Rejection of rfp template letter

Hello! I wrote a graphic novel and am currently illustrating it. I am querying agents and collecting rejections. Any critiques on my query letter would be appreciated. Thanks!
Query: The Light Treaders, Fantasy Graphic Novel for Upper Middle Grade
Dear AGENT,
My name is [Me] and I have written and am currently illustrating a graphic novel titled The Light Treaders.
There are so many agents to choose from it can be quite overwhelming! I read through the profiles on WEBSITE and your profile feels like the best fit for my book and my personality.
Nayel works in the tavern where she was left behind as a child. The tavern's owner Ruthie Lane has taken her in and loves her like a granddaughter. An old friend of Ruthie stops in and wants Nayel to join them on their little quest. They are headed into The Wounded Woods to find the Codex Caverns. There is rumored to be a book that contains the cure to an illness the queen has been fighting for some time now. Brianna is strong, quiet and obviously a skilled fighter. Daphne is the top student in her school and knows a lot about magic. What can Nayel do? She has only ever been a waitress. Anxious and unsure Nayel agrees to go on this mission. Along the way the three encounter flying snakes, bullying berry bushes, The Angry Oak and other dangerous creatures. They learn about each other, becoming friends and they learn about themselves, revealing their strengths and weaknesses.
The Light Treaders is full of heart, humor, magic, mystery and adventure. Parents and teachers will find that the young women in this story work together and lift up each other even while doubting themselves. The Light Treaders is aimed for upper middle grade readers. The characters solve problems, fight monsters, make jokes, find confidence, discover weakness all while becoming friends.
The Light Treaders is similar to The Adventure Zone series except that it is for children and the main characters are female. Kids that like Amulet, The Babysitters Club, and Phoebe and Her Unicorn will like The Light Treaders.
The book comes to about 178 pages with an average of 8 panels per page, and around 9000 words. I have created a dummy graphic novel with sketches, texts and frames in place. I also have about 15 pages where all the art work is completed. I would love to send pdfs showing my work at your request.
I hope you enjoy what you read and I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks so much,

Another paper of mine just got rejected. This time cause the reviewers want more experiments and find our work irrelevant to the audience!
Our work presents a profile that has never been released before! Maybe it's irrelevant to THEM, but while I was writing about it, I FOUND NO DATA, WHATSOEVER that could help me understand the occuring phenomenon, so YES IT IS RELEVANT TO A PARTICULAR AUDIENCE.
Also, they wanted more experiments! Do they not work in research? Do they not know funding has limitations? Gradstudents have restrictions and goals to meet?
All I want to write in my response letter is: Get off your high horse!

I'm graduating with my PhD in August and have been applying for non-academic/non-faculty research positions. I've only applied to 10 roles so far, so it's very early days, but so far I have only received rejections. I was planning to really ramp up my applications in June/July. My goal is to find a remote position or something local (within an hour commute) and hybrid so that I can remain near my partner.
My advisor connected me with a colleague, who runs a large research team, has ample research funding, and is incredibly well-connected in my research field. The thought was that this colleague might know of someone who is hiring in our geographic region, as the colleague is based in a city close to where I live (~1 hour commute). We had a phone call earlier this week, and it appears that this colleague is interested in hiring me to scale up the research capacity for a community-based health clinic. The colleague asked a ton of questions about my research skills, salary expectations, talked about the advantages and disadvantages of being hired through different organizations (I could be an official employee of the clinic or another, larger organization). I was invited to visit the project site in June to meet the whole team, tour the site, and discuss more about what the job would entail. I'm thinking of it as a 3 hour job interview, of sorts.
All this is to say: this feels too good to be true! This job would allow me to stay where I currently live with my partner. I'd have to commute 2 or 3 days a week, which isn't ideal, but I can make it work. It would be an amazing early career opportunity, where I'd get to hone a ton of research-related skills, like grant writing, community-based research, preparing academic and public-facing research outputs, etc. I think I am feeling a lot of imposter syndrome - why do they want me?! I'm just a fledgling researcher.
In this situation, would you keep applying for jobs? I know the answer is yes, but perhaps I could scale back a bit? Should I keep applying to find something closer to home or remote? I know that the job is not official until I have an official offer letter, but how confident can I be that this will go through? Any words of advice or wisdom are welcome!

I haven’t gotten anything from queens yet and I have a 91 top 5 offer with queens being first choice. I’m seeing a lot of people getting their rejection letters. Is my time coming up to get one too?

The title of the previous Bankedex has been making people think it only contained offers for NI. So here it is again, with all the current offers and with a more generic title. There are currently 5 active bank switch offers (and only one is specific to Northern Ireland!).
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Here is the the ultimate guide to UK bank switch offers - the collective knowledge of ~140k BeermoneyUK members. Switch your bank account, get a cash reward for doing so. But don't switch your main account, open up a second account and switch that to get the money!
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Updated 15/05/2024:
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The most commonly asked bank switch questions:

1. I started to switch to XXX bank before the offer ended, am I still eligible for the bonus?

Yes, usually, most terms will state that a switch just has to be started (or applied for) before the end date or before an offer ends.

1. Do I have to transfer the required amount in all in one go, and does it matter if I pay money in before my switch is complete?

No and not usually, as long as the amount you pay in adds up to the required amount, and as long as you pay it in before the deadline stated in the terms. There has been one exception to this - Co-op - so check individual terms.

1. I need to switch "active" direct debits, does a payment need to have been taken before I switch?

According to Nationwide, an active direct debit is one that has been set up or had a payment taken from it in the past 13 months. So no, according to this. But why not just wait for the direct debit to be taken? You'll not have to worry about it then.

https://twitter.com/AskNationwide/status/1442939781491486720

1. How do I set up and switch an additional Chase current account?
   

   • See Chase instruction here to open an additional account.
     
   • The second account will be linked to the same card as your main Chase account.
     
   • Use the secondary account details and your original card details when switching.
     

2. What are the easiest/best direct debits to use for bank switching?
   

There are many: Paypal, Ebay, Moneybox savings account, Plum savings account, your credit card, Sprive Mortgage auto savings, Wealthify Robo Saving. We recommend ones that save money into an account in your own name. Here’s useful ones that have additional bonuses available via beermoneyuk

Site/App	Offer	Comment
Park Christmas (Search)	Save for Christmas via direct debit
Plum (Search)	A very useful direct debit	Easy and fast to set up
Sprive (Search)	Autosavings for mortgage overpayment direct debit (£5 bonus)	Easy and fast to set up
Wealthify (Search)	A very useful direct debit (£1/month min)	Easy and fast to set up

Questions about Bank Switching should generally be asked here. Posts on the subreddit asking questions about bank switching will probably be removed.

As always with the Bankedex, we need your help.

The post has been updated with the newest offers, and tips commented in the previous Bankedex posts, and those in other posts on beermoneyuk. But it is a difficult task keeping on top of all the questions. Please continue to share your experience with Bank Bribes. I will add questions/answers to this post. Your help is much appreciated - thanks to you all.

Current bank switch offers (£551 in total)

Bank	Bonus	Offer Deadline	Comment
Barclays	31k Avios for £48 spend	None	£100 profit, Requires premier banking
First Direct	£175 to switch	None
Danske Bank	£175 to switch		Northern Ireland only
Santander	£175 to switch	None	£15 extra available
Virgin Money	£100 to switch	31/05/2024	10% gross interest rates boost to 12% on £1k for 1 year (~£120 total) + extra £30 via Snoop

No switch, just sign up bank switch offers

Bank	Offer	Comment
Tide (click for details)	Spend £100, get £75 cashback	A beermoneyuk staple
Monzo (click to search)	Spend £1, get £5 or £50	£50 is for a business account
Starling (click to search)	Free National Trust Day Pass

Never switched a bank account before?

