(Flash Fiction) "Progress"

Progress

By Jane Matthews

               It’s taken us five years to get here. Five years, four nights in a hospital, three lost friends, two major fights, and one attempted murder. And, of course, that all-important partridge in a pear tree.

               “Marry me.”            

               Those two little words made it all disappear.

               Theresa and I met in high school. I was on the cheer squad; she hung out with the stoners in the back lot smoking. We met when our science teacher decided that I would be her new tutor. It was hate at first sight.

               Then something changed.

               We began meeting outside of school. First we met at the library, then we migrated to a local coffee shop, and soon she was coming over to my house to study. Then my boyfriend broke up with me. I went through two boxes of tissues, had a twenty-four-hour movie marathon of the worst rom coms ever made, and burned the sweater he gave me for Christmas. The funniest part of it was that the only person who could cheer me up was Theresa.

               Eventually we started seeing each other secretly. We went on dates and strolled together in the park, holding hands when we thought nobody was looking.

Two years later we decided to come out at prom. Cliché right? We lost three of our closest friends and I made one of the hardest decisions of my life: I broke up with her, cruelly.

               I didn’t see her for two years after that, until we met one day at a bar and still clicked. We were heading to my apartment when some guys attacked us. They were going to kill us but the police showed up, they even admitted it. I was in a coma for four days. After we were released we had our second big fight: I wanted to stay hidden, but she refused to hide. She won, and we’ve been together publicly since.

               Now one year later she kneels in front of outside that same bar, holding a ring and saying those magical words.

               “Marry me.”

               And I realize that I’m finally home.

 

(Flash FIction) "Travel Broadens the Mind"

Travel Broadens the Mind

by Emma Baird

Time travelling was not all it was cracked up to be, Maureen mused to herself.

She hadn't worked out precision in her century wanderings, so instead of landing up as the Roman emperor's wife lying on villa balcony eating grapes whilst being fanned by a nubile and oiled slave, say, she'd ended up as an early Christian awaiting feeding to the lions.

And finding herself in Pompeii circa August 79AD had proved a little to hot to handle as well.

Still, practice makes perfect she thought to herself as the Regency rake made his way towards her. Mmm-hmm, very nice indeed. Modern day man hadn't quite come up to her exacting requirements so she thought she'd try her luck 200 years back or so.

“And you are...?” she asked. “Mad, bad and dangerous to know,” he winked.

Oops. Practice still needed then.
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Check out Emma's blog! http://highheelsandpinkglitter.wordpress.com

(Flash Fiction) "The Butterfly"

The Butterfly

by Debbie Manber Kupfer

Simon concentrated on the words. They had to be just right, perfect. The ink flowed from his pen as it floated a few inches above the magenta vellum. There that’s it, and now to fold, to create. Silently he mouthed the spell and the butterfly began to take form. He had watched a Japanese master once form an intricate butterfly out of a single sheet of paper. He closed his eyes and dredged through his memories, remembering the lines. He smiled as he opened his eyes and the butterfly sat in front him, its wings quivering, awaiting his next instruction.

Jennifer sat by herself in the corner of the cafeteria. Tonight was prom and still no invitation. She was crazy to believe that Simon was interested in her - especially as her magic was so commonplace. He could have his pick of any witch here, why would he choose her? But still she caught herself looking over at his table. He appeared to be concentrating on something. Lost in whatever crazy creative spell he was working on.

Simon raised his wand and slowly the butterfly rose through the air. All around the cafeteria there was a sudden hush as the students watched the flight of the magenta butterfly as it circled the room and finally fluttered onto Jennifer’s plate.

Jennifer gazed at it in awe. She held her breath as it started to unfold, until at last she could see the words written in beautiful copperplate letters:

“Mr. Simon Black requests the pleasure of Miss Jennifer Meeks to accompany him this evening to Salem High Summer Prom.”

