New Fiction Published by 10,000 Tons of Black Ink!

We are happy to announce the publication of 

“The Temporary Assistant Postmaster” by Alan Bray

Before an accepted story is published, the author is asked to select another published piece on the 10ktobi website and write a short statement about the story, noting in what ways it might be provocative, insightful, interesting or impressive. The writer’s comments appear with an Editor’s Note as to why the piece was chosen. In this way, 10,000 Tons of Black Ink strives to promote dialogue between writers, editors and readers, and supports the writing community as a whole.

Read the editorial comments for “The Temporary Assistant Postmaster” by 10ktobi Senior Associate Editor Alexander Slagg below, and visit our website to read the full story by Alan Bray, including his contributor comments on the previously published story, "Traiteurs."

Notes from Alexander Slagg, Senior Associate Editor 
Reading “The Temporary Assistant Postmaster” is like watching a fireworks display while wearing earplugs. The dramatic energy is subdued, but it is well-synchronized and bursting, at times, with rich emotional color. The subtlety of the author’s hand in providing small details, such as the specific and very apt contents of the protagonist’s lunch, and then ushering the plot forward and offering a nuanced ending, shows the care that went into calibrating the mechanics of this piece.

What I enjoyed about this story is that throughout the arc of that plot, the reader is not spoon-fed how to read the action. The author leaves some narrative space around each scene, allowing the reader the opportunity to infer some of the emotional subtleties—to participate in the telling of this story. For me, that is the most successful facet of this piece. The writing is mature and interested me enough to want to continue reading it to the end, and it gave me space to interact with this piece and bring my own narrative vision to the process. That quality makes this a successful piece of art.