Writers Group’s anthology, which will include the judges’ favorite winning flash fiction entries through the year. The plan is to issue a new challenge every month with each entry judged by members of the group, according to Sherri Hollister, a romance writer and PWG member.

The process serves a purpose by not only testing skills, but giving people the opportunity to read and learn from others’ work.

“When you read other people’s work you learn something about your own work also,” Hollister said.

Flash fiction challenges are nothing new to the PWG members: they’ve been using them to hone their skills for years, sometimes writing stories with as few as 50 words, Hollister said.

“As you write smaller, you focus on the more important parts of writing,” she said. “That’s something we’re trying to teach each other is how to write efficiently.”

Making the exercise public is a way to generate interest in the writers group and a yearly writing competition held in conjunction with its writers conference held in March.

“Hopefully, (it will) get people to see what Pamlico Writers Group offers,” Hollister said. “It opens the door for new members, new speakers, new ideas.”

Writers have until the end of May to write their 1,000-words-or-less story about the house on pilings on a still body of water, under a starry night.

Entries can be submitted through this link to the group’s website: pamlicowritersgroup.wildapricot.org/Writers-Challenge.