With trembling hands, Jennifer took out her pen and wrote a single word, “yes”. Instantly the butterfly reformed and fluttered over to Simon’s table. Simon read the word and smiled at Jennifer who nodded. It was going to be perfect, she thought.

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Check  out Debbie's blog! http://debbiemanberkupfer.wordpress.com/

(Flash Fiction) "Esmeralda Grunch and the Red Tulip"

Esmeralda Grunch and the Red Tulip

by Debbie Manber Kupfer

Esmeralda Grunch opened her eyes and stretched. She reached up and tugged apart the crimson petals above her head and gazed out at the sunrise.

“Ouch,” screeched the Tulip, “what did you have to do that for? I’ll open up in a little if you just wait for the sun to come out.”

But Esmerelda couldn’t wait. She pushed her way up through the deep red petals and out into the cool morning air. She breathed deeply and let the first rays of the sun touch her tiny gossamer wings. She flew down to the pond, where she gazed at her reflection, satisfied. She was a very fetching flower sprite even if she said so herself, with deep red hair that matched her tulip and a scarlet dress that sparkled in the early morning rays.

The Tulip rearranged its petals and settled down for the day, grumbling to itself. It knew it was supposed to be an honor to be chosen by a flower sprite, but still she could be a bit more grateful; after all the Tulip was unique - she was the only red Tulip in the flower patch.

She gazed haughtily at the other flowers. Such vulgar shades. Only she was the purest red. Her bulb had been a ruby set in the soil, a promise of a fragrant future. Yes, the garden was truly hers, despite what Esmeralda believed.

But still as the day progressed the Tulip became restless. Where was the sprite? She would need to close her petals soon and rest for the night. There in the distance, a fluttering of wings, and Esmeralda landed with the plop in the middle of the Tulip.

“Where have you been?” scolded the Tulip, but Esmeralda didn’t answer. She was already fast asleep. The Tulip sighed as she enfolded Esmeralda in her petals and joined her in peaceful slumber.

------------------------------------------------

Check out Debbie's blog! http://debbiemanberkupfer.wordpress.com/

(Flash Fiction) "Fantasy in Light and Dark"

Fantasy in Light and Dark
A Flash Fiction Allegory

by Matthew R. Bishop

There were great people who walked in this world, who lived and breathed our air and whose dreams lifted the sky above our heads. With innocence and nobility in their hearts they shaped the world. They served the Light. They defended the Light. So they had been raised, and all of their fathers before them.
As it did every so often, a Darkness came upon the world to threaten the Light, and the Light called on its soldiers to defense, for goodness and honor and family, and for these things the good men answered this call. They kissed their mothers and their wives and their children, they saluted their fathers or laid flowers on their graves, and they left to fight the Darkness in the shadowy caves.
The caves were darker than any expected. Where these good men wanted to find beasts and trolls and goblins, instead they looked into human eyes in which shone a Light much the same as their own. Yet the Light ordered them to kill.
The soldiers of the Light, in Darkness, did great evil, and the Light was gone forever in their hearts. The men who survived those caves walked out with glazed eyes and no words between one another. They looked at the sullen faces of the men they had prepared to die for. There was not a face that had gone into those caves that had come out of them. These faces were different. These eyes were different. These hearts were ever changed.
These new men wandered the world burdened by their loss. For as long as they lived they never knew the Light again. Not one of them found the heart to return to their families; those were the families of other men. Not one of them longed for their homes; they had been the homes of some other child. Nor did any ask of their children, for those children had been raised by a man lost forevermore.
They wandered invisible and nameless, and as they crossed from town to town they heard tales of the great battle in the darkest parts of the caverns, where the Light defeated the Darkness and good men triumphed over evil. Where did anyone get such ideas as those?
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Visit Mathew's website! http://www.matthewrbishop.com/

(Flash Fiction) "That Thing We Saw Last Night"

