Writing flash fiction

[thisreidwrites]

For 75 words, it's really hard to get some kind of a plot in there - but it might be possible following the Story Grid technique. 5 Commandments of Storytelling: What They Are and How to Use Them

• Inciting Incident (Causal/Coincidence)
• Progressive Complication (Active Turning Point/Revelatory Turning Point)
• Crisis (The Best Bad choice/Irreconcilable goods)
• Climax
• Resolution

If you gave each of these just one sentence, you could do it, I THINK.


A faerie flew through my window. (Inciting incident: coincidental)

I didn't know they were real. Behind her were other things I'd hoped were not, and they call to me. (Progressive complication: revelatory turning point)

Now, I have a choice: follow the fairy, lose my humanity, and join the Dance, or refuse... and die of old age, but still myself (Crisis: best bad choice)

Only a fool would say no. (Climax: decision time)

Good thing my heart's turned to stone by the time my wife, too late, calls my name. (Resolution: the result of that choice)

74 words.

 

[paranoid marvin]

For 75 words, it's really hard to get some kind of a plot in there - but it might be possible following the Story Grid technique. 5 Commandments of Storytelling: What They Are and How to Use Them

• Inciting Incident (Causal/Coincidence)
• Progressive Complication (Active Turning Point/Revelatory Turning Point)
• Crisis (The Best Bad choice/Irreconcilable goods)
• Climax
• Resolution

If you gave each of these just one sentence, you could do it, I THINK.


A faerie flew through my window. (Inciting incident: coincidental)

I didn't know they were real. Behind her were other things I'd hoped were not, and they call to me. (Progressive complication: revelatory turning point)

Now, I have a choice: follow the fairy, lose my humanity, and join the Dance, or refuse... and die of old age, but still myself (Crisis: best bad choice)

Only a fool would say no. (Climax: decision time)

Good thing my heart's turned to stone by the time my wife, too late, calls my name. (Resolution: the result of that choice)

74 words.

Smoke? Fire! Help! Water! Extinguished.

Have I done it in 5?

 

[Astro Pen]

Smoke? Fire! Help! Water! Extinguished.

Have I done it in 5?

Only until the insurance paperwork starts.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

For flash, I find the simple three stage model better:
Have a beginning, middle and end. The rest will fall into place.

Also, these models are great for making us think about structure etc but don't forget that telling a story is what you're after and trying to force these into 75 words might kill the flow.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Recently my muse seems to have gone on holiday and I've missed the last two 75 worders and the 100 worder

So I've been doing some research to try to kick-start myself into action

And here are the results of said research. A ton of articles in which other flashers might be interested

The Quick, Sharp Stroke - Writing Micro-Fiction - Dark Worlds Quarterly

I started with Flash Fiction in the 1980s. Inspired by writers like Saki, Fredric Brown and John Collier. I wrote an Internet classic with “Writing Read More

darkworldsquarterly.gwthomas.org

How to Write Flash Fiction: 4 Tips for Creating Compelling Stories

What is flash fiction? And how do you write it well? We answer those questions with four quick tips to apply to your stories.

thewritelife.com

Stories in your pocket: how to write flash fiction

David Gaffney: 16 May is the first ever day celebrating the art of micro-fiction. But what are the pros and cons of ultra short stories – and what's the secret of writing them? Follow David Gaffney's tips and post your own flash fiction below the line - we'll run our favourites on Wednesday

www.theguardian.com

What is Flash Fiction? And How to Write It Yourself

What is flash fiction? What makes it so great? And where is it published? All your questions answered before you can say Twitterature.

blog.reedsy.com

Writing Flash Fiction: 5 Quick Tips for Mini Masterpieces

Writing flash fiction is an exciting, low-stakes way to experiment. Learn how to write a masterpiece of a micro-story with our 5 quick tips.

blog.reedsy.com

How to Write Flash Fiction: 5 Tips for Writing Short Short Stories - Jerry Jenkins | Proven Writing Tips

Flash fiction can be a great way to try new story ideas, form a new style, and become a better writer — today, I'll show you how it's done.

