Flash Fiction

Hi readers! This post covers the literary genre of flash fiction!

Flash fiction is a type of writing that is accomplished in usually under 1000 words (most of the times less). If you don’t know what to write, or don’t have a lot of time to read, these short pieces are perfect to fill the gap; however, some people (myself included) can be intimidated by these projects since there is a word restriction, and that you find yourself with so much left to say with so little words left. Either way, here are some helpful tips and resources if you plan on writing and/or reading flash fiction. 

The genre of flash fiction can be tricky if you don’t realize the challenges you might face before writing, including:

• over-description of characters, scenery, or an event
• finding a good “end” point for your story before running out of words
• incorporating the elements of a story in fewer words

Even though flash fiction consists of a limited amount of words, it should still make sense grammarly and contain other basic elements of a story (imagery, character/event/topic, etc.). Furthermore, it’s important to make every word count. Showing not telling is a great way to conserve words and elevate the quality of any work, and in flash fiction this can be achieved by using strong words with connotation, denotation, and tone to set the mood and feeling of the piece. Also, they can be used to describe the characters of your piece. Instead of just stating that a character “walks,” changing the word to something like “strolls” or “paces” can show what the character is feeling, which adds details to your character without having to explain what your character is doing or feeling.

Some forms of figurative language, though, should be used with care. Long, detailed descriptions or analogies or an excess of “fluffer” words (very, extremely, etc.) should be limited because they take up room that a stronger word choice would be able to cover. For example, instead of saying “very cold,” “frigid” saves a word to use for other aspects of your story, and elevates the language in the piece.  

Overall, the restrictions and challenges flash fiction poses, if overcome, can result in an excellent outcome and piece. For example, the six-word story is another form of flash fiction, and is very powerful when thinking about what the words mean. One example includes:

• “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”- Ernest Hemingway 

Though it’s only six words, it has a lot of meaning which has to be determined by the reader (another aspect of flash fiction). No one knows if it implied the mother had a miscarriage, the shoes just didn’t fit the baby, or another reason. Either way, the story is still thought-provoking and interesting, which shows the power of the few words that are given. 

To read more flash fiction, here are some links:

• Flash Fiction Magazine, which allows submissions and has daily stories https://flashfictionmagazine.com 
• The New Yorker’s summer flash fiction series https://www.newyorker.com/books/flash-fiction 
• Book Riot, which has links to flash fiction stories (with word length) https://bookriot.com/2018/06/18/flash-fiction-stories/ 
• The Huff Post’s collection of some six- word stories https://www.huffpost.com/entry/six-word-story_n_5332833 

Happy reading and writing, and keep feeling good vibes!

SBR