4.1: Flash Fiction
- Page ID
- 132182
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chapter 4: flash fiction
The definition, essentially, of this genre is: VERY brief fiction (or nonfiction). It consists of a low word count (150-500, typically). Other characteristics include: letting the reader fill in gaps, showing rather than telling, and uses specific examples to explain abstract ideas.
tips for writing flash fiction:\(^{59}\)
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Brevity is key.
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All the pieces of typical fiction (character development, plot development, description of scenes, etc.) writing must be made concise. If in a typical fiction piece, a writer would describe the characters in detail, they have to skim that down for Flash Fiction.
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Descriptions need to be specific - A purple shirt might change to a Vikings t-shirt to allow the reader to fill in the backstories. Instead of saying that the character went for a walk by a pond, the pond might have a name (Mini-Mystery Lake) that alludes to something for the reader to wonder about.
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Stylistic features like flashbacks and changing points-of-view will be difficult, so keep to the basics of the story and leave details to the readers' imagination.
a student example of flash fiction
“A conversation you and a stranger have on the phone...”\(^{60}\)
I received a phone call from an unfamiliar number, and I decided to answer it. The conversation started and this is how it went.
“Hello, this is Q.”
An older man answered. He said, “Hello, I am trying to get a hold of my daughter. Is this Maria?”
I said, “No this is not, I’m sorry. May I ask who this is? Maybe I can help.”
He said, “My name is Otto. I have not spoken to my kids in a few weeks now. They gave me this phone and I am still unsure how to work it. “
I replied, “Alright, well let’s start with who Maria is.”
“Oh yes, Maria is my oldest daughter of my three children. She has long black hair and light brown eyes. She is pregnant with my first grandchild and I miss her dearly.”
“She sounds lovely Otto. Can I ask what kind of phone do you have? Are you able to touch the screen to open different applications?”
“Yes I can Q.”
“Alright. After our conversation, I want you to click on contacts and look for Maria’s name on there and then hit the green telephone icon. This will let you call her.”
“Alright, I appreciate your help Q. Can I ask you one last question?”
“You certainly can Otto.”
“When is the last time you have spoken to your parents?”
“I don’t remember honestly. I have been so caught up and work and trying to finish this book I have been writing.”
Otto said, “I appreciate you taking the time to help me Q. Do not forget to slow down and relax a little. You might end up helping an old man like me again.”
questions / activities.
<Students might be assigned – as part of the final project? – to create questions and activities for chapters that do not contain those pieces quite yet.>
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HERE IS THE PRACTICE PROJECT = Compose an original story using these typical steps/elements of Flash Fiction.
Step 1: Write an original flash fiction story with a catchy first line like “So, there we were…” Step 2: Remember to jump into the action immediately; you don’t have a lot of space to build a plot. Step 3: Hint at a backstory with your character(s), but don’t give the reader the backstory - you don’t have the space! Step 4: Feel free to foreshadow other things that might happen after this little story! |
\(^{58}\)You might get the option, in the fiction chapter, to finish off this story as Practice?
\(^{59}\)"Creative Writing/Mini Sagas." Wikibooks, The Free Textbook Project. 26 Oct 2009, 19:53 UTC. 18 Nov
2016, 16:10 <https://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php? title=Creative_Writing/Mini_Sagas&oldid=1648560>. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
\(^{60}\)“A conversation you and a stranger have on the phone..” by Willow King is licensed CC-BY-NC-SA. It was created for NDSCS English 211 in the Spring of 2021.