That Thing We Saw That Night

By Kevin Candela

There’s just something about riding in a flying fireball.
Mariko smiled, taking in the darkened fields and forests over which his absolutely silent vessel was currently gliding at an unhurried pace.  More than a mile below, a handful of awestruck motorists gazed up at the impossible red, white and orange ball of flames that was his ride of choice for duties like this.
The man with an egret’s head – for that is what Mariko would seem to be if viewed up close by any of those gawking drivers and passengers below – turned his long beak to one side and pointed its tip at the IR display.
The screen showed nothing but the heat signatures of the cars and riders, all of which were following the primitive concrete and pitch roadways of this still young project.  Another quiet patrol, it appeared.
He couldn’t help thinking about landing; it had been centuries, and of course it was virtually taboo these days.  But he really missed interacting with the beings that his race had created and elevated to dominance over this Terra-formed world.
Of course he wouldn’t be a god to these modern ones, as he had been back when they weren’t all rapidly merging into one globe-spanning electronic organism.  He’d be a freak, a nightmare, unless he used his own advanced technology to disguise his appearance.  And if he couldn’t find just the right individual and…well…be himself, what was the point?
Twin white meteor streaks jarred him out of his nocturnal daydreaming.  In an instant Mariko was on the job.  The magnetic snare was already enabled and the ship was on track, so all he had to do was hold course to intercept.  The first superheated mass he snagged easily, and as it went into a quick half-orbit around his craft Mariko slowed slightly to ensure catching the second as well.  The flux beams guided them into the containment bay.
Mariko sighed.  Dull job for a god, he thought as he cruised on toward his next intercept.
But at least he had a cool ride.
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Check out Kevin on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Riot-Forge/742649005764208

(Flash Fiction) "April Fool"

April Fool

By Kevin Candela

What would you do with a package with no return address that held only a tiny metal box with a single button on one side?  Would you push the button?
The corrugated cardboard package, left on my front porch that Friday, was soaked from the April drizzle by the time I got home.  The only words on it were my name and address…in letters clipped out of magazines.  See?  No clue at all.  I shook the box.  No sound.  Damn.
Like anyone else I’ve made a few enemies in life.  But I couldn’t think of any who’d be sending me a bomb.  Why did I think someone sent me a bomb?  The lettering?  Laughing at myself, I peeled the mailing tape off and opened it.  There amidst a sea of Styrofoam dots sat a dull gray box with a little red button on top.  I have to admit the urge to click it was immediate.
How I let it sit there on the table for two days I still don’t know.  What I DO know is that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else during that time.  I didn’t sleep; I napped for ten minutes to an hour at a time.  I couldn’t focus to watch a TV show and I went nearly a day before I remembered I needed to eat.
Damn, I wanted to push that button!
I finally noticed my own reek late Sunday afternoon.  During my shower the next apartment’s washing machine pulled all my hot water momentarily, and it was that chilling slap in the face that finally convinced me to get over my goofy paranoia and go for it.
The thing was like two inches square, I told myself.  What the hell could it do?
More than you’d think, it turned out.  Not sure who made the damned thing but six of us are inside it now.  Nobody gets hungry but it sure is boring and tedious in here.  My best guess is it was made by a mad scientist with a warped sense of humor.  Or a crazed immortal wizard.
What a jerk.
---------------
Check out Kevin on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Riot-Forge/742649005764208

(Flash Fiction) "The Walk"