You should consider it. It is one of the easiest and most efficient ways of earning a little beermoney. It is advised to leave your main bank account alone. Instead, switch a secondary bank account, or open a new account at your current bank to be used just for switching. Recommended steps:

1. Open a second current account with your main high street bank (must be part of CASS service)
2. Set up direct debits on the second account (if required).
3. Add £1 to your second account. This will be transferred to your new account, allowing you to see when the switch has been completed.
4. Apply for a new account and arrange to switch to your second bank account (sometimes this is during the application process, other times it is after the account is opened).
5. Let the current account switch service take care of everything.
6. Make sure all other terms are met (e.g. pay in money if needed).
7. Receive your bank switching bonus.

You will hear about lots of people rushing through all of the switch bonuses available. These offers have been coming and going for years, my advice is to do an offer that tickles your fancy and try out a new bank. Then, if you decide you do not like your new bank you should sample another bank and get paid again!
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Are there some bank accounts worth keeping?

Why yes. Some are quite good, and give ongoing rewards. For example, Club Lloyds gives free Disney Plus. See the "don't leave us please" bank rewards post. Some also give access to the best savings accounts (e.g. regular savers).

Detailed switch offer information

Whilst we do our best to make sure things are correct, sometimes errors do slip through. Always do your own research. Also, it may not be possible to work through all of these.
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Barclays

Current offer: 31k Avios for full switch to Premier Banking, and paying £12/month for “Avios Rewards” for 4 months - works out around £100 profit when converted to Nectar points.

Direct link to offer (scroll down)

• You must switch to Premier Bank account.

These are premium accounts, supposed to be for those with £70k+ salaries. However, cycling £4201 each month also appears to do the job

Offer end date: None listed
Requirements:

• Open a Barclays Premier bank account & join Avios Rewards (£12/month fee), or
  
• Complete a full switch from a different bank (you do this from within the app, after opening the account).
  

Reward payable by: 1.5k Avios each month for Avios Rewards, 25k Avios paid in month 4 for the switch.
Available to existing customers: No.
Additional notes: it can be worth doing the Barclaycard Avios Plus offer at the same time, as you will get a discount on the credit card fee.

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Danske Bank

Current offer: £200 for full switch

Direct link to Danske Bank offer

• You can switch to their Danske Reward, Danske Choice or Danske Freedom current account.

Offer end date: No end date given, may be removed at any time.
Requirements:

• Full switch (no direct debits mentioned).
  
• After opening account, pay in £1000 within 60 days (can be multiple deposits)
  
• You cannot have had a Danske Bank reward since 01/01/2024
  

Available to existing customers: only if you are a new personal current account customer. .
How long does it take to pay the bonus: paid within 10 days of meeting requirements.

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First Direct

Current offer: £175 when you switch

Direct link to First Direct offer

• You can switch to their First account.

Offer end date: No end date given, may be removed at any time.
Requirements:

• Full switch (two direct debits or standing orders are required).
  
• After opening account, log in to mobile banking, pay in £1000, and make 5 debit card payments within 30 days.
  
• You cannot have had a 1st Direct account before.
  
• You cannot switch if you have an HSBC account opened after 01/2020
  

How to do it: Once your first direct account is open, simply log into your first direct app, select the account you wish to transfer into, tap ‘switch to us’ from your account menu and follow the instructions.
Available to existing customers: No. Also can't have had a HSBC account opened since January 2018.
How long does it take to pay the bonus: paid by the 20th of the month following that in which you met all of the criteria.

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Santander

Extra £15: You can get an extra £15 by signing up to a Santander Edge account via Topcashback. If you don't have a Topcashback account, you can sign up here:

Topcashback sign up

Current offer: £175

Direct link to offer
You can switch to any of these paid current accounts: Santander Edge current account, Edge Up, or the Private Current Account

Offer end date: None given
Requirements: Full switch.

• Apply to switch when you apply to open the account (or existing customers can just switch into an existing qualifying current account).
  
• Complete switch of a non-Santander account, set up 2 active direct debits, and pay in £1500 within 60 days of applying/telling Santander you want to switch. Must keep direct debits active on account
  
• Cannot have had a Santander-group bonus previously (Santander, Cahoot, Cater Allen)
  

Reward payable by: between 60 and 90 days after opening the account.
Available to existing customers: Yes (can switch a non-Santander group current account into a new or existing Santander account). Existing customers may need to visit a branch.

​

Virgin Money

Current offer: Extra 10% interest on £1k for a year (~£100 bonus)
Extra £30: You can get an extra £30 by signing up to Virgin via Snoop (you need to connect your Virgin account to Snoop). If you don't have a Snoop account, you can sign up here for an additional fiver too:

Snoop £5 sign up bonus
Direct link to Virgin Money offer

• You can switch to their M Account (free, ~10% interest total, gross), M Plus Account (free account, ~12% interest total) or Club M Account (costs £12.50/month for insurance and stuff, ~12% total, is one of the best value package accounts - especially if a joint account)

Offer end date: apply by 31/05/24
Requirements:

• Full switch (two direct debits required as part of the switch).

Available to existing customers: No. And can't have closed an account since 30/04/2024
How long does it take to pay the bonus: interest is paid monthly, so a a year to get it all!

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General Bank Switch Questions

Current Account Switch Bribes - Why do they offer them?

They want your business. Banks like fighting each other for customers. Most of them know they can't win by highlighting their outdated systems and products, so they fight each other by offering potential customers cash bribes (or equivalent) to switch their "main" bank account.

Can I switch any bank account to get a bribe?

No. You must switch a bank account that is part of The Current Account Switch Service (CASS). Most high street banks are included. But some Neo Banks are not (e.g., Kroo, Revolut, & Monese are not included). You should try to avoid switching your main bank account. You can always open an additional account just to switch.
See here for a full list of CASS banks.

Is it too much hassle?

No. The Current Account Switch Service (CASS) makes switching your account between most banks smooth and effortless. You do not have to do anything apart from apply for and set up a new account at a different bank and tell them you want to switch your account to them. Everything is transferred automatically (except recurring card payments).

Is there the best route to sample all the banks with switch offers?

Do the offer ending soonest first. Then you might switch again. If you complete all offers in this post, you could earn yourself >£1000.

Some of these end soon. Will the offers come back?

Banks have been offering bribes on and off for many years. We can't predict the future. But this is not a new thing.

How long does a bank switch take?

Approximately one week.

Do I have to switch my main account?

You could. But you don't have to. Many people have second bank accounts. One option may be to open up a second account with your current high street bank, add some direct debits to this second account and then switch it to the new bank you want to try out. On the sub, people also like Starling or Monzo as they are easy to set up (but you might want to switch back to them at the end - their functionality wins vs any usual high street bank).
High-street banks also let you open multiple accounts. If you already have an account with one, you might want to open an additional one with your current bank first (Halifax, NatWest etc are reported to allow several current accounts and to be fast to open).

I have savings accounts at the same bank as my current account. Can I still switch to this current account?

Yes. Only the current account will be closed (some linked regular savers may be converted to normal savings accounts). You might want to consider if switching to a secondary account is a better option.

I have linked savers attached to my current account. Can I still switch it?

Possibly.

Which banks let me open a second bank account?

Most of them.

Do I need to activate the card on the account I am going to switch?

Just do it anyway. Some banks require it

What details do I need to switch?

• Sort code and account number.
• Debit card information.
• Usually, but not always, 2 active DDs on the account you are switching.

Do you need to have money in the account you are switching?

No. But it might be a good idea - this will allow you to see when the switch happens (i.e. when the money is transferred!).

