Splickety SPARK: Literary Reimaginings

Writing flash fiction is a challenge (700 words makes for a mighty short story), but it's a lot of fun too. And the theme from February 2017, Literary Reimaginings (where one rewrites the ending of a classical story to something more exciting or satisfying or just plain different) was an exceptionally fun theme:

Our idea of a good time is a cup of licorice tea, a cozy blanket, and a well-worn classic novel. Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Gone with the Wind... books we read in high school and still pull out every year or so. 

Sometimes, though, we imagine different endings.

Our February issue of Spark--formerly known as Splickety Love-- explores the what-ifs of classic romantic novels. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’re bringing you tried and true romance with a twist.

These are classic love stories and famous romance with a twist. If you’ve ever wished for a different outcome, now’s your chance to read it. Our featured author, Julie Lessman, reimagines Gone With the Wind. It’s a must-read if you prefer happy over ambivalent endings. And Mirror, Mirror by Splickety’s Sarah Grimm will grab you by the heart. This year, we’re making it about lovers who are ready to tell a different story--one that may just be an improvement over the original.

I agree with Julie Lessman's story on how Gone With the Wind should have ended--hers is much more hopeful than the original! For my story I went with the classic play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (more popularly known as the musical, My Fair Lady). And as that story has one of the most ambivalent endings ever written (does Eliza stay with Henry Higgins, fetching his slippers forever? Or does she actually marry Freddy and make him fetch hers?), I created an actual ending for it. Just maybe not the one expected.


Sadly, Splickety will be closing its doors at the end of the year, but Havok will be emerging from Splickety's ashes in January, with more opportunities for writing and publishing flash fiction. Check it out!