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.

Chase Scenes: the Physical Element

There is so much out there on the physical element of chase scenes. No discussion of chase scenes is complete without it – maybe because it is the most obvious defining element of this type of scene.

• World: Remember that the chase scene takes place in the character's point of view – with a few exceptions. If you want to show parts of the setting that the view-point character cannot see, consider using multiple points of view, starting the scene with a broad scope that quickly narrows down (a narrow view-point is frequently more immediate to the reader), or introduce the invisible details in an earlier scene. You might want to consider creating a map of the chase scene, complete with obstacles an potential escape routes.
• Limits: Even Superman has physical limits but boy did they have to work hard to create them. Hopefully you will be more generous with your character's physical (and maybe supernatural) limits. Limits make the chase more exciting, cut down on your character's choices and chances, and can place your character at a disadvantage (raising the tension and suspense). Some tlimits have a built-in timer (which further ramps up suspense) like stamina, the time your character can hold her breath, the distance she can jump. Other limits are stable, like no depth perception, lack of strength. An injury can be stable or worsen as a result of the character's choices, further limiting their choices.
• Obstacles: Physical obstacles are limits imposed by the outside that must be avoided or overcome. Consider turning one into the other. Introduce an obstacle to be avoided at all costs and change the flow of action so it must be overcome. Introduce an obstacles that appears that it can be overcome bt turns into a dead end – possible causing harm to the protagonist or allowing the antagonist to catch up (or almost catch up) with the protagonist. In the pursuit scene, the antagonist may introduce obstacles (such as traps) to slow or block the progress of the protagonist.
• Action: Readers really get excited by close calls. The trick is to find a way to bring the two forces face-to-face (or in close range) without allowing an all-out confrontation. If the view-point character receives a handicap at this point (a wound, for instance) that makes further escape/ pursuit more difficult, so much the better. If this is a BIG chase scene, consider adding a stunt. These are times of high stakes, high emotion, and (if done right) highly memorable for the reader.

Chase Scenes: the Mental Element

Oddly, there is very little out on the internet under “writing chase scenes” and “mental” or “emotional”. So I had to figure all this out the hard way... studying lots and lots of chase scenes. Hopefully this series of posts will make things a little easier for future learners.

The mental world is where most of the tension an suspense is found – because even a chase scene is about the character more than it is about the action. The chase takes on importance to the reader only through the character because it is experienced through the character's point of view. The chase scene needs to be a very emotional experience for both the character and the writer. This means letting the reader into the view point character's inner world.

• World: The mental world is full of the character's reactions, evaluations, frustrations, and goals. These can be explicitly stated through thought, shown through action, or implied. If you choose to imply something (especially if you are new to this technique or the scene has failed a beta read), run the sequence by a test reader to make sure they intuit what you mean to imply.
• Limits: The character should have inner limits. This can be set patterns of thought that make it difficult for her to execute a successful pursuit or escape. Or maybe she assumes something about the opponent(s) that is not true. Or she has never learned to travel by rooftop or hide her tracks. All of this limits what she considers as possibilities – until you force her into a situation where she must do one of those things she has never considered (in which case her ignorance, etc. becomes an obstacle.)
• Obstacles: Inner obstacles must be overcome. Inner limits become inner obstacles only when the character must overcome them. Not all limits are obstacles but it is a sure way to raise the stakes! Suppose she not only does not know how to travel by roof-top (and it would never occur to her as a way to travel) but she is afraid of heights. Then make it the only way she can escape (or the person she must catch goes for the roofs). Limits + situation = inner obstacles.
• Action: The mental element should be in constant flux. Certainty gives way to bafflement. Complacency gives way to fear. Over, over, and over. Faster and faster. And as the scene progresses, her perceptions turn darker, more fearful, more disoriented. And more reactive as the pressures build from the inside and the outside. How your character reacts show very clearly where she is in her character arc (if you have one).

Chase Scenes: the Reader Element

The chase scene should be written (or revised) with the reader in mind. Like with any other type of scene, the reader interacts with the character or characters but the reader is not the character. Just because the character experiences the chase scene in a certain way does not necessarily mean the reader will have the same experience.

