Congratulations to WriterAdvice’s Flash Fiction winners, those who came close, and everyone with the courage to submit. We were impressed with the quality of submissions, and we selected six winners this time.
As we made our selections, we tried to include a variety of subjects as well as tightly written and evocative pieces. You’ll see our reasoning below each entry, and a new winner will be posted each week.
Please continue submitting. There are lots of places seeking flash fiction and all kinds of writing. Our next contest, which we’re calling Flash Prose, is open. If you can’t find what you need, click on Discovery at Submittable, the same site where you submitted to us.
And the Winners Are
7-01-26 The Value of Fat by Shelley Stutchman
7-06-26 Smoke and Mirrors by Scott Dukette
7-13-26 Operation Chaos by Karin Cooper
7-20-26 It’s So Hot I Feel Like I’m On Fire by Jane Harkins
7-27-26 The Butterdish by Cassie Hussey
8-03-26 The Microwave by Alison Smith
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The Value of Fat
by Shelley Stutchman
Brittany measured her worth in before-and-after photos. Before the wedding. After the wedding. Before the vacation. After the vacation. She starved herself for these events, then ate in secret until her body once again found every pound, plus interest. At thirty-five, unmarried and two hundred and fifty pounds, she moved through the world like an inconvenience. People didn’t seem to notice her when she entered a room. Men looked past her. Brittany felt invisible.
It seemed almost everyone else had melted away pounds with a shot once reserved for diabetics, now repurposed for weight loss. Friends who once shared pizza with her now spent their time shopping for smaller sizes and living glamorous lives, while Brittany stayed the same.
One night, the indigestion that followed from eating an entire pizza by herself prevented her from falling asleep, Brittany stripped and stood naked before the mirror. She pressed her stomach flat with both hands, as if trying to turn into someone who fit into this world of skinny people. Her flesh slipped back into place the moment she let go, as if it belonged there more than she did. She tried to imagine herself thin, wanted. That night, she decided she would take the shot, charge it to her Mastercard, and accept the debt. Being beautiful was all that mattered, but to Brittany, being wanted mattered even more.
The next morning, Brittany walked into a med-spa clinic, instantly feeling uneasy, thinking she didn’t belong here. All the women in the waiting room were thin, radiating the confidence Brittany lacked. She turned to leave, but the receptionist walked toward her and then gently touched her shoulder. “Come sit down,” she said, her voice soft and welcoming. Brittany sat because that was what fat girls did: they obeyed. The receptionist smiled and slid her phone across the counter. “See that fat girl?” she said, tapping the screen. “That was me six months ago.”
An hour later, Brittany left the med-spa. Her purse bulged with boxed syringes, and the pricey elixir promising thinness. The receptionist hugged her tightly. “You’re going to love this,” she whispered. Outside, catching her reflection in the tinted glass, she looked the same. Yet now, hope tugged at her chest; it felt fragile, electric, and terrifying.
The next morning, Brittany turned on the news. “Emergency public health announcement,” the reporter said. “All overweight individuals must report to the nearest medical facility immediately. All weight-loss injections are recalled.” She swallowed. “Patients who’ve received injections for three months or more are experiencing rapid systemic failure. The drug suppresses all fat production. Some fat is biologically essential. Without it, the body cannot survive.”
Brittany dressed and went to the nearest clinic. The waiting room was packed with thin bodies, faces tight with fear. Heads turned the moment she entered. A nurse called her name and hurried her past the others into a room with a few other fat men and women. A man in a suit told them they were a national resource. Their fat cells were urgently needed to save lives. The government would pay each of them $250,000 a week to donate their fat cells until the crisis was contained. Brittany did the math. In one month, she would be a millionaire. As she passed back through the waiting room, thin people watched her with envy. Brittany felt visible and wanted. Now, everyone wanted to be like Brittany.
Shelley Malicote Stutchman is an award-winning author, speaker, breast cancer survivor, freelance newspaper reporter, featured writer for Caregiver Magazine, and blog writer. Her book, Peek-A-Boob: Uncovering Breast Cancer, has received numerous awards. In 2025, she received the Honorable Eileen Echols Inspired Woman Award. She lives by the belief that every challenge can become a story of hope.
Editor’s Note: What a delightful turn of events in the end of this story. Over the years we’ve read a great deal about being overweight and loving oneself, but we’ve never seen this unique perk. WTG!
Check in on Tuesday, July 7 to see our read our next winner’s piece.