The Walk

by Kerry E.B. Black      
 
They rushed like worker-bees returning pollen-laden to a hive.
“I found the lucky sixpence! Great Aunt Ruth wore it in her shoe when she was married.”
“How long ago was that, Ruth?”
“Forty-two years ago, and” She patted her niece’s hand, “your marriage will outlast mine!”
A glowing smile answered her aunt’s assurance.
“Christine, what do you have that is borrowed?” a relative asked.
A bridesmaid in pink removed a bit of embroidery from an ornate clutch.
“That old thing? Surely we can do better than a ratty old handkerchief? Now ladies, who has something suitable for our bride to borrow?”
Involved in self-important tasks, none but the maid-of-honor noticed the look of hurt brought by this proclamation. She said, “It is the bride’s choice. Christine loves Aunt Mimi’s handkerchief. It’s handmade.” She smiled as relief registered on the dowager’s face.
The fussing revolved about the bride who sat perched in state upon a pink cameo chair, serene smile playing at the corner of her coral-pink lips, eyes glittering with amusement. Her hair twisted in thick curls laden with pearls, diamonds sparkling at throat, ears, and of course upon her left hand.
A blue garter atop silk-stockings, lace pumps on pedicured feet, and the bride looked like a confection in oceans of frothy white silk. “Beautiful” perfume upon her wrist accurately described the veiled lady.
Mother-of-the-bride directed the photographer. Mother-of-the-groom organized corsages and bouquets. She swiveled when she overheard a question.
“How did you two meet, Chrissie?”
Roses resided in her cheeks as Christine related the tale. “At the campus coffee shop, he picked up my Mocha Frappuccino by mistake. He likes Vanilla Steamers.” She giggled. “We talked, and now look at us!” Her eyes twinkled.

A knock set the bridal hive buzzing afresh. A throat cleared, announced her father’s arrival. He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, covering it with his own. She smiled into his face, a queen at her coronation. Tears danced in his cataract-coated eyes, and they walked to meet her groom.
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Check Kerry out on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/authorKerryE.B.Black

Flash Fiction: The Invisible Elements

(Photo Credit: duitang.com)
Flash fiction often relies heavily on what is left unsaid. Like the glass in this sculpture, the invisible elements accentuate and highlight what is visible.

• Structure, of course, is invisible. Different story structures accentuate different elements of the story and create different effects – much like in longer fiction. One might think that with the brevityof flash fiction, there wouldn't be many variations of structure. A quick web searchwill show you that this is not the case.
• Details ommited can effectively engage and intrigue the reader, forcing her to either imagine or infer the missing elements.When your reader conjures the details, she makes the story uniquely hers. This is an excellent way to build reader raport while saving space on words. The simple scarcity of details will also lend additional force to the details that you do include.
• Background is typically invisible in flash fiction, either entirely ommitted or simply inferred. This intrigues the curious reader who will, almost certainly, fill in the missing pieces herself. Clues to the inciting incident, too, are built into the story because only certain triggers would cause your characters to act the way they doat the start of the piece.
• Ending with a cliff-hanger can be seen as an invisible element, since the full outcome iss not spelled out. A good cliff-hanger will prompt the reader to go back over the story, looking for clues that will help her fill in the details of the ending. A great cliff-hanger can cause the story to haunt the reader.

Not only is flash fiction like the solid glass sculpture above, a good flash fiction story is like a ghost: part substance and part invisible, partly knowable but with a past and present and future that can only be guessed at. And thoroughly haunting.

Some Appeals of Flash Fiction

(Photo Credit: Ocean Wonderland)
A flash fiction piece is like a mermaid in a bottle. There's not much space in that bottle. You'll have to choose carefully what to include and leave out. FF is a popular form for both readers and writers for many reasons, including...

• Shock value. Flash fiction is known for delivering messages, twists, and scenarios that evoke strong emotions in the reader. Some readers seek out FF for the emotional impact. Writers can enhance any form of communication by learning to deliver an emotional punch.
• Unanswered questions. Did the mermaid fit through the opening or was the bottle built around her? Why is she there? FF has a habit of leaving some questions unanswered and thus engaging reader curiosity and imagination. Works are enriched by learning to balance the elements of show, tell, and silence.
• Taste of writer style. Just like this painter has a style, every writer has a unique style. FF can give readers a taste of that writer's personality, voice, and perception of the reader. A reader who enjoys FF by a certain writer is probably more likely to buy from that writer.
• Experiment. FF is a chance to experiment with genres, characters, and craft. Skeptical readers and writers can invest comparatively little time on several FF pieces in a genre that has them curious.
• Time constraints. Flash fiction seems tailor-made for the current age of short attention spans and shorter down time. And for writers, FF offers a chance to test-drive characters, plot ideas, and themes while without investing the resources required by a whole novel.