• World: The reader's experience is limited by the scene's point(s) of view. The fast pace of chase scenes does not leave a lot of room for details. Grounding the reader (time, place, season, etc.) can done (at least in part) indirectly. Every time thee character changes location – which happens a lot in a chase scene – you need to reorient the reader in some way. A possible exception is if the character is lost or disoriented.
• Limits: The reader is limited by how much the reader cares about the character, how well grounded the reader is, and how clearly you write.
• Obstacles: Logic. The sequence in writing is: physical stimulus → internal reaction → physical response. In chase scenes,the pace is fast and one step is sometimes assumed. This is fine – even desirable – so long as the action still makes sense to the reader. A break in logic occurs when the reader is not sure why the character reacted the way he just did. This is the danger of omitting steps. (If the character is not sure why he responded a certain way, the reader needs to know this. That confusion becomes the next internal reaction.)
• Action: You could say that the reader's involvement varies throughout the scene according to whether you are providing questions or answers. The “questions” would be what builds tension, uncertainty, suspense. The “answers” are what brings closure, temporary resolution, certainty. Readers become involved in questions and try to guess the answers to small questions (what happens next?), big questions (will they catch her?) and size in-between. At the same time, they can become frustrated by too many questions and not enough answers. Try overlapping your questions and answers for maximum reader involvement and satisfaction.

Chase Scenes: Balancing the Mental, Physical, and Reader Elements

It feels strange not to start this series of posts with the physical element of chase scenes but there are so many articles about that element and far fewer that focus on the mental and reader elements. Even fewer discuss keeping a balance among the three. Maybe this is because of the belief that action makes the chase scene. But isn't it the character's emotional and intellectual reactions? Or is it the reader's involvement?

All three, of course.

(We'll break down these elements over the next three posts.)

While reader involvement is always paramount, the emphasis on the physical and mental elements shifts according to what type of book (or scene) you are writing. But emphasis also shifts within a scene.

The mental element makes thee reader care. It is gives substance to the chase scene. Emphasis on the mental element is common in character-driven stories. It consists of emotions and thoughts. The mental element both causes and follows physical action. As we'll see, a focus on the mental element doe not have to mean slowing the pace of the action in the scene. It has a type of action all its own.

The physical element grounds the reader. It gives form to thee chase scene. Emphasis on the physical element is common in plot-driven stories. It consists of settings, obstacles, and moving objects. The physical element reacts to the character and forces the character to react. As we'll see, the physical element helps shape the character and influences reader reactions.

A chase scene needs both substance and form. There is no formula for how much is needed where or when. The best guide is the reader. Doe the reader sit back and put thee book down at a certain point? You need more of the other element.

Or you forgot the reader element.

Braiding a Dialogue Scene

There is more to dialogue than talking heads. Dialogue scenes have four threads that may or may not be enclosed in quotation marks. Talk is what makes a dialogue scene, of course. Characters communicating and clashing through words. That is the first thread. The second thread is description. Description is difficult to handle through talking but grounds the reader and helps with mood. A limitation of talk is that it can only touch the surface. While this is what we must settle for in real life, the written word is a different medium. The third thread is character thoughts. The fourth thread is action. Every scene moves the plot forward and while talking allows decisions to be made, a conversation is not a concrete action. Action is usually needed to proved a sense of forward story movement. These threads braid together to create a complete scene.

• Talk: Talk is what the characters actually say. Talk is usually short and fast – rarely more than three sentences at a time. This usually speeds up the pace. When the pace begins to drag, consider using more talk (but only talk with purpose).
• Description: To avoid “talking heads”, the reader needs to know the setting. This can be partially conveyed in dialogue but some will simply need to be written. Description usually slows the scene down so look for places that the pace is too fast or a description of setting is necessary. A quick reminder: description does not need to be static. Active description will slow the pace less than passive descriptions.
• Thought: Thought adds depth and logic by telling (not showing) the view-point character's unspoken reactions. After all, the logical flow of a scene is stimulus-reaction-action. Thought is a way to show reaction. Talking is always an action. It may express a reaction, but it is exactly that – an expression. Thought can also add depth to the conversation by sharing with the reader what the character cannot – or will not – say aloud. Thought can emphasize emotion and reveal motives, lies, rationalizations, or inner conflict.
• Action: Decisions can be made through talking but talking alone does not change the world. Physical action is needed to carry out any resolution or impulse. Physical motion gives readers a feeling of forward motion in the story. Even small actions during dialogue can accelerate the pace of the scene. And action makes dialogue more realistic since conversations seldom last long without some kind of physical movment.

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.

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.