I do not have a bank card with my old current account as it is very very old, can I still switch it?

Most online forms require card details, but you can usually switch such accounts over the phone.

My new bank has not given me my account number (e.g. NatWest).

Usually, these are sent via post/email when you sign up. But some banks don't have the account numbers on the card, or maybe letters get lost in the post. If this happens, wait for the card to arrive and contact their support. If you get a bot on the chat thing, type "speak to a human" repeatedly.

My new bank account is a premium account and it has a fee. Do I need to keep paying for this?

No. You can downgrade the account. But you should probably wait until you have been paid the bonus.

I don't like my new bank, do I need to wait for the bank card before switching again?

Yes. See question above. Most banks require the card details of your existing account.

I made an account just to switch. Can I switch before my new bank card arrives?

Best not to. You are asked to enter the debit card information as part of the process.

The offer says I have to pay in £xxxx. Does it have to be in one go?

No. You can transfer in and out. The total sent in has to be equal to or greater than the stated amount. You should be careful with this though, sending money in and out of an account can trigger anti-fraud measures.

The offer says I have to pay in £xxxx. Can I pay it in before the switch completes?

Yes. You can pay it before, after, or during. You can manually transfer it, or it can be transferred automatically from your old account.

I've been asked to verify my identity. Is this normal?

Sometimes automated checks fail. If this happens, you may be asked to manually verify your application by visiting a branch or sending in a copy of your ID.

I switched from Monzo/Starling and want to return, can I?

Starling does not let you return within 12 months. With Monzo, it's possibly a shorter one month that you have to wait.

Do I have to switch direct debits?

Check individual offer terms.

What is an "Active" direct debit?

An active direct debit is usually one where a payment had been taken in the last 13 months. But some bank switch terms require direct debits to have been paid out of the account. If an offer requires an active direct debit, it's safer to switch to an account that has already paid out direct debits.**

What are good direct debits to set up on a second account?

There are many: Paypal, Ebay, Moneybox savings account, Plum savings account, your credit card, Sprive Mortgage auto savings, Wealthify Robo Saving.

I recently switched to XXX Bank, and I do not like it. Can I switch again?

Yes. If you are not happy with the new service, you may want to switch to a new bank that will pay you to give them a try.

Do I have to stick with my new bank for any length of time?

No.

If I switch away, will the bank claw back the bonus?

Very unlikely. They would have to specify this in their terms, and none have ever done so.

My switch is complete, but I have not yet received my bonus. Will I still get the bonus if I switch this account before it is paid?

Probably not.

My most recent switch is not quite complete, but I have already received the bonus. Can I start another switch?

You should probably wait for the switch to complete.

Can I get more than one bribe from each bank?

Sometimes. With some banks (e.g. Nationwide), you can get a bonus for switching one sole and one joint current account. Other banks will pay you to switch again, as long as you have not had a bonus in a specified amount of time. You will need to check individual offer terms.

XXX Bank gave me a bonus before, can I get a bonus again?

You need to check the individual offer terms.

Will this affect my credit score?

Credit scores are a funny thing, What is more important is what is actually in your credit file. Obviously, if you apply for an overdraft then it will affect your "credit score". However, if you do not have an overdraft or you make sure that you have paid off any overdraft before switching banks, then a single current account switch should not negatively impact your credit score. Nevertheless, typically all major banks (excepting Monzo and Starling) do a hard credit search, and this will be recorded on your file. If you plan on applying for a new mortgage soon then you may wish to exercise caution in switching between a load of banks. This is because the hard searches performed by banks will appear on your report and may have an effect for 6-12 months.

Which banks do hard searches and which do soft searches??

See here. Most banks do hard searches.

• Hard searches: Bank of Scotland (first account only), Barclays, Co-op, Clydesdale, Halifax (1st account only), First Direct, HSBC, Lloyds (1st account only), Monzo, Nationwide, NatWest, RBS, Santander, TSB, Ulster, Virgin Money.
  
• Soft searches: Starling, Metro Bank, and Chase
  

I have a bad credit score, will I be accepted to XXX bank?

Unfortunately, we do not know the acceptance criteria of the banks. You might be unlucky with one bank, but lucky with another.

My application was rejected. Why?

Nobody here knows. You could try appealing, but your only way to find out more is to contact the bank.

After switching my account, I still have online banking with my old provider. Do I need this?

No. You do not need to keep the online access (you could shut it down). But you may wish to retain these details in case your old bank suddenly appears with an offer that makes you want to switch back. Or open up a savings account.

Has anyone else been paid for switching to XXX Bank yet?

Check the terms of the offer you signed up for. Some banks have long deadlines and stick to them (e.g. Santander, TSB). Some are quicker. If you haven't been paid within the stated terms, then you should contact the bank's support.

People at work talk behind my (30M) back about me being lazy or dumb or stubborn. I create processes to build efficiency into our daily workflow so we can all do a little less and make more out of it. However, most of the teams I work with refuse to follow these processes, or amend them so they can get away with doing even less. The problem is once the process is in place we create reporting around it to see how successful it is and how much time is saved to determine if it is worth keeping around it if we need to make changes. So when the process isn't followed the reporting is off. Lately, for the past 7 or 8 months, I've been feigning ignorance or outright stupidity when the processes fail due to noncompliance. Normally I would just include whatever they missed or reformat the request to be correct but that only reinforced the bad behavior so now I just reject it and demand they do it right or act confused about what they are requesting. My teams are not happy about it and it does cause pretty large delays in completing projects, but it does force them to follow the process to the letter. I guess my confession is that I'm not stupid or lazy I just hate who I work with and how stupid and lazy they are.

This is taken from and is copyright protected by globalsoup.net, a website that promotes flash Fiction with annual writing contests.
I am reprinting these Flash Fiction Prompts because they are outstanding ways to freewrite and offer plenty to work with for those who want to learn how to write Flash Fiction.
So check out these prompts and the article and work some of them into your journal! Post the best responses!
100 Awesome Flash Fiction Prompts - Plus Bonus Prompts!
We’ve put together 100 flash fiction prompts, each one designed for a very short story. These prompts will probably be best suited to a story of between 300-1,000 words. If you want to write a longer story using these prompts, you can easily expand these ideas to fit a story of any length.
What is flash fiction?
Flash Fiction is defined as a very short story that can be anywhere from just a couple of words to about a thousand in length. The beauty (and difficulty) of writing flash fiction lies in trying to tell a complete story in so few words. Great flash fiction is succinct, emotive, thought-provoking, and impactful.
What’s the difference between flash fiction and a short story?
The only difference between flash fiction and a typical short story is the word count. However, this scarcity of words means that writing flash fiction can feel like a completely new skill. Just like the short story is a different animal to the novel or novella; flash fiction is kind of unique.
When writing flash, you’ll need to use fewer characters, a simpler plot, and you’ll have to make each word count. This is why editing is so important. You have to be brutal. Cut out everything superfluous and really make sure each and every word is performing an important function in the story. If you’re interested in writing very short fiction, why not check out drabbles? Drabbles are stories of exactly 100 words in length, and they can be a great way to practice keeping your stories very, very short.
How to plot a flash fiction story
When you sit down to write flash fiction, you must begin by choosing an appropriate plot. You cannot simply use a short story plot and tell it using fewer words. A typical flash fiction plot is like looking at one part of a story under a microscope.
For example, let’s look at prompt #21 in our list of 100 Flash Fiction Prompts:

1. Two people on a sinking ship must decide who should take the last seat in the last lifeboat. If you were writing a novel about a sinking ship, you’d probably want the actual sinking to be the climax of the story. Of course, there are infinite ways to write a novel about a sinking ship, but this would structurally be the most obvious. You’d use the first part of the novel to introduce your characters and describe the voyage leading up to the sinking and the sinking of the ship would be the dramatic climax, leaving the last part of the book as the resolution.