Not all (maybe not even most) flash fiction is written with a novel in mind. While I think flash fiction makes a great teaser and suppliment for readers, it also stands gloriously on its own. Flash fiction is distinct form with its own strengths and weakneesses. Like the mermaid in the photo, it is limited by its “bottle” – but only in size, not in power.

Upcoming Contest (poll)

So I'd like to hold a flash fiction contest.
 
In June, you'll get a chance to share your FF stories on several platforms, get feedback, and maybe win an Amazon gift card (maybe even signed books, I'm working on that)... Sound fun?
 
But I'm torn between several themes/topics/scenarios and would really like your input. What kind of flash fiction contest would you like to read or participate in?  Please vote for your favorite option (or add one of your own)! You are welcome to choose more than one option and/or leave a comment to argue your case.
  

• romantic fantasy
• first encounters
• taming a dragon
• writer's block

Cutting Words In Flash Fiction

(Photo Credit: Pinterest)

 
 I admit, I tend to overwrite. In every form of writing (except syllable-controlled poetry forms). So when I write flash fiction, I need to do a lot of cutting. 

 

Word choice: First, I look for words and phrases that readers might not understand or might throw them out of the story.

• slang
• dialect
• idioms
• difficult-to-read names

Dialogue: Next, I look for wasted words in dialogue. Flash fiction tends to use very little dialogue so I cut a lot here and turn the rest to summaries of conversation.

• unneeded interruptions
• repetition
• dialogue tags
• adjectives and adverbs
• correcting another person

Narrative: Finally, I look at the bulk of the story.

• trivial details
• modifiers
• long sentences
• anything not in POV
• flashbacks and memories
• words that could become contractions

Writing Modes: the Story-Teller and the Writer

There are two main modes of story-telling: the story-teller and the writer. The story-teller mode mimics oral tradition and predates the writer mode. There is much to be learned from each of these writing modes regardless of the type of writing you do.

There are several story-teller modes (Navajo oral tradition is quite different from, say, the Iliad). Modern story-teller writers include recorders of folk lore and comedic writers. Modern story-tellers have several traits in common. Modern story-telling writings are great resources for people who want to study flash fiction, short story, or longer narrative forms. This is partly because the story-teller writing style tends to be conversational, more concise, and have little description. Story-teller writing also tends to be very brief and yet holds true to story structure.

The writer mode also comes in many flavors. What I mean here is a writer who is trying to be “writerly”. For instance, lots of description, bigger words, and formal or artificial language. I tend to be write formally because that is my natural voice. This is fine for blogs but I work to tone it down for my books.

As a rule of thumb, short works (such as flash fiction and short stories) are typically done in the story-teller mode. This is because there is no room for the descriptions that are expected in longer works. (There are exceptions and I'd love to hear some of yours.)

In novels, there is more room for the writer mode. There, narrative voice runs the gauntlet from story-teller (like Terry Pratchett) with a very informal style to writer (like Terry Goodkind) with a richly descriptive and philosophical style.

I wouldn't say that one length of story is superior to the other, just that different traditions and conventions are in place. And isn't it fun to break those in works of any length?

Flash Fiction: Ending

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Writing flash fiction can help you identify your audience. Because they are quick to write, you can easily test different types of endings and see which type of endings your target audience best responds to. Or work in reverse and write the endings you like in order to narrow down the identity of your target audience. Remember that the better you know your audience, the better you can satisfy their readerly cravings.

