What Is Flash?
by Debi Orton (an editor at flashquake)
Someone asked me recently what flash literature was. Is it solely governed by length? Or is there more to it than that?
He might as well have asked me to describe the qualities of light at sunset.
Yes, length is a determining factor in flash literature. There is no one universal limit for flash, but at flashquake, we've set an admittedly arbitrary limit of 1,000 words for prose, 35 lines for poetry, and a 10-minute running time for plays.
But good flash is about more than length. Successful flash prose needs to tell a complete story — beginning, middle and end. Characters are introduced and developed. There is narrative drive — brevity is no guarantee that the reader is going to slog through a story that doesn't pull them in. And often, there's a twist at the end, the so-called "ah-ha!" moment.
Great flash literature needs to include all these elements and much more. The writing needs to be crisp, clean. The characters need to leap off the page, fully formed, into the reader's imagination. The situation needs to interest the reader. The story needs to be original and told with grace.
And, the very best flash literature includes three important elements in addition to the others I mentioned.
First, it respects the reader and the reader's intelligence. It doesn't over-explain its premise or motivations. It doesn't play coy to trick or fool the reader. It trusts the reader to fill in the blanks from his or her imagination.
Second, it sings. Every word on the page is polished, worried over, chosen for its harmony with the setting that surrounds it.
Third — and this is the hardest to gauge for writers — it leaves the reader thinking about it long after they've finished the story. It exposes something more fundamental than the story being told. Some aspect of our humanity, or of the capriciousness of fate, or of the strength of compassion.
by S. Joan Popek of WritingWorld.com
A short essay describing flash fiction.
A few examples of very short short-short stories
The World's Shortest Horror Story – author unknown
The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock at the door.
Reaching the Black Hole by M. Stanley Bubien
"We've almost reached the---"
For Whose Sake by Vanitha Sankaran
"I did it for your sake," I cried as he rushed out of my bedroom.
He feigned not to hear, or drowned me out as he stomped down my wooden staircase. That he'd left me in the first place was a fact he'd tossed aside. Now that he'd returned to make a fresh start, all past sins must be forgiven.
Till he saw the shining circle of gold at the bottom of my commode.
"I did it for your sake," I said again, though this time softly. And truly I did, tossing his ring in the lily-fresh toilet bowl upstairs. For if I'd dumped it in the downstairs john, think of all the people who might have seen its sparkling glint as they watched their remnants swirl away.
And if they did they might have asked me, whyever would I have hurled such a treasure into the dregs of sewage and offal?
Would I have answered with the truth or a lie? That he left me for some strumpet, pederast, or fool. Or the magic was missing, his wand broken, no longer functioning.
They'd shake their head at whatever I said, then whisper about us in bedrooms and corners. Philanderer, they'd accuse. Or poor dope. Either way. Thank God there were no children, they'd add. Maybe he couldn't have any. The snickers would abound.
"Surely you must see, the ring in the toilet was for your sake, not for mine," I summed up with quiet aplomb.
He glared back and slammed the door shut behind him.
Tips:
Your stories may be about anything, anywhere, anytime...but if you need a starting point, here are some ideas.
Write a story ...
-in which one action (like laughing, struggling with putting on a sweater, dancing in the rain, etc.) plays an important role. (See “Don’t You Blame Anyone” in SF-International)
-in which an animal plays an important role
-in which the unbelievable becomes believable. (See “The Hat” or “The Falling Girl” in SF-International)
-as a traveler who sends back a story on postcards.
-in which the dialogue is very positive--the subtext alone reveals the conflict. (See “Hills Like White Elephants”)
-about an unusual quest or about a quest that is not successful.
Websites where you can find examples of flash/sudden/micro/postcard/furious fiction:
Flash Fiction Online flashfictiononline.com
Story Bytes www.storybytes.com
The Cafe Irreal www.cafeirreal.com
Flashes on the Meridian www.heelstone.com/meridian/meansarticle1.html
