Flash Fiction, also called micro-history, is an increasingly popular literary genre, whose goal is to tell an entire story in a limited number of words. Flash fiction usually has 500 words - or less! However, there are no universal rules regarding exact length; for some, the perfect flash fiction contains less than 400 words, while others also include stories of up to 1000 words in the genre. When writing flash fiction, focus on brevity, painstaking character construction and a very dense plot so that the story is fully developed and has a good impact on readers.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Shaping the Story of Your Flash Fiction
Step 1. Start the story in a moment of action
Don't waste precious words to build a complex background plot or to dwell on detailed descriptions of the scenario that surrounds your character. The story begins in a moment of change, a pivotal moment for storytelling. Focus on showing readers the tension of the scene, rather than describing why the characters are acting the way they do.
- Your flash fiction should reach the climax of the narrative in the first paragraph or even the first sentence. Don't leave readers hanging; you don't have many words available.
- For example, you could open the story with a phrase like this: "The car speeding along the road didn't stop at a traffic light, it crashed into the side of a parked van."
- Another example: "Jess went out after midnight, in the rain, thinking of a way to get back all the money she had lost that night at the poker table."
Step 2. Show readers only the "tip of the iceberg"
Starting from the live story, you will make it clear to the reader that most of the events have already occurred before the start of the flash fiction and that the plot will continue even after the conclusion of your story. Make some important event happen so that you can focus on a single scene.
- If you follow these directions, rhetorical figures like foreshadowing and the narrative tone you use are likely to be key. By focusing on a single scene, you will have to make sure that readers can imagine the rest of the story for themselves.
- For example, if the protagonist's childhood is relevant to the story, don't write "Sara was born in a bathtub in Kansas City and lived in the same city all through elementary school, then her father got a job in Tulsa…". These meticulous details can bore readers and slow down the action. Rather, write something like: "While waiting for the taxi, Sara paused to reflect on her short and unsatisfying childhood."
Step 3. Carefully create your character
In a good micro-story you will probably have room for a single protagonist. Do not waste time talking to readers about the character, but rather show him already on stage and let them discover his qualities, personality and dilemmas throughout the story.
- Think about the major change you want your character to experience and make it into the story as soon as possible.
- The same goes for secondary characters (assuming your story has any): they must be interesting, but don't require too many explanations. Try to understand how secondary characters can develop the action involving the protagonist or how they can improve the scene.
Step 4. Focus the story on a single moment in the protagonist's life
Your story should focus on one particular moment or one scene; it does not have to contain the life story of the main character, leave this kind of narration to the longer stories. To write a flash fiction it is better to choose a moment in the life of the character about which you can tell a lot, but in a short time.
- A good flash fiction should have a single theme, a single idea. This means that any secondary elements should be cut out of the story, in order not to risk losing sight of the objective and unnecessarily inflating the plot.
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Your story should also have a single central conflict. To clearly show readers what the conflict is and its importance, make sure the story answers the following questions:
- What does the main character want?
- What or who (circumstances or people) is preventing the character from getting what he wants?
Write Flash Fiction Step 5 Step 5. Finish the story before the last sentence
Too often, flash fiction becomes an exercise in style for the writer to produce a surprising punchline or revelation, which gives the impression of being a magician's trick rather than literature worthy of the name. If your story leads to a surprising or emotional event, don't leave it for the closing sentences. This way your readers can feel the importance of climax along with the character.
Consider introducing a twist at the end of the story. This is a very common gimmick in flash fiction, as it leaves the reader surprised by the story's unexpected ending. You could throw in a twist by only revealing some important information at the end
Part 2 of 3: Writing Flash Fiction
Write Flash Fiction Step 6 Step 1. Write as concisely as possible
When writing flash fiction it is essential that you are extremely concise in your narration. Leave endless explanations or the development of many characters to longer stories. Most of your sentences should focus on developing the main idea of the story, not building the character's past or the scenario in which it moves.
The ending of the story should be decisive for the character and extremely short, just like the beginning. One paragraph should suffice
Write Flash Fiction Step 7 Step 2. Focus on the last sentence
Although the last sentence does not necessarily have to contain a definite "conclusion" - in a flash fiction it would be artificial or useless - try to create a sentence that will remain etched in the mind of the reader. It could give an unexpected twist to the story, or make the reader find themselves reflecting on the story itself and its meaning.
- More than a conventional conclusion, the ending should be a surprise or a shock to the reader.
- The ending doesn't need to be obscure or confusing (unless that's what you want), but an enigmatic and evocative last sentence can be very impressive.
Write Flash Fiction Step 8 Step 3. Cut out all non-essential items
Once the first draft is written, reread it and remove all unnecessary material while maintaining the narrative, plot or characters. Eliminate all parts from the story that are not essential for the reader to understand the scene, action, or feelings of the character. Make every word in your story stand out.
- You can also remove all unnecessary parts of speech, such as "a lot", "rather", "really". Removing adjectives and adverbs will help you decrease the number of words and keep the story concise.
- If you are familiar with Twitter, try writing your flash fiction as if it were a tweet. Remove non-essential words and phrases. Avoid using a long sentence when you would get the same result with a shorter one.
Part 3 of 3: Read More Flash Fiction and Publish Your Own
Write Flash Fiction Step 9 Step 1. Read many examples of flash fiction
As with any other type of writing, it's difficult - if not impossible - to write flash fiction if you're not already immersed in the genre. Search your local bookstore or the internet for a collection of flash fiction. Read many stories, pay attention to their narrative, plot, characters and essentiality of language.
Write Flash Fiction Step 10 Step 2. Ask for feedback on your work
Writers need advice and opinion to improve their writing. Once you've finished a lot of satisfying flash fiction, ask a friend or two to read them. Listen to their words: if they indicate any weaknesses in the writing, characterization of the characters or in the plot, try to fix them and then ask for a second reading.
If you have interest, time and money, you can find many writing workshops on the internet that will give you the opportunity to present your flash fiction to other writers. Participating will improve your writing and your ability to speak about peer writings as well
Write Flash Fiction Step 11 Step 3. Get your work published on the internet
Once you've written a flash fiction, you may want to consider publishing it. Online newspapers are perfect for this type of story: being so short, they can be read easily on a web page or literary blog. To find sites to post on ask other writers or do some research online. Try searching for "online flash fiction publishing".
Expect rejection. Rejection, for any author, is part of the publishing process. Flash fiction can be readily rejected like any other type of story
Advice
- Make sure you are telling a story and not just a monologue or a description of a scene. The monologues and descriptions do not give intensity to the story and do not involve the readers.
- Find a good title - it needs to be right for your job, not the first thing that comes to mind. It must be able to intrigue the reader without revealing the end of the story.
