Friday, May 12, 2006
So What is Flash Fiction?
It used to be called a short-short. Or even a short-short-short (though I'll be the first to admit that the latter sounds a little too silly). These days it's called flash fiction: a (very!) short storytelling form.
How many words is short? That depends on the publication. Generally anything under 1,000 words is considered flash fiction, though some purists put the number at 100. Others push the envelope at 25. You get the drift.
Do not be seduced by the length, however: good flash fiction is extremely difficult to write. When you're dealing with so few words, every one of them has to count, every one of them has to be just right.
Believe it or not, you still need a story arc: a beginning, a middle, and an end. This is how flash differs from a vignette: you still need to tell a story, make a point; and the fact that you need to do it with so few tools – words – means that you have to be concise, clear, on topic, and... well, yes: elegant. It still needs to be readable, after all.
What do you need to watch out for? Adverbs and adjectives! Ask yourself whether they are really necessary in getting your story told. My guess is that you'll end up eliminating most if not all of them. In fact, ask youself whether any of your words are necessary... you may be surprised at what you find!
Exercise: Feeling inspired? Then let's get going! Try out the flash fiction genre now and see how it works. Your assignment is to write a story in 25 words. Exactly 25 words – not 24 or 26.
Markets: There are a number of online literary journals that accept flash fiction submissions; included here are a few that specialize in flash (feel free to add more in the Comments thread if you know of any!).
But wait, there's more! Here's a great side effect to trying it out: even if you never publish any flash fiction, the very act of writing it, as an exercise, will help you develop a critical eye toward all of your writing. Once you get used to asking yourself whether this word or that word is absolutely necessary, you'll be able to clear away a lot of the overwriting that's such a common pitfall for beginning writers. And it will take you a step closer to moving... beyond the elements of style!
How many words is short? That depends on the publication. Generally anything under 1,000 words is considered flash fiction, though some purists put the number at 100. Others push the envelope at 25. You get the drift.
Do not be seduced by the length, however: good flash fiction is extremely difficult to write. When you're dealing with so few words, every one of them has to count, every one of them has to be just right.
Believe it or not, you still need a story arc: a beginning, a middle, and an end. This is how flash differs from a vignette: you still need to tell a story, make a point; and the fact that you need to do it with so few tools – words – means that you have to be concise, clear, on topic, and... well, yes: elegant. It still needs to be readable, after all.
What do you need to watch out for? Adverbs and adjectives! Ask yourself whether they are really necessary in getting your story told. My guess is that you'll end up eliminating most if not all of them. In fact, ask youself whether any of your words are necessary... you may be surprised at what you find!
Exercise: Feeling inspired? Then let's get going! Try out the flash fiction genre now and see how it works. Your assignment is to write a story in 25 words. Exactly 25 words – not 24 or 26.
Markets: There are a number of online literary journals that accept flash fiction submissions; included here are a few that specialize in flash (feel free to add more in the Comments thread if you know of any!).
- The Vestal Review is the oldest journal devoted to flash fiction.
- Smokelong Quarterly
- Flashquake (Flashquake also runs a flash fiction class; more information is available here.
- Skive Magazine.
- Quickfiction.
- Flash Me!
- Espresso Fiction (cool idea, they deliver short fiction on a subscription basis to people's email boxes!)
But wait, there's more! Here's a great side effect to trying it out: even if you never publish any flash fiction, the very act of writing it, as an exercise, will help you develop a critical eye toward all of your writing. Once you get used to asking yourself whether this word or that word is absolutely necessary, you'll be able to clear away a lot of the overwriting that's such a common pitfall for beginning writers. And it will take you a step closer to moving... beyond the elements of style!
