How to Write Flash Fiction - and Why You Want to

Some people like to say that flash fiction is "new", that it has become so popular because of the Internet. The latter part might be true, because many places are looking for something quick and to-the-point ... but flash fiction is far from new. It has had a bevvy of loyal enthusiasts for years now, and these enthusiasts are often baffled as to how it got overlooked for so long.

What is flash fiction? In simplest terms, it is a short-short story. Usually, flash fiction is no more than 500 words in length, but packs a huge punch in the page it fits on. Flash fiction is like a snapshot, a single moment in time. It concentrates on the action; whereas in a novel or even a traditional short story, you take time to set up the scene and populate it with believable characters, flash fiction focuses on the important pieces of a story. It has a definite conflict and resolution, but instead of being peopled with characters it is usually fine-tuned to one character.

Writing flash has a lot of benefits to the writer. Not only are you pushing yourself to develop different aspects of your writing style, it helps you really work on your ability to hone the elements of surprise and suspense in your stories. You don't have to worry about filling page after page with those elements - it all comes fast and hard, a "flash" of story.

Writing Flash Fiction

The key thing to remember when you start your flash story is that it must be brief, but compelling. Depending on whether you're doing the writing just for yourself or for a market, the number of words will vary (most editors are looking for flash fiction that is between 300-900 words) but it should be compact and really make an impact.

Most flash fiction features a story of a single act, one moment in time - though that moment can be stretched into a sort of slow-motion surreal thing if you have the talent and patience to craft it. Sometimes, the story is the culmination of several unwritten events, which have led up to this point of dramatic impact. That dramatic impact is all you're concerned with writing.