jerryjenkins.com

How to Teach Micro Fiction Like a Pro - English Teacher Blog

English teachers, teach ELA skills with micro fiction writing. Engage students, focusing on word choice, literary devices, sentence structure, and more...

lindsayannlearning.com

How to write flash fiction

trishnicholsonswordsinthetreehouse.com

How to Write Flash Fiction

Art Carey, author of “The Gender War,” A Novel, and Flash Fiction writer extraordinaire, is my guest blogger. He offers a brief, to-the-point piece on the art of creating Flash Fiction,…

globalmysteriesblog.com

How To Write Your First Flash Fiction Short Story

Whether you're familiar with flash fiction or not, this short how to guide to flash fiction will help get you writing in this fast and exiting style in no time.

www.bookerworm.com

How to write flash fiction

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of attending an inspiring workshop on flash fiction, led by the brilliant Linda Grierson Irish, whom I met on the Comma Press short story course. I have dabble…

janellehardacre.co.uk

How to write flash fiction

Short fiction expert John Dufresne's Flashpoints! Top Tips for Writing Very Short Stories

www.writers-online.co.uk

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Also, did we know there is a National Flash Fiction Day?

National Flash Fiction Day

Save the Date: We'll be celebrating the 12th National Flash Fiction Day on Saturday, 24 June 2023!

www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk

National Flash Fiction Day 2023:
We're celebrating our 12th National Flash Fiction Day
on Saturday, 24 June 2023!

2023 FlashFlood
Submissions for the 2023 FlashFlood are open for one week only, from 00:01 BST on 30 April to 23:59 on 6 May 2023.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

More links

How to Write Flash Fiction Stories (with Examples!) | Writers.com

Want to learn how to write flash fiction stories? Champion the short-short story by reading our analysis of the flash fiction form.

writers.com

Writing Flash Fiction: A Complete Guide – Jericho Writers

Learn what you need to know if you want to get started writing Flash Fiction.

jerichowriters.com

Expert tips for writing the best flash fiction

Flash fiction has never been hotter. Here’s our guide for how to write the best flash fiction, plus which magazines and small presses publish flash fiction.

www.writermag.com

The Ultimate Guide To Flash Fiction (And How To Write Your Own) | Writer's Edit

Flash fiction has become increasingly popular in recent years. You've probably noticed a plethora of websites and online publications dedicated entirely to flash fiction or…

writersedit.com

12 tips on writing flash fiction from author Claire Fuller

Author Claire Fuller gives her tips on writing flash fiction

www.penguin.co.uk

"Write your first draft knowing no one else will read it. Be as creative and crazy as you like. Have fun"

Another quote I like from one of the previously posted links to www.writers-online.co.uk
"Stories aren’t written but rewritten, and you have to have something to revise – a complete first draft. The purpose of this draft is not to get it right but to get it written"

 

[StilLearning]

My 2018 resolutions include entering most 75-word, 100 word and 300 word competitions on the Chronns AND only entering if I’m satisfied that the quality of my story is up to par.

To that end, I googled “writing flash fiction”.

Stories in your pocket: how to write flash fiction

Flash Fiction: What's It All About? | The Review Review

Flash What? A Quick Look at Flash Fiction

Unfortunately, there is a world of difference between theory and practice, so I’m still as stumped for ideas as before. (Writer’s block, anyone?) But here are some of the things I’ve learned (maybe):

Write long and edit short. I’ve always been delighted and amazed that my first drafts are usually within a word or two of the target length, but perhaps I’m losing something by skipping the trimming process.

Start the story in the middle. I know this; I just forget it sometimes.

The denouement is not the end of the story. Follow up with something to keep the reader thinking about the story. I’m not sure about this. What do you think?

Use allusions. This never seems to work for me; readers rarely seem to pick up on my allusions, whether they’re to Shakespeare or to Monty Python.

I’m not sure that this has helped; the opinions of readers and voters are what really matters. I know that some Chronners have a talent for writing stories with a wow factor that I can’t resist, or hope to emulate, and I’m often amazed when their stories don’t get more votes.

So what do you look for when voting? What are your guidelines for writing a story for the competitions?

My suggestion would be: With such limited space you have to rely on the reader's imagination, so think carefully about what imagery you can provoke in their minds with a few, or individual, words.