• Surprise: With such a short length, there is very little room for anything but surprises. A useful – if sometimes uncomfortable – skill for writers to develop. But the best surprise, the unforeseen logical outcome of all that came before, is in the end.
• Uncertainty: Some questions may never be answered, but enough information should be provided that the reader can create the answer alone. This approach has the added benefit of allowing different readers to come away with different impressions.
• Climax: Flash fiction is unusual in that there is not much room to build up to the climax. There are fewer obstacles and fewer characters. Typically, in flash fiction, only two characters (a group can be depicted as a character, remember) are involved. Sometimes the antagonist is absent or only implied, and is never fully characterized. I doubt a writer could get away with this for the climax of a full-fledged novel but it is one way to save space in flash fiction.
• Loose ends: Because there are fewer characters, points of view, and events in flash fiction there are fewer loose ends to resolve. Also, it is more common to leave the problems of other characters unresolved. I think this practice is more accepted in flash fiction because of the space constraints.

Flash Fiction: Middle

A possible benefit of flash fiction is that the middle is so short. Many people struggle with middles although for me the most difficult part is cutting my middles down to size. Flash fiction emphasizes techniques that can help me do this. But if you are the type who writes your middles too short, then flash fiction middles may be easy for you.

Off Camera Flash (Photo credit: nickwheeleroz)

• Inference: One way to cut down on words is to refer to well known events, people, or legends. Saying that a character is shaped like Marilyn Monroe saves a lot of words, as does simply saying “we were under old maritime law”, or “his life suddenly seemed a modern-day Hamlet”.
• Telling: A key phrase in the last point was “simply saying”. The flash fiction I have looked at so contains more “tellling” than I expected. This might be because “showing” takes more words. This is one technique that is frowned on in longer fiction but the conventions seem different in this medium.
• Obstacle: Most flash fiction I read only had one major obstacle. In long fiction, I can usually find three major complications or obstacles. Since there is only one obstacle, it is – of course – the major obstacle and needs to really count.
• Uncertainty: One way to save words is to not resolve or explain everything. This has the added benefit of keeping the reader reading to find the answers to the unanswered questions.

Flash Fiction: Opening

Okay. As part of my learning about flash fiction, I've decided to break down the short structure into its opening, middle, and end. While some of the advice will be true for any story, some is especially important for word-limited format.

• Character: Set up in two sentences. At least one of these sentences should be an active description. What is an “active” description? Other than it not being passive or static, the description should achieve more than one task at a time – which tasks are up to you.
• Setting: Start with a powerful, evocative image. For instance: a sunset can mean an ending, the coming of darkness, give unusual color to the story, is easily visualized, sets a time limit.
• Back-story: If you need a preamble, set it down in the first paragraph (not paragraphs). Become a master of the implication and unsaid. This will let you fit in more world building, back-story, and description.
• Story: If you have a large issue, break it down. Take small pieces of it. Start in the middle of things. This is true of all books and poems but flash fiction takes the process of breaking down almost to its most basic level. One conflict is probably all the room you will find.

Flash Fiction: Why Try It

Minolta Dimage 7Hi, digital camera, front left with flash (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Maybe it is because my WIP is so long but I've recently become interested in flash fiction. Depending on who you ask, flash fiction usually runs between 300 and 1000 words. Micro fiction is even shorter! I am no good at short stories but maybe I will give flash fiction a try.

• Plot: One benefit to flash fiction is a quick way to test or encapsulate a story idea. If you can't think of enough to fill this many words, it probably does not need to be told in 80 to 120 thousand words. On the other hand, if you have3 an idea you can't use now, a flash fiction piece or three might provide the prompt that you need later when you come back to the idea.
• Characters: You can test characters you want to use in your WIP by cresting one or more flash fiction stories about them. Use the format to showcase different relationships, roles, flaws, and strengths. Experiment with dialogue and mannerisms, then give test readers finished products to compare.
• Scenes: Can't bear to let the material go to waste? Write and polish a flash fiction story! The piece can be offered as supplementary material later on your site.
• Practice: Dialogue is not the only skill that can be practiced. Setting, mood, voice, fight scenes, suspense, and more can all be practiced. And you can practice the skill of revision – something that people with long first drafts can have trouble with. The small word counts alone almost guarantees that words will need to be cut.
• Pitch: This might or might not work – I haven't asked any writer friends yet – but wouldn't the skills acquired and polished through writing flash fiction help during the submission process? A proposal and pitch should be engaging, touch on the crucial points of the story, and all in as few words as possible.
• Self-improvement: Why can't I write short stories? Because I think I can't – even though I can write poems and long fiction. I have no such barrier erected against flash fiction. By learning to write flash fiction, I can expand my writing horizons and maybe work my way around to the frustrating short story.

