FLASH FICTION, BLACKOUT

POETRY AND
CONCRETE/SHAPE POETRY
(ENGL. LIT. 7- CONTEMPORARY, POPULAR AND EMERGENT
LITERATURE)
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 A 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
1) Brevity
2) A Complete
Plot
3) Surprise
 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF
A FLASH FICTION
 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
tougher end.
 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF
A FLASH FICTION
 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.
 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF
A FLASH FICTION
 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: the aim is to prompt the
reader to think deeply about the true
meaning of the story
LEARN HOW TO WRITE
FLASH FICTION IN SIX
STEPS

Writing flash fiction can be an exercise in creative restraint,

whether you intend your work for publication or just as an
exercise. Here is a quick guide on how to get started.
 LEARN HOW TO WRITE FLASH
FICTION IN SIX STEPS
 Use strong imagery.

Make every single word count. Help you

readers visualize as much as possible.
 LEARN HOW TO WRITE FLASH
FICTION IN SIX STEPS
 Stick to one moment.

Focus on one particular moment in time.

Do not try to cram in more than one
scene into a piece of flash fiction.
 LEARN HOW TO WRITE FLASH
FICTION IN SIX STEPS
 Work with just one or two
characters.

Do not spread your story too thin. If you

find yourself needing more than two
characters or two scenes, your story may
be better suited to the short story
format.
 LEARN HOW TO WRITE FLASH
FICTION IN SIX STEPS
 The first person point of view.

This will create an instant connection to

the reader and allow you to express more
in a fewer words.
 LEARN HOW TO WRITE FLASH
FICTION IN SIX STEPS
 Surprise your reader.

Make sure to end your story on a

different emotional note than the one
you started on. Creating surprise is what
flash fiction is all about; take the reader
on a journey, no matter how short.
 LEARN HOW TO WRITE FLASH
FICTION IN SIX STEPS
 Make good use of your title.

When you have so few words to work

with, your title can pack a punch. Take
Joyce Carol Oates’ flash fiction story
Widow’s First Year. The story reads,
simply: “I kept myself alive.”
BLACKOUT POETRY
 WHAT IS BLACKOUT
POETRY?
 Blackout poetry or redacted poetry
according to Bustle, is created when:

“…a poet takes a found document,

traditionally a print newspaper, and crosses
out a majority of the existing text, leaving
visible only the words that comprise his or
her poem; thereby revealing an entirely
new work of literature birthed from an
existing one” (Miller, 2017)
 WHAT IS BLACKOUT
POETRY?
 It became popular in recent year by
Austin Kleon’s Newspaper Blackout and
inspiring blackout poetry evangelists
like Make Blackout Poetry, the
lineage of blackout poetry or redacted
poetry actually traces back the 18th
century.
 DADAISM
 It was a nihilistic anti-art movement led
by artists who expressed their
discontent with violence, war and
nationalism by rejecting the logic,
reason, and aestheticism of modern
capitalist society through their works.
 It was founded by the Romanian-born
French poet, born Samuel Rosenstock
better known as Tristan Tzara.
 DADAISM VIS-À-VIS
BLACKOUT POETRY

 Dada works spanned visual, literary

and sound media; from collage , sound
poetry and cut-up writing
 TRISTAN TZARA
 In Paris, during the 1910-
1920s, Tzara would often
go on stage wearing a hat
and holding newspaper. He
would cut out words from
newspaper, put all the cut-
outs in the hat before
drawing them out randomly
and reading them out as a
poem.