{"id":4755,"date":"2012-11-27T06:00:26","date_gmt":"2012-11-27T11:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allandouglas.com\/blog\/?p=4755"},"modified":"2025-04-21T01:56:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T05:56:41","slug":"four-flash-fiction-fixes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/four-flash-fiction-fixes\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Flash Fiction Fixes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"TheOne of the first known usages of the term “flash fiction” in reference to the literary style was the 1992 anthology Flash Fiction: Seventy-Two Very Short Stories<\/em>. \u00a0Editor James Thomas stated that the editors’ definition of a “flash fiction” was a story that would fit on two facing pages of a typical digest-sized literary magazine[1<\/a>]. Flash fiction is generally described as a complete story that includes characters, setting, a problem or conflict: which the characters must resolve for a satisfying conclusion \u2013 all in 1000 words or fewer.\u00a0 Some flash fiction writers do it in far fewer.\u00a0 In this form of literature, the phrase, \u201cLess is more\u201d definitely hits home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Why Write Flash Fiction?<\/h1>\n

Flash fiction is very useful for newbie writers who want to develop their story telling skills but lack the confidence for writing long elaborate tales.\u00a0 It is also a great way for experienced writers to learn to tighten their tales and make them more vital.\u00a0 Flash fiction is popular with a growing segment of readers who feel time crunched and prefer to read in bite sized chunks, but prefer not to engage in episodic reading.\u00a0 A complete story in a pint sized package is just the thing for them.<\/p>\n

Four Flash Fiction Tips<\/h1>\n

Here are four things to keep in mind as you attempt to write a flash fiction piece:<\/p>\n

Keep it Simple<\/h2>\n

Your plot needs to be kept simple.\u00a0 You generally don\u2019t have room for sub-plots and back-filling.\u00a0 This does not mean it should be simplistic or obvious.\u00a0 It does mean you need to focus on what\u2019s truly important to the story. It does mean that the conflict needs to seem real and needs to be resolved in the end. Do not make it so complex that it takes pages and pages to lay it out and resolve.<\/p>\n

Core Cast Only<\/h2>\n

In the same way, introduce only the characters you absolutely need to tell the story.\u00a0 Too many characters mean too much time spent fleshing them out or leaving them flat, lifeless, and uninteresting.<\/p>\n

Build Minimal Sets<\/h2>\n

You also want to minimize the number of words spent on describing complex setting and societies. Often this requires writers to keep to settings that are familiar to the average reader, or at least to leverage that familiarity to quickly explain the unfamiliar. Masterful flash fiction authors use allusion and metaphor to quickly paint a setting and mood.<\/p>\n

Leverage the Readers Imagination<\/h2>\n

Those who read flash fiction are often intelligent, creative people who don\u2019t need to have a story spoon-fed to them. Provide enough information about your characters and setting to set the story, but let the readers fill in some of the minor detail.\u00a0 Write so that what\u2019s between the lines is as important as what on them.<\/p>\n

What to Do With Failed Flash Fiction<\/h1>\n

You\u2019ve written a clever, powerful story, edited it, polished it, perfected it, then checked the word count and it\u2019s too long to qualify.\u00a0 What now?<\/p>\n

If you are 10 words over, edit it again; see if there isn\u2019t something you can trim or rewrite to condense it.\u00a0 If you\u2019re 200 words over, consider it a short story, submit the piece to a venue that likes short stories and try again on the flash piece.\u00a0 You haven\u2019t wasted anything; you just got two pieces instead of one.<\/p>\n

Using Flash Fiction<\/h1>\n

Some writers specialize in flash fiction and offer their works to anthologies (or create their own) to build a readership.\u00a0 But other writers and even novelists can use flash fiction as a promotional tool by using these nuggets to interest new readers in their writing style and to introduce themselves to a new set of potential readers for their preferred venue.<\/p>\n

Some novelists have been able to pull a scene out of a book and publish the novel nugget as a piece of flash fiction in a magazine or collection.\u00a0 This may interest new readers in buying the novel.\u00a0 But the nugget must be a free-standing story in itself.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/h1>\n

Here are two examples of flash fiction I\u2019ve written. Both are very short. Each is followed by a brief explanation of what I hoped to accomplish.<\/p>\n

Act of Kindness<\/h2>\n

He sat staring at the small semi-automatic pistol laying on the kitchen table.\u00a0 He had been staring at it for a long time.\u00a0 Thinking.\u00a0 Deciding.\u00a0 He knew what needed to be done.\u00a0 The pain had to stop.\u00a0 Her pain had to stop.\u00a0 He hated what was happening to her, but he was powerless to prevent it.<\/p>\n

He picked it up, a shiver ran up his arm and a small voice nagged at him in the back of his mind, \u201cWrong.\u201d it said, \u201cThis is wrong.\u201d\u00a0 Normally, he would agree.\u00a0 But life had taken a turn.\u00a0 She was suffering.\u00a0 He had to stop the suffering.\u00a0 He loved her, he had to help her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wonder if this will hurt her.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He whispered as he fingered the gun, getting accustomed to the hard, coldness of it.\u00a0 \u201cNot for long, then she will be better.\u00a0 No more pain.”<\/p>\n

He pushed the tears and the uncertainty aside, stood up and walked out the front door.\u00a0 He marched up the forest path to her favorite place.\u00a0 She liked the serenity of the clearing in the deep woods and the tall, straight poplars, the birdsong.\u00a0 His feet crunched in the dry leaves, doubt welled, he pushed it back and marched on.\u00a0 It had to be done.<\/p>\n

He rounded a bend and saw the lounge chair she liked to sit in and think.<\/p>\n

A single shot rang through the woods.<\/p>\n

It took them 3 days to find his body.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Act of Kindness <\/em><\/strong>was written as an Inspired Writing.\u00a0 I did not work it out or formulate it, it just was.\u00a0 After transferring it from my mind to my computer I pondered it.\u00a0 The impression I had was that he is an abusive husband with a conscience.\u00a0 Whatever demon controls him sometimes: alcohol, drugs, anger, whatever, when it\u2019s over, he feels genuine remorse over his actions.\u00a0 He recognizes his own helplessness and seeks a solution, but is too prideful to seek help.<\/p>\n

I left a lot unsaid. I considered revising the story to insert some explanation, but held off because I didn\u2019t want to spoil the ending.\u00a0 I allow the reader to put in whatever reasoning they feel is appropriate.<\/p>\n

Burn<\/h2>\n

A lump formed in his throat as he watched the frame building burn; orange, red and vermillion illuminating the night. Wood crackled and hissed, glass shattered as pieces fell inward, collapsing. The fire consumed the house, and the memories; all those memories. Was it wrong? No, she deserved it: burn witch, burn.<\/strong><\/p>\n

*****<\/strong><\/p>\n

Burn<\/em><\/strong> was written as a Five Sentence Fiction challenge. For this you get up to five sentences to tell a story and pack in as much of an emotional punch as possible. I think the record holder for this sort of thing is Ernest Hemmingway and his shortest short story ever:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor sale.\u00a0 Baby shoes.\u00a0 Never worn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0Resources:<\/h1>\n
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