The golden rule of writing short stories is to begin as close to end as you can. So, to turn the same story from novel to short story, you’d probably want to begin with the ship sinking. You haven’t got time to introduce the characters before the action begins, so you’d need to feed in exposition and backstory here and there during the events.
All stories need a good climax. So, you would find the most dramatic moment in the story and build up to it. Perhaps your climax would be the two main characters having to decide who will take the remaining seat on the last lifeboat.
Finally, you need a resolution. In a longer short story you do have time to bring in some kind of satisfying resolution at the end.
But, if you’re writing flash fiction and your story is only a few hundred words, you really need to zoom in on one tiny moment in that story.
You don’t have time to tell the entire story of a sinking ship, but you can turn one moment into a story.
We’ve chosen the lifeboat situation as the key moment in this hypothetical story. Two characters must decide which one of them will take the last seat on the last lifeboat. This is an appropriate plot for flash fiction because it’s simple, high-stakes, dramatic, and thought provoking.
Not all flash fiction will have a plot quite this dramatic, but all great flash fiction will have a plot that can be expressed in just one or two sentences.
If you have a plot in mind, but it seems more suitable for a longer story, you can sometimes find several flash fiction plots hidden within it. Just look for little stories within the story, like the lifeboat moment in our hypothetical tale of the sinking ship.
This brings us to our top tip for coming up with ideas for flash fiction stories:
if you’re ever stuck for ideas, you can find little stories within the story in books, movies, and TV shows. A full length feature film might have as many as 20 little incidents in it that could easily be flash fiction.
Don’t directly write a story based on the film, though. Just carefully pick out those little moments, write down what’s happening as a one or two sentence plot, and then use it to inspire your own, completely original flash fiction story.
One of our 100 Flash Fiction Prompts was actually taken from the movie Pulp Fiction!
How to write very short flash fiction
There are several reasons writers might start writing flash fiction. Of course, it could be that they just love and enjoy the form, but sometimes they’ll be a more strategic and practical reason at play.
Perhaps they want to practise the process of writing stories within the confines of a certain word limit. Maybe they are trying to develop a daily writing routine and they don’t have a lot of free time. It could be that they’re trying to break a habit of not finishing writing projects, or perhaps they are entering a flash fiction competition.
Whatever the reason, very often when we sit down to write flash, we must work under an imposed or self-imposed word restraint. We’ve set ourselves (or been set) the task of keeping the story under a particular number of words.
So, how do you plot a flash fiction story when you have to keep your story very, very short.
We’re not going to discuss stories of 100 words or fewer here. Technically, those stories are still flash, however, we prefer to categorise 100 word stories as drabbles and anything under 100 words as micro fiction.
But what if you have to keep your flash fiction story under, let’s say, 300 words? How do you write a flash fiction story that short?
The answer is: get your microscope out again. Remember earlier when we said writing flash fiction is like looking at part of a story under a microscope? If you have to write very short flash fiction, you’ll need to zoom in even further.
Let’s look at a couple of examples from our 100 Flash Fiction Prompts:

1. During a match, a young boxer must decide whether to throw the fight.

If you had 1,000 words to devote to the story, you could have time to tell the story of the entire fight. With only 300 words, it might be better to zoom in on the very moment when the boxer must choose whether or not to go down.
In a longer flash fiction story you might have time to go into detail about why he’s in this situation and why he’s so conflicted. In a 300 word story, you might only devote one or two sentences to his gambling debt and the large sum of money waiting for him if he goes down in the third round, as instructed.

