“Crap! I can’t get this thing straight!” Diana fiddled with her pin in the mirror.
“Hey, look at me. You’re going to be fine.” Mark tugged at her collar until she turned towards him. He caressed his lips against her brow. She quieted and relaxed against him.
“You’re right. I’m going to be fine.”
“Of course you are. It’s just one little speech,” he smiled.
A discreet knock sounded at the door, and it opened.
“Madam President, they’re ready for you.”

(I write these micro-stories from a prompt word in one minute. I can edit as much as I want after the one minute, but the bones have to be there before the alarm rings.

The challenge behind today’s story was perspective, and it taught me a valuable lesson. At first, Mark was the President and Diana was fiddling with his collar and tie. But then, after I wrote it out, I switched them up, and the tie became a pin. After all, if one can happen, so can the other. That makes me dizzy with happiness.

I did this same, “micro-story a day” skill-building project in 2010. It revolutionized my writing and prompted the development of my “Flash Your Fiction” workshop for writers. To see the stories from that project, go here.”)