Atop the writer's desk await the tools of the craft. Four days and the deadline looms. Four elements must integrate the pieces into five hundred words. The pieces begin to fall into place. The competing writers will not relent and every word counts. The Iron Writer is a web-based flash fiction competition. It is about crafting short, element based stories in a competitive environment; winner takes all. It was conceived out of the desire to help writers of all skill levels improve their writing through fast, fun skirmishes with other writers using elements common to each story. From around the...