1. A family must decide what to take and what to leave behind as a wildfire approaches their home.

If you had 1,000 words to devote to this story, you might be able to write about the whole process of choosing what to take and what to leave behind. You might be able to mention many different choices and have the whole family participate in the story. You’d be able to go into some details about certain choices and the stories behind individual objects or mementos, as well as the implications of choosing certain things over others.
With only 300 words, it would be advisable to zoom in on one member of the family and to focus on one profound and important choice.
How to write a flash fiction story
Now you have your mini plot, you still need to make sure your flash fiction feels like a complete story. It should still have a beginning, middle, and an end.
Just like a short story, you may need to bring in a little exposition here and there to give texture, context, backstory, and to bring some depth to the characters. But, unlike a short story, you won’t necessarily need to end with a full, detailed resolution. It’s quite common for a flash fiction story to end with a quick twist or plenty of ambiguity.
Flash Fiction is much more about eliciting emotions and provoking thought, than setting up and resolving a complex story.
100 Awesome Flash Fiction Prompts
A young ballet dancer chooses not to tell the other dancers in her troop about a loose paving stone outside their dance studio.
Two sisters realise they’ve both been on a perfect first date … with the same man.
On the car journey home, two parents realise they’ve left their child’s favourite teddy on a park bench several hours away.
A writer suffering from writers’ block looks for inspiration in a strange place.
Set 200 years in the future, a young man realises he’s too emotionally dependent on his robot assistant.
A young woman discovers she’s taken the wrong suitcase home from the airport. The contents of the case make her question her own life choices.
A murderer realises he has only 10 minutes to dispose of a body.
A child decides to walk home by themselves after their parent forgets to pick them up from school … again.
Your protagonist manages to talk the grim reaper out of collecting their soul.
Your protagonist suddenly realises they’ve been living in a simulation.
A young couple has chosen to spend the night in a haunted house to fix their marriage. Your story starts just as things get very weird.
Your protagonist finds a letter they wrote to themselves when they were a teenager.
Your protagonist must decide whether or not to drink from a fountain that erases all painful memories from the mind.
Your protagonist comes across a street called ‘Memory Lane’. They quickly realise the name is eerily apt.
A bride finds out something startling about her future husband an hour before the wedding.
Your protagonist finds an advertisement for a company that promises everlasting youth.
A youngest sibling shows up at a family reunion they weren’t actually invited to.
Your protagonist finds a piece of paper with a spell on it. If they say the words out loud they aren't sure if something terrible or wonderful will happen.
Your protagonist is watching a jazz band play when they realise they know the drummer from somewhere — but where? It takes a whole song for them to figure it out.
Your protagonist must meet their ex for lunch to tell them they’re now engaged. It’s been just a few weeks since they split up.
Two people on a sinking ship must decide who should take the last seat in the last lifeboat.
During a match, a young boxer must decide whether to throw the fight.
Your protagonist must pack their belongings before moving to a new colony on mars.
A pilot realises they have lost control of their aircraft.
Your protagonist doesn’t want to attend their 100th birthday party — and for good reason!
Your protagonist gets stuck in a lift with their ex … 5 minutes after breaking up with them.
A child says goodbye to the fairies in his garden before moving to a new home.
Your protagonist saves someone’s life … and then wishes they hadn’t.
Your protagonist arrives at a blind date. They’ve been set up with someone they actually know a little too well.
Set in a dystopian future in which public displays of affection are banned, your protagonist faces an agonising choice.
An agoraphobic must face their fear in order to save something important.
Your protagonist must make her partner fall out of love with them. Both their lives depend on it.
Your protagonist is hiking with her small children, they come face to face with a grizzly bear and her cubs.
Cinderella and Prince Charming realise they got married too quickly.
A message written in graffiti on a bathroom wall has serious implications for your protagonist.
Your protagonist finds a bag, looks inside, and realises the owner might just be their soulmate.
Your protagonist has been seeing the same stranger everywhere they go for months. They finally decide to confront them.
A couple realise their relationship is over during the trip of a lifetime. They’ve been saving up for the trip for years.
A public debate sees two previously married people letting their private grievances come into their arguments.
Your protagonist plans their escape from a retirement home.
A couple realise their fundamental beliefs are at odds with each other.
An artist develops an obsession with drawing a next-door neighbour.
Your protagonist finds themselves trapped in a cabin with a group of hikers during a heavy snowfall.
An ice skater must face going back on the ice after a dangerous fall.
A couple must decide their plan for New Year’ Eve. They both have secret reasons for their choice.
A family must decide what to take and what to leave behind as a wildfire approaches their home.
Your protagonist is waiting for someone important at the airport. They begin to think that person isn’t going to show up … and then they realise why.
Your protagonist must find their way through a maze. What they find in the middle of the maze is the last thing they were expecting.
An actor waiting in the wings has forgotten his first line.
Your protagonist is wrongly identified as a hero. Do they come clean?
Your protagonist realises their past is catching up with them.
Your protagonist overhears something that has serious implications for them while trying on clothes in a changing room.
Your protagonist is in a costume shop trying to decide what to dress up as for Halloween.
Your protagonist realises they’ve slipped into an alternate dimension.
A surgeon must make an impossible choice on the operating table.
A pregnant journalist interviews the mother of a missing child.
Your protagonist must ask his girlfriend’s father for his blessing, only to discover the father knows his deepest secret.
Your protagonist sees something on social media that will change their life forever.
Two work colleagues realise they’ve been dreaming the same dreams for weeks.
A reluctant daughter comes to terms with having to carry on the family business.
Your protagonist realises she must go on the run.
Two bank robbers disagree on their plan to rob a bank. This leads to a disastrous consequence.
A strange case of deja vous leaves your protagonist convinced of supernatural interference.
A sceptic begins to question their beliefs during a psychic reading.
Your protagonist uncovers a scandal at their workplace.
A hapless cook tries to recreate her late father’s favourite recipes in an effort to feel connected to him.
Your protagonist has a premonition that makes them certain they can’t visit their mother-in-law for Christmas. Now he must convince his husband.
A young backpacker discovers something unexpected in a cave.
An impulsive character and an indecisive character are brought together by chance. They must make an important choice.
Two characters cleaning up after a party discover an object that sheds light on something strange that happened earlier.
Two strangers are trapped together during a blackout.
Your protagonist must take a leap of faith in order to save something important to them.
Your protagonist discovers a huge part of their life has been a lie.
Your protagonist has set up an elaborate way to propose. Inexplicably, everything goes wrong.
Your protagonist must buy a dress for her mother’s funeral.
Your protagonist goes back to her favourite city in the world, only to find it has completely changed.
While stargazing, your protagonist realises the stars are forming secret messages in the sky.
Your protagonist hears a news story on the radio that will mean the world changes forever. However, she seems to be the only person who heard it.
Your protagonist is crossing a frozen lake. They see something under the ice that definitely shouldn’t be there.
A workaholic must come to terms with retirement.
An Olympic athlete must decide whether or not to report their teammate for doping.
A young mother feels isolated from her childless friends.
Your protagonist is about to realise their greatest ambition. Will it be everything they were hoping for?
Onboard a spaceship, a couple prepare to go into stasis for hundreds of years.
Your protagonist has an obsession with thinking about the past.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, your protagonist meets an unlikely love interest.
Your protagonist visits a place from their childhood and realises their memories of that time might not be accurate at all.
A small child has decided to run away from home. Her parents watch on with amusement as she decides what to put in her backpack.
On a whim, a bus driver decides to radically change his route, much to the chagrin of his passengers.
Dystopian. A couple in love are only allowed to spend time with each other one day a year.
A shapeshifter begins to realise their powers are fading. They must decide what form will be the last one they take before they cannot change again.
The devil visits your protagonist with an offer on her soul.
Your protagonist suddenly has the ability to read minds. There’s only one place they want to go now!
Your very wealthy protagonist has designed a simple test to see who will inherit her estate.
An archaeologist discovers something that will change how we see the history of the world. It could be dangerous. Does he keep it to himself?
Your protagonist must clear out their late mother’s house. She discovers an incredible family secret.
Your protagonist is meeting his brother. They haven’t seen each other for 20 years.
Your protagonist develops the ability to see the world literally through someone else’s eyes.
Your protagonist starts to believe their partner might be a spy.
Your protagonist discovers a hidden camera in their living room.
Looking for a flash fiction competition? Check out our ‘Big List of International Writing Competitions!’ Looking for inspiration? Why not check out our list of the 20 Greatest Short Story Writers of All Time! Just received another short story rejection? Here’s our post about ‘How to Deal With Story Rejections’ Bonus Prompts! Two characters waiting by the side of the road realise they are both meeting the same person.
A woman loses her young niece in a busy shopping mall.
Three strangers must solve a riddle in order to gain entry to a secret club.
A poor woman must borrow ingredients from her neighbours to bake her husband a birthday cake.
A waiter finally finds out why an old man has been coming to the restaurant where he works every day at exactly the same time.
Two work colleagues must decide which of them is to take the blame for a terrible mistake at work.
Your disgruntled protagonist goes to confront the couple next door about the strange noises they’ve been hearing at night.
A family dinner party sees three characters make three very surprising announcements.
Two women argue over who should get to buy the last dress available in a store. How do they decide who should get it?
A young couple find out they knew (and disliked) each other vehemently as children.
Love writing stories? Register now for our free 7 Day Story Writing Challenges. Write a short story in a week, get extensive feedback on your entry, and compete for a prize of £500 in each round of the challenge. Register today!
Mastered the art of flash fiction? Now you can try submitting your stories to literary magazines! We’ve compiled a list of the best literary magazines that don’t charge a reading fee! Check out our Big List of No-Fee Literary Magazines.

I just received an offer for my second choice masters degree. I am unsure whether that implies that i was rejected for my first choice. Anyone in the same boat here? Not sure if i have to wait for another letter of offer for the first one or i should assume that i was rejected.
Disclaimer that i fulfilled all specific and general requirements comfortably. Thanks