Flash Fiction: Ends

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Writing flash fiction can help you identify your audience. Because they are quick to write, you can easily test different types of endings and see which type of endings your target audience best responds to. Or work in reverse and write the endings you like in order to narrow down the identity of your target audience. Remember that the better you know your audience, the better you can satisfy their readerly cravings.

• Surprise: With such a short length, there is very little room for anything but surprises. A useful – if sometimes uncomfortable – skill for writers to develop. But the best surprise, the unforeseen logical outcome of all that came before, is in the end.
• Uncertainty: Some questions may never be answered, but enough information should be provided that the reader can create the answer alone. This approach has the added benefit of allowing different readers to come away with different impressions.
• Climax: Flash fiction is unusual in that there is not much room to build up to the climax. There are fewer obstacles and fewer characters. Typically, in flash fiction, only two characters (a group can be depicted as a character, remember) are involved. Sometimes the antagonist is absent or only implied, and is never fully characterized. I doubt a writer could get away with this for the climax of a full-fledged novel but it is one way to save space in flash fiction.
• Loose ends: Because there are fewer characters, points of view, and events in flash fiction there are fewer loose ends to resolve. Also, it is more common to leave the problems of other characters unresolved. I think this practice is more accepted in flash fiction because of the space constraints.

Flash Fiction: Middles

Off Camera Flash (Photo credit: nickwheeleroz)

A possible benefit of flash fiction is that the middle is so short. Many people struggle with middles although for me the most difficult part is cutting my middles down to size. Flash fiction emphasizes techniques that can help me do this. But if you are the type who writes your middles too short, then flash fiction middles may be easy for you.

• Inference: One way to cut down on words is to refer to well known events, people, or legends. Saying that a character is shaped like Marilyn Monroe saves a lot of words, as does simply saying “we were under old maritime law”, or “his life suddenly seemed a modern-day Hamlet”.
• Telling: A key phrase in the last point was “simply saying”. The flash fiction I have looked at so contains more “tellling” than I expected. This might be because “showing” takes more words. This is one technique that is frowned on in longer fiction but the conventions seem different in this medium.
• Obstacle: Most flash fiction I read only had one major obstacle. In long fiction, I can usually find three major complications or obstacles. Since there is only one obstacle, it is – of course – the major obstacle and needs to really count.
• Uncertainty: One way to save words is to not resolve or explain everything. This has the added benefit of keeping the reader reading to find the answers to the unanswered questions.

Flash Fiction: Opening

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Okay. As part of my learning about flash fiction, I've decided to break down the short structure into its opening, middle, and end. While some of the advice will be true for any story, some is especially important for word-limited format.

• Character: Set up in two sentences. At least one of these sentences should be an active description. What is an “active” description? Other than it not being passive or static, the description should achieve more than one task at a time – which tasks are up to you.
• Setting: Start with a powerful, evocative image. For instance: a sunset can mean an ending, the coming of darkness, give unusual color to the story, is easily visualized, sets a time limit.
• Back-story: If you need a preamble, set it down in the first paragraph (not paragraphs). Become a master of the implication and unsaid. This will let you fit in more world building, back-story, and description.
• Story: If you have a large issue, break it down. Take small pieces of it. Start in the middle of things. This is true of all books and poems but flash fiction takes the process of breaking down almost to its most basic level. One conflict is probably all the room you will find.