For 24 years, I documented violence in passive voice. “The suspect was apprehended.” “The weapon was recovered.” “The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.” Clean. Clinical. Distant. Just the facts. No reflection.
When I retired three years ago, I started writing micro fiction. Same economy of language. Different purpose. Reports documented what happened. Stories explore why it matters.
Law enforcement teaches you to see both the best and worst of people—often in the same moment. We dealt with death by making jokes, by keeping it at arm’s length. We had to. Now, in my stories, I’m letting it get close. I’m asking the questions we couldn’t ask on the job: What does violence do to the people who witness it? What does survival cost? When does loyalty become complicity?
My first story was published in 2021, while I was still on the job. Since retiring, I’ve published 15+ stories in literary journals including Pocket Fiction, The Drabble, Microfiction Monday Magazine, 101 Words, Fairfield Scribes, and Flash Phantoms. My work explores trauma, moral ambiguity, and the choices that define us.
Micro fiction forces you to cut everything but what matters. No fluff. Just enough to tell the whole story—with reflection and connection.
For 24 years, I wrote about trauma without feeling it. Now I write to feel it—and to help others feel it too. That’s the difference between a report and a story. That’s why I write.
B.G. Smith 