In my opinion, Henry VIII basically believed he was in love with all of his wives except for Anne of Cleves (the one marriage made purely for political purposes). His brand of "love" is the furthest thing from what we would call "healthy" or "unconditional" but however you want to define his feelings for the women he purposefully chose to marry, HE believed it was love and he was a deluded romantic like that. At the same time, I also think his love for Jane Seymour more so sprouted from all the right coincidences falling into place. Had his marriage with Anne Boleyn turned out the way he hoped, he might've only indulged in a passing attraction to Jane or not noticed her at all. Had Jane died giving birth to another girl, Henry might've never bothered to remember her fondly and regarded her as a failure like Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. As a result, I don't like the popular belief that she was his "true love" because he probably would've fell out of love with her if she disappointed him as much as the other wives did.
What's worse, people never talk about Jane's feelings for Henry regarding her position as his "favorite wife." Considering Katherine of Aragon's final recorded words about Henry, it's safe to assume that she truly loved him despite everything he did to her and I think there's evidence that Anne Boleyn might've loved Henry at some point too (yes, I agree that what he did to her amounts to stalking in the modern day but according to courtly love traditions, Henry's behavior would've been seen as romantic and unfortunately, being a smart woman doesn't protect you from falling for men with huge red flags). The last three wives's feelings towards Henry are way more likely to be pragmatic in nature, considering Henry's monstrousness was on full display at that point. But as likely as Henry's feelings for Jane were real (as real as they can get for him), what do you think Jane's feelings for Henry likely were? While we have Katherine of Aragon's final letter to Henry and Henry's love letters to Anne Boleyn, I think the only evidence we have of Henry and Jane's love is the stuff that Henry had made after Jane died, the painting of her with his children and their shared tomb.
In my opinion, I think it's much less likely that Jane had real feelings for Henry than Anne did. People forget that Jane was a part of an ambitious family too and while we'll never know how much of an enthusiastic participant she was in it, Jane also clearly had a strong faith in the Catholic Church and wanted the monasteries restored. She probably saw being Queen of England as a way to fulfill her personal goals for the country (though she failed to do so, whether out of fear for her life or a plan to play the long game combined with an unfortunate early death). Of course, I don't advocate for the position that Jane was a scheming heartless bitch because it lowkey feels like a vindictive way to stick Anne Boleyn's bad reputation onto Jane's "boring good girl" image. Trust me, I'm an Anne Boleyn fangirl for life but smearing Jane's reputation feels hypocritical and wrong. I prefer to think of Jane as an ordinary young woman like Catherine Howard, who would've happily lived a normal life if her family wasn't so close to politics.
I think in a world where Katherine of Aragon's sons lived, England never broke with the Church, and Henry still felt the need to whore around like he does and happens to still fall for Jane, Jane would've rejected his advances and meant it. It's almost ironically funny that Jane gets cast in a romantic light the most out of Henry's wives when we really don't know whether she really cared for romance that much. Katherine of Aragon and Henry were well-known as a love match before everything fell apart and Anne Boleyn fought hard to get with Henry Percy before Wolsey put an end to it. Catherine Parr fell for Thomas Seymour (AKA, my example that being a smart woman doesn't prevent you from falling for red flags) and Catherine Howard might've (emphasis on "might've") genuinely loved Thomas Culpeper. Meanwhile, we don't know anything about Jane's love life beyond a failed engagement before she met Henry and everything memorialized Henry's passion for her was made after her death. So who knows what Jane felt about the guy while she was actually alive? Who knows if she would've genuinely been flattered by the way Henry remembered her? Who knows if she was a romantic person at all or just a woman who wanted England to remain faithful to Rome?
What do you guys think?

Not sure what to do or where to turn, so I (31f) guess here it goes.
How do I motion to modify and enforce without legal representation? I am very capable of writing up legal documents if I have a template and would like advice on how to go about fighting to get my child back without representation since I can’t afford the $3-5k retainer most are asking for in my area.
In August of last year, custody was granted to my co-parent (33m), enabling them to relocate our child (9m) across the country. Subsequently, communication between my child and myself has been restricted by my co-parent, except for the court-sanctioned monthly visitation rights. Regrettably, these visits are limited to one weekend a month during the school year, and must take place within the same city and state where they currently reside. Despite my consistent practice of submitting the dates I intend to visit well in advance, a number of my visitation requests have been rejected by the other parent on the pretext of preexisting plans they supposedly have or the assertion that the requested dates are too distant to confirm at present. Typically, I undertake a round trip via air travel, incurring significant costs around $500-600, but alternatively, I would be forced to embark on a lengthy 9-hour drive independently one way. The cost for staying in a fairly cheap hotel is another $300-500, depending on the time of year, in addition to the cost of eating out and feeding both myself and child for the 3 days and two nights.
Throughout the custody proceedings, I diligently addressed all relevant concerns, yet lost custody on the basis of being a single parent, as opposed to my co-parent who enjoys the support of his mother and other relatives. I aim to petition for court intervention to uphold the existing custody order, seek modifications, and commence efforts to bring my child back to a setting conducive to a healthy and open relationship with both parents. Evidently, my co-parent has shown resistance in fostering or permitting any meaningful bond between our child and myself.
Unfortunately, like much of life has to offer, this is a very costly uptake. I do not have family able to bear the costs of helping me to hire a lawyer, unlike my co-parent has so graciously been blessed with. Ultimately I just want what is best for my child but do not feel that should entail my complete exile of his life.

I've been mailing out cards with wax seals and I've been getting confusing feedback from the postal workers at my local hub.
I've mailed out one or two via drop box before and didn't have any issues paying for the price based on weight (I use forever stamps). However, when I took a new batch of mothers day cards to the hub for some of my penpals, the worker had me pay 20ish cents more per card without explanation. All I know is that she tried shoving it through a small slit in a plastic template to see if it would fit and it kept jamming at the part the wax seal was on. This effectively ruined the aesthetic of the whole envelope because the additional postage sticker was placed over the top edge of each one.
I sent out a second batch with an extra stamp each and dropped it off at my nearest drop box. That letter had no issue getting to the recipient.
Should I stop taking them to the post office and just drop them off at the drop box with normal stamps? Should I just add +1 stamp to each envelope and assume it will be fine? Is it really better to put an additional envelope with normal postage on the outside of the pretty envelope (with wax seal)? Thanks in advance for all your help!

Hi. I am a pharmacy tech at the big three letter pharmacy. I have been trying to get out of retail for over a year. I had one interview with a hospital but got no call back. I had an interview with Cigna which was pretty weird and the hiring manager told me she straight up would not hire me, but refused to tell me why when I asked. Since then, I have been applying and have been rejected. I have my PTCB certification and am looking to get my sterile compounding cerf. as well. I am tired and I am losing hope. Now, there also haven't been many job postings. I signed up to volunteer at a major hospital near me, but my manager threatened to fire me if I went to the volunteer orientation. I don't know what else to do at this point.

I'm applying to a CSA job at Alaska Airlines. Again. I was rejected (didn't even get past the application step) the first time. I'm really interested in this job!! Any tips as to what I can emphasize on my resume and/or cover letter? I have a lot of customer service, cruise industry, and travel agent experience. Any tips?? I was really surprised I didn't even get past the first step last time, as I have a lot of relevant experience. Thank you for any help! :)

Hello, I'm a beginner. For context my code for a flask website is in a folder named "website". Outside of that folder is my main.py which is where i create the app. Both of these folders are stored in the user folder. I have installed Flask and Flask-Migrate in the user folder but when i try to use flask db init, it shows the error. I have activated the virtual environment before installing. Hope you can help thanks.
Additonal context: I'm trying to add new parameters to my database but it seems you need to migrate it first.
This is my models py. Initially, it was only data in there, but i wanted to parameters.

from . import db from flask_login import UserMixin #models act as blueprint as to how the data should be stored/organized from sqlalchemy.sql import func from sqlalchemy import CheckConstraint class Note(db.Model): #1 to many (1 user, many notes) id = db.Column(db.Integer, primary_key=True) data = db.Column(db.String(10000)) name = db.Column(db.String(100)) subject = db.Column(db.String(100)) difficulty = db.Column(db.Integer, CheckConstraint('difficulty >= 1 AND difficulty <= 10')) due_date = db.Column(db.DateTime(timezone=True)) date = db.Column(db.DateTime(timezone=True), default=func.now()) #func grabs the current date and time user_id = db.Column(db.Integer, db.ForeignKey('user.id')) #FK references the note to the user who made it. user == User in syntax. class User(db.Model, UserMixin): id = db.Column(db.Integer, primary_key=True) email = db.Column(db.String(150), unique=True) password = db.Column(db.String(150)) first_name = db.Column(db.String(150)) notes = db.relationship('Note') #will store user notes in a list. Can access them. Opposite syntax for foreign key lettering. 

