Flash Fiction (Flash) is short. It is complete in 1,000 words or less. Shorter stories in Flash are sometimes given separate names. Micro Fiction is about 300 words, and I’ve come across Drabble for the 100-word story, Nonofiction for a story of 55 words, and Dribble for the 50-word story. Twitter fiction is called Twiterature or Twiction. 42 Stories Anthology is currently taking submissions of 42-word stories with titles of 42 characters. And this six-word sentence has been cited as an example of just how much can be conveyed in only six words: “For sale: baby shoes never worn.”
Flash is not a prose poem, although when Flash contains distinct poetic features, it exists in a gray area between the genres. One example is “Hurricane Ride” by Bernard Cooper (in “Flash Fiction,” edited by James and Denise Thomas and Tom Hazuka). Cooper’s story begins, “In salt air and bright light, I watched my aunt revolve. Centrifugal force pressed her ample flesh against a padded wall.” The rhythms and sounds echoes give the narrative poetic qualities and some might argue that the piece is actually a poem. An editor would likely be the person drawing a line between fiction and poetry in similar instances.
Although it may seem as if Flash would be easy to write, it isn’t. Including all the aspects of a good story can require as much time and careful revision as it takes to craft a longer piece. It’s not a vignette, a brief description, nor an episode. A story in Flash needs a beginning, middle and end (a plot). It requires character(s) and description. The story moves forward in time; change occurs. Ideally, the writer also shapes the narrative in such a way that the story has impact and resonates.
To write a story in 1,000 words or less, there can be no ambling or rambling or filler. If a word, phrase or sentence can be eliminated without diminishing the story’s quality or effect, then it needs to be cut. The situation, location, dialogue — every element, in fact— needs to carry maximum weight.
As a general rule, a story in Flash encompasses a limited time frame in a narrowed location. It may be confined to a single incident. Naturally there are no hard rules about this. I once read a short story that encompassed a life span. However, the more focused the events of a story in Flash — the closer the view — the more likely the story will be successful. Flash is a lot like a movie scene. In screenwriting, key advice is: enter late, exit early. For writers of Flash it is: start late, end early. It’s also often advised to start in the middle. And a writer might wish to “end before the ending.”
What does that mean? The temptation is to work toward a twist or revelation. Yet that sort of finish can easily feel like a trick or gimmick. Ending a story with a punch can mean that an opportunity is missed for a more nuanced or evocative piece. There are a couple ways to “end before the ending. 1) Don’t place the high point or revelation or twist (if preset) at the very end, but somewhat earlier. 2) Stop short of a wrap-up or resolution. Allow the reader to imagine what comes next. I doubt I am alone when I imagine scenarios beyond the conclusion of a movie or novel or short story. In fact, these possible scenarios can keep me up in the middle of the night.
The best stories show more than they tell, and that’s especially true of Flash. The writer trusts that what is shown is enough; no explanations are needed. From personal knowledge and experience, the reader fills in, becomes a collaborator.
To get a good grasp of the depth that Flash can create in few words may require close reading of many examples. These are easy to find. The anthology, Flash Fiction (noted earlier) contains 72 stories in 215 pages, and there are other anthologies as well as collections by individual authors, some of those novellas in flash. There are YouTube videos, classes in Flash (with reading lists) on Skillshare and elsewhere. For both readers and writers, a Google search of places to submit will bring up useful lists, including “the top 24 websites for flash fiction,” an excellent starting place.
Lavina Blossom is a painter and mixed media artist as well as a poet, and more recently a writer of flash fiction. Her poems have appeared in various journals and anthologies.
"Flash" - Google News
November 07, 2021 at 01:00AM
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Flash fiction tells its story in a flash - Press-Enterprise
"Flash" - Google News
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