To aid those struggling to get started on their masterpiece, we’ve put together a few hints and tips. Since flash fiction is so brief, little things make a big difference. Here are some suggestions to help you put your best story forward.
Your flash story should:
Convey a complete story with a beginning, middle and end
Pieces that read as if they’ve been randomly selected from a larger body of work rarely succeed. The same goes for stories of an irregular nature. Those of us judging you in a comfy computer chair do not appreciate sporadic storytelling unless it serves a purpose. Ensure your story has an immediate beginning, an enticing middle and a powerful end.
Contain no more than 2-3 characters
Try to keep the number of characters in your story to a minimum. Every new character adds an extra element of the story you need to explain and this wastes valuable words. Only include characters who are essential to your main character.
Begin in the middle of the action and move swiftly to the end
When writing flash fiction you simply do not have time to introduce every aspect of your story. Base your flash within one time period or one defining moment. Take us to the juicy part of your tale as quick as you can and then close before we realise we’ve been flashed. The great thing about flash is its immediacy. A reader needs to feel this immediacy as he reads, otherwise there’s nothing there to lure them to your knock-out end.
Say it in as few words as possible
Saying it in as few words as possible does not necessarily mean cutting your story to 54 words. What we mean is, don’t use words that do nothing for the story. Don’t overuse adverbs and adjectives. Instead, use strong verbs, concrete nouns, and tight, active sentences. These help intensify the overall tone of the story and the emotion felt by the reader.
And make use of the awesome power of suggestion. The words left out are as important as the words left in, as the words left in should imply the words left out. Get it? No?
Avoid “blurbing”
Too often, with such a limited number of words to use, would-be flash writers attempt to condense a too-big story into a too-small space by summarising the events. The result looks something like the blurb on the back of a novel, or a mere skeleton of a plot. Remember, stories have details. They show and depict. If you find yourself summarising too many parts of your story, then perhaps it is too big for flash.
Edit like a madman/woman/sexless creature
Cut descriptive scenes, remove useless dialogue and only keep the most vital elements of your story. As you hack away at your tale you’ll find it becomes more powerful.
If you’re still really struggling to get the story going, try thinking in terms of:
Conflict
If there is no conflict, there is no story. If your story lacks that extra thrust in the middle, then create a situation that increases tension for the reader. You’ll soon have them begging to know the outcome, which should hopefully arrive shortly if you’ve remembered to end your story. Good, obedient flash writer, good.
Focusing on small ideas within big ones
Don’t get all enthusiastic or your story will turn into a novel. Which is all well and good for you but not for our poor eyes. To discuss complex relationships within families would require a novel so instead try to focus on an individual viewpoint of the situation. Write a flash from the perspective of a dog watching Baywatch while a domestic dispute occurs in the background. Or not. But think small. Save the stories with novel potential for…well, you know.
Familiarity
By referencing an idea, concept or situation that most readers already know you save yourself lengthy and unnecessary explanations. Your reader should be able to make their own inferences as to what’s going on if you throw them in the deep end.
Happy Flashing!