my views py

from flask import Blueprint, render_template, request, flash, jsonify #template from flask_login import login_required, current_user #anything can be accessed in user model from .models import Note from . import db import json from datetime import datetime views = Blueprint('views', __name__) #defining routes @views.route('/', methods=['GET', 'POST']) #url to get to this endpoint. Function will run whenever we go to the / @login_required def home(): if request.method == 'POST': name = request.form.get('name') note = request.form.get('note') subject = request.form.get('subject') difficulty = request.form.get('difficulty') due_date = request.form.get('due_date') if not name or not note or not subject or not difficulty or not due_date: #for no input flash("Please fill the necessary fields.", category='error') else: if len(name) < 1: flash('Please input a name for your task', category='error') elif len(note) < 1: flash('Project details too short!', category='error') elif len(subject) < 1: flash('Please input the subject of your task', category='error') elif difficulty < 1 or difficulty > 10: flash('Difficulty range is from 1-10 only.', category='error') try: due_date = datetime.strptime(due_date, '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S') except ValueError: flash('The format for the due date should be YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.', category='error') return render_template("home.html", user=current_user) else: new_note = Note(data=note, user_id=current_user.id, name=name, subject=subject, difficulty=difficulty, due_date=due_date) db.session.add(new_note) db.session.commit() flash('Note added!', category='success') return render_template("home.html", user=current_user) #reference the cur and check authenticity. @views.route('/delete-note', methods=['POST']) #delete endpoint def delete_note(): note = json.loads(request.data) #take data from POST req noteId = note['noteId'] #load as python dict or json object. Access the noteId from the js file note = Note.query.get(noteId) #look for note that has the id if note: if note.user_id == current_user.id: #if user owns the note db.session.delete(note) db.session.commit() return jsonify({}) #return empty response 

And this is my init py:

from flask import Flask #setting up flask app from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy import os from flask_login import LoginManager from flask_migrate import Migrate db = SQLAlchemy() migrate = Migrate(app, db) DB_NAME = "database.db" DB_PATH = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), DB_NAME) def create_app(): app = Flask(__name__) #initialize the app app.config['SECRET_KEY'] = 'crescendo' #encrypt the cookies and session data of the website app.config['SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI'] = f'sqlite:///{DB_PATH}' #file path/location storage db.init_app(app) #initiliaze database by giving it the flask app from .views import views from .auth import auth #register them with the flask app app.register_blueprint(views, url_prefix='/') app.register_blueprint(auth, url_prefix='/') #anything the prefix covers will be shown from .models import User, Note with app.app_context(): db.create_all() login_manager = LoginManager() login_manager.login_view = 'auth.login' #where to go if user is not logged in login_manager.init_app(app) @login_manager.user_loader def load_user(id): return User.query.get(int(id)) #tells flask what user we're looking for. Loads the users. return app 

I (20M) was driving on the 3rd of December 2023 when I got pulled over by the police. I was told only a woman was insured on my vehicle which was my mother. I told him I was the second driver and showed my document which he told me was fake. I told him that I paid for it and showed him my bank application. He said it's a fake document and that I would be getting 6 points and £300 fine, as well as my car getting seized. Now I rang my insurance broker first thing in the morning and asked why I had been given a fake document, he told me he had done fraud on me and offered me £1000. I told him I didn't want that, I wanted an admission of fault letter because I have been driving for less than 2 years I would lose my license with six points. He refused so I reported it to the police and haven't heard back since. I rejected the conditional offer of 6 points and £300 fine as I had recorded my conversation with my broker as evidence. What should I do? feel free to ask more questions in case I missed anything, any advice would be appreciated.
tldr; thought I was insured, I wasn't, got pulled and got in trouble got proof that my broker frauded me.

As the title says, I(30M) was rejected in the middle of doing pre-employment paperwork. All because I was let go from my job a year ago. It was never brought up during the interview process. I answered all questions honestly. I only had 2 more forms to submit and had letters of recommendation from my previous supervisors(the one included) on hand. I was about to finally get a career path going. I could finally move out of my parents’ house after 6 years of trying to get something going.
The rep only saw I was terminated but never even asked of context as to why. I worked for a hospital as a patient transporter and every single write up I got was a result from understaffing or equipment breakdown. A year later and those same beds are still in service, still doing what they did to me.
I’m beyond devastated. I’ve dealt with a lot in the past year. I was suicidal, dumped by my partner, quit a part time job because of the strain it gave my mental health. This is clearly a vent but I’m broken. I only ever wanted to help people. That’s literally all I ever wanted.

Hi, I (32F) have a long distance relationship with my bf (25M). We belong to the same country/culture and this was the reason we got along so well when we met in a work related conference in Germany. We had splendid time, after a week I had to go back to the states where I am currently residing, he went back to india. We continued talking and we decided to be in a relationship owing to the magical time we had spend together. The relationship is long distance and we went through all kinds of emotions in one year time.
I encouraged/helped him with applications to study abroad some where we could be close (country wise) in future. By 7-8 months in the relationship he did ask me about marriage and though it was too soon I did express that I would be happy to take it to the next level despite the fact that both of us are not financially ready for the burden. I was also okey with it because I was ready to get a good job since I was almost done with my degree, and I could help him get steady wheather he wanted to work or study for at least 1-2 years if it comes to that.
By the end of our one year relationship (now) I have finished my degree. I am planning on moving to India for some time 3-6 months depending on how things go. The problemstarted when I sensed a change in his behaviour he thinks I might be cheating (he did not mention that word but I knew what he meant), I also got “where did we go wrong” and should postpone marriage until the end of the year. I tried to have multiple conversations about all of the above mentioned issues, for example I told him that his feelings could be because we haven’t seen each other in over a year at this point, and the honeymoon period is over and may be when we meet it will get back to how it was. I also asked him if this is not what he think it is he can think about the relationship and let me know where he stands, I gave him by the end of the week (A-so he can decide if he wants this relationship as it has its challenges, B- I don’t want to meet him if he is unsure of this relationship).
Couple of days ago he received an acceptance letter from a program that will allow him to travel 3-4 countries in two year times whilst studying abroad. He is excited and I am happy for him (I helped him with the application, when he got rejected I asked him to appeal or challenge the rejection as I truly believed in him and in the work he had done). Meanwhile I booked my ticket to home and was planning on meeting him. The flight is 12+ hours long and the flight is indirect so there are waiting periods of 3-4 hours in between the flight. I asked him if he would like to drop me off to my home city this would give us a perfect chance to talk and connect and it would help me get to my home quicker, rather than hanging out in a café or something for 2-3 hours before I head home which is 4-5 hours away from the airport (as I would be exhausted). He did not like the idea as it would take him too much time to drop me off and come back. He also mentioned that he doesn’t own a car and don’t want to borrow one (among other reasons).
I got extremely disappointed because I was bottling in everything since last 2 months about how he looks at this relationship, and now he can’t tag along to spend some time with me. The relationship dynamics were never perfect, and we discussed that in the early stages of the relationship, but now that I am looking at everything all together I feel like I made a mistake in starting something that has too many issues like age difference, speed of life, him moving away for 2 years and me going to back to the states. I do not think the relationship can last for another 2 years in long distance. I want to get settled with a partner who I can reach out to (same country neighbouring country). But than I think I am putting too much efforts and flexibility for someone who can not take 4-5 hour drive with me.
Tl;dr long distance relationship(1 year) with my bf who is younger than me is too excited about moving to another country and totally forgot to take an account our relationship into equation when I was totally flexible to accommodate him in every possiable way. I am moving back for some time and he is refusing to drop me off to my home from the airport because it’s going to be a lot of travel(5-7 hours) while I am going to take a 13 hr long flight.

This group has been so helpful so I had one more question:
Do you provide a "Customer Invoicing/AR" service for clients as an add-on? From what I understand, most firms are batching all invoices to be sent on a weekly basis after client approval. And obviously making clear they are not a collection agency in the engagement letter
I'm just curious, how is the batch data of Invoices to be sent collected from the client in the first place? Is this the clients responsibility to fill out some sort of templated excel throughout the week which are then sent directly within QBO to client emails at the end of the week or what's been the best way to do it?

