Writing 101: What Is Flash Fiction? Learn the aim is to prompt the reader to think deeply 1.
ink deeply 1. Use strong imagery. Make every single word
How to Write Flash Fiction in 7 Steps
100 words to 1,000
Flash fiction is a favored genre among the
English-speaking world’s most celebrated
writers for its ability to convey deep truths and
universal human emotions in just a few short
paragraphs. When done well, flash fiction can
convey deep truths and resonate with readers
from all walks of life.
What Is Flash Fiction?
Flash fiction is a genre of fiction, defined as a
very short story. While there is no set word
count that separates flash fiction from more
traditional short stories, flash fiction stories can
be as short as a few words (while short stories
typically run for several pages). Flash fiction is
also known as sudden fiction, short-short
stories, microfiction, or microstories.
3 Characteristics of Flash Fiction
Flash fiction stories share a number of common
characteristics.
Brevity. Flash fiction compresses an entire
story into the space of a few paragraphs. There
is no defined word count for flash fiction, but
some commonly used word limits in flash fiction
range from just six words on the short end to
around 1,000 words on the longer end.
A complete plot. A flash fiction story is indeed a
story, with a beginning, middle, and end. This
sets it apart from a prose poem or vignette,
which can explore an emotion, memory, or
thought without a plot.
Surprise. Great flash fiction often incorporates
surprise, usually in the form of a twist ending or
an unexpected last line. This is not a gimmick:
about the true meaning of the story. count. Help your readers visualize as much as
possible.
What Are the Origins of Flash Fiction?
Flash fiction dates back to the time of fables and
2. Stick to one moment. Focus on one particular
parables. The form was popularized in the
moment in time. Don’t try to cram in more than
nineteenth century by writers like Walt
one scene into a piece of flash fiction.
Whitman, Kate Chopin, and Ambrose Bierce.
Perhaps the best-known flash fiction story is
3. Work with just one or two characters. Don’t
from this time (although frequently
spread your story too thin. If you find yourself
misattributed to Ernest Hemingway). The entire
needing more than two characters or two
story is six words long:
scenes, your story may be better suited to the
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” short story format.
The amount of emotion packed into these
4. Try first person point of view. This will create
words inspired many writers to try their hand at
an instant connection to the reader and allow
the genre. In the 1980s, Robert Shepard and
you to express more in fewer words.
James Thomas published a set of anthologies of
flash fiction called Sudden Fiction, which
5. Surprise your reader. Make sure to end your
spurred another resurgence of the form.
story on a different emotional note than the
Another highly influential anthology was Flash
one you started on. Creating surprise is what
Fiction, published in 1992 by W. W. Norton. It
flash fiction is all about; take the reader on a
features 72 flash fiction stories and was edited
journey, no matter how short.
by Tom Hazuka, Denise Thomas, and James
Thomas.
6. Make good use of your title. When you have
Well known contemporary flash fiction writers
so few words to work with, your title can pack a
include Lydia Davis, George Saunders, Jamaica
punch. Take Joyce Carol Oates’s flash fiction
Kincaid, Joy Williams, and Stuart Dybek. The
story Widow’s First Year. The story reads,
literary magazine SmokeLong Quarterly,
simply: “I kept myself alive.”
founded in 2003, is a dedicated flash fiction
magazine, publishing stories of 1,000 words or
EXAMPLE:
less.
Learn How to Write Flash Fiction in 6 Steps
Writing flash fiction can be an exercise in
creative restraint, whether you intend your
work for publication or just as an exercise.
Here’s a quick guide on how to get started.