Flash fiction can be defined as a type of prose narration which is characterized by its short length. The word count ranges from 5-1000 and in a few cases the word limit can go upto 1500. They are also referred to as micro-story or nanotale. But they are not just reduced short stories. They both are different. Flash fiction focuses on the story rather than developing characters and settings. As the word count is limited so every sentence should help in taking the story forward. This will help in maintaining the lighting pace of the story with twists and turns.
What is Flash Fiction?
As defined Flash fiction are not exactly short stories but they are characterized by their word count. With digitalization and social media, we are now very much used to saying and expressing ourselves in a few words. People nowadays are able to express themselves in 280 character limits in tweets or in comments (limited word count) on Instagram, Facebook, etc. So in today’s time the increasing demand of flash fiction is very obvious.
Flash Fiction also has sub categories, although defining it clearly and exactly is still a struggle for many writers, these categories are created on the basis of word count and they are as follows:
- Flash Fiction – the maximum word count limit is 1500.
- Sudden Fiction – the word count limit in this is 750.
- Drabble/ Microfiction: maximum word limit is 100.
- Twitterature – max word limit is 280.
- Six word Story – any story with a word only is a category itself too.
So, why is Flash Fiction becoming a new trend in writing? Well there are many reasons for that, and they are listed below:
1. Creative satisfaction – as an author or a writer the one thing which needs to be fulfilled is the creative satisfaction. But this doesn’t happen in real life so easily. For every author to write down a book is a time consuming job. In between writing that one main story, the writing skills need to be uplifted and renewed to make the author’s work more relatable and updated too. In that matter the idea of writing a flash fiction can prove to be a great help for the author.
Flash fiction helps in flowing the creative juices more freely and readily because when one has to express in minimum words then your vocabulary needs new words, more precise expression and clarity in the movement of the story. Flash fiction also helps in looking at the story as the main hero rather than about the other peripheral issues of the story. It is like squeezing out every possible drop of the knowledge within the writer’s capability to put a crisp, exciting and well structured story for the audience.
2. Best suited for magazines – Well flash fiction stories have been a favorite of magazines. These magazines are always looking out for fresh new ideas for its audience and these micro stories are a great catch. Not only that, these publications also help in making a path for new budding authors/writers. This way fresh new talent is given a chance in the writing industry. Well, flash fiction is a great example of experimentation too.
3. Can be easily published on social media – one of the other major benefits writers can use is the fact that they can easily publish their own flash fiction on social media via their accounts. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc have plenty of flash stories floating around in form of blogs, email listings, etc.
How To Write A Flash Fiction?
As we discussed earlier flash fiction is becoming popular day by day, but still it is not discussed quite often and is not defined well by the literary giants till now. But it should be discussed more and more for the simple reason that it’s all about the story. In flash fiction the core is the storyline, it’s not about the characters and their surroundings, which consumes so many pages of so many books. Authors like Margaret Atwood, H.P.Lovecraft and David Foster Wallace have proved their mantle in this genre.
Let’s discover what are the key points to write a flash fiction showpiece:
1. Flash Fiction should have a proper beginning and climax – any great writing in flash fiction focuses on the flashpoint (it is the center of the conflict of the story). Then followed by a well structured middle writing adds so much more to the flashpoint. Finally, it is about the climax, it is also essential as it sums up the whole story in a more effective way. A weak climax or end to the story can lead to an insipid experience. One more important thing to note down is the fact that all these stages of the story should connect to each other in a way that the momentum of the story is maintained. Otherwise, the story can fall flat easily at any point of time.
2. Don’t introduce too many parallel plots and characters – as in micro short story words are very limited so an author can’t afford to lose them by introducing many characters and their other aspect of characterization. Alo sno need to introduce too many parallel or tangent issues within the micro short story. But yes if an author is planning a series of such a micro short story then some hints can be added for the continuity. So it is advised to have a compact and concise story for the best effective narration of the story for the reader.
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3. Follow the pattern to get