This has been discussed a few times over on the general Pittsburgh subreddit (and I'm sure some of you have commented on those threads), but just wondering if there is a consensus from the "bike-specific" community on this issue?
Some general points:

1. I assume there is a fair degree of overlap between folks who are interested in biking/bike infrastructure and folks who support further development of public transit options.
2. For its part, it appears that the firm that is proposing this use, Railroad Development Corp., has been advocating for this potential use for, at least, 6 years (and the County and/or associated redevelopment entities, have, apparently, repeatedly rejected the dual use proposals).
3. PRT has included the potential to develop this route in long-term plans, although it does not appear that any substantial steps were ever taken toward developing this route, and certainly no funding was available to do so.
4. Trail advocates worked diligently for several years to secure an agreement with the owners of the Brilliant Branch, and after securing such agreement, and seeking approval from a government entity known as the "Surface Transportation Board," Railroad Development Corp., is attempting to insert itself into the process, in order to promote its desired use.
5. Railroad Development Corp. claims that there is community support for its proposal, and it did file five (5) letters of support with the Surface Transportation Board, including letters from two rails with trails advocates, a CMU professor and two reps from transit organizations ("Pittsburghers for Public Transit" and "Mobilify Southwestern Pennsylvania").
6. In their filing with the Surface Transportation Board, Railroad Development Corp. and its affiliate, Pop-Up Metro, claim that the trail only usage represents, "the parochial policies advocated by the former Allegheny County Executive" and that such proposal is "short-sighted and is merely reflective of local politics".
7. Pop-Up Metro claims that it will invest, at a minimum, $3.5 million in the project, although it is not necessarily clear what percentage of these monies would go toward the trail development vs. the proposed transit use.

I dunno, what do yinz think?

TL;DR My boyfriend and I are moving next month and he is no closer to finding work than when we started 8 weeks ago. We've talked about this many times and I feared this is where we would find ourselves and I don't know where to go from here.
I've been turning this over in my head for weeks and I'm hoping to get some outside perspective.
I (30F) have been with my boyfriend (33M) for three years. We're talking about marriage, we're talking about kids, we're building a life together. About two months ago, I was told I would be transferring to a city about 8 hours away to start a new position. I start in mid-June. This was an expected promotion that my boyfriend and I have discussed at length and he always intended to move with me. Since learning about the transfer, my boyfriend has been making arrangements to leave his job and find work in our new city....or at least he sort of is. He has let his current job know he's leaving, settled on a last day, made plans for a going-away party, etc. However, he is no closer to finding work in our new city. I don't know the specifics of his job search as he gets defensive when I bring it up, but I believe he's applied to about 3 jobs, one of which he's already been rejected from. I helped redesign his resume, I rewrote his cover letter, I connected him with someone in an adjacent field to network with (and to his credit, he went and talked with him). Still he's nowhere closer to finding work.
Now to be fair, his work is somewhat niche and the few places that have very similar positions in our new city are not hiring at the moment. However, he has not put in much effort to branch out beyond the *exact* job he does now. Mind you this is job he's talked about being bored of and ready to move on from for the entire THREE YEARS we've been together. In all of our conversations, I've encouraged him to find what it is he's actually passionate about. He talks about wanting to work outdoors but needing more experience...I point out that we have a lovely national park about 20 minutes from our house that he could volunteer at. He talks about wanting to work with computers but needing training...I suggest he take a free online course just to see if he likes it. He talks about going into teaching...then talks himself right back out of it. When I can no longer say anything new because we have the same conversation about this over and over, I suggest he see a therapist to work out why he can't seem to move in ANY direction. He saw one about three times and said he was nice but not super helpful. I can't help but wonder if once again my boyfriend is waiting for someone to do the work for him, even in therapy.
I don't know what to do at this point. I love this man, he is so kind, so loving, so supportive of me and my career. He makes dinner when I'm going to be home late, he does grocery shopping for us when I'm too busy, he sometimes takes care of the laundry. I just have a little voice at the back of my head saying that even though he goes above and beyond most of the men I've seen in my life, maybe I'm just seeing what an equal partnership actually looks like for once? And that it's actually not so equal if he can't even put in effort to find work. I know the job market sucks for a lot of people, but he doesn't even seem to be trying which is what grates on me. He just sends in his same old resume and same old generic cover letter and then oh well he hasn't heard back from them. And I know job hunting sucks when you're also working full time, but he's managed to watch plenty of sports and play hours of video games after work--maybe just sacrifice one hour a day for an application?
I'm feeling really unmoored here because we've seriously talked about marriage and kids in the next couple of years, and I want both of those things and both of those things with him, sepcifically, but I worry that this kind of pattern spells trouble for him taking on that responsibility. He and I have had this conversation ad nauseum so it's not an issue of communication. What do you think Reddit? How should I move forward with this?

I'm a 21-year-old recent university graduate in Melbourne and I'm really struggling to find any kind of job, even entry-level part-time, casual or temporary roles.
I've been applying for heaps of these types of positions, but I'm getting nowhere. I might occasionally make it through to the video interview or assessment stage, which takes so much time and effort, only to get a generic rejection letter in the end.
I'm not just looking for jobs in my field of science either - I'm open to all sorts of entry-level roles, whether that's admin, customer service, you name it. But it seems like I can't even get my foot in the door anywhere.
Has anyone else gone through this challenge of trying to land that first job after graduating? The job market just feels incredibly competitive, even for the most basic positions. My resume is nothing basic either, I have experience, internships and extracurricular activities and volunteer roles.
If you have any advice on how I can improve my applications, stand out, or get my foot in the door somewhere, I would really appreciate it. I'm starting to get really worried about my future prospects and financial situation.

Hi reddit, my (26M) Fiance (25F) and I will be eloping in 2 days. We made the decision to elope for a couple reasons, we are private people and don't like being the center of attention, didn't want the stress of a wedding, cost, and avoiding potential family drama. Our immediate families have been supportive of us doing a private ceremony between the two of us. We are going to the local rose garden and having an officiant tie the knot for us and then taking some photos afterwards. The next morning we will be flying to Punta Cana for a 7 day honeymoon. We are extremely excited and cant wait to be married! Three weeks after we will be hosting my immediately family from out of town and her immediately family to have a backyard party/celebration. We have some other fun things planned with the families so they can meet and we can still celebrate with them.
Extended families (Aunts, Uncles, cousins, etc.) aren't invited, while we would have loved to celebrate with everyone, we kept going back to the origional reasons we chose to elope and that's why we kept it to immediate family.
We asked everyone special in our lives to write a letter that we can open on the day of our elopement, we thought it would be a cool experience. We didn't asked for any money or gifts and didn't expect them, but we know we will be receiving money from what some people have said. While we didn't ask for anything we certainly appreciate if people choose to send money/gifts.
One thing I have been thinking about quite a lot was the etiquette on calling people, everyone knows the date of our elopement since we are doing the letters, and some people will be sending money. I wanted to express gratitude for everyone showing support and any gifts, but we will also be celebrating just the two of us that afternoon/evening and flying out the next morning at 6am. Would it be acceptable to send a text like the one copied below and then call people when we get back from the honeymoon? We would customize it for each person, this is just a template/idea.
"Thank you so much for sending us the card and ! That was extremely generous of you and we really appreciate it! we are happy to announce that we have officially tied the knot earlier this afternoon and we are currently preparing for our honeymoon in _ tomorrow morning. We will call you as soon as we get back to catch up!
Thank you again, that was too much, we really appreciate all of your love and support and look forward to catching up soon!"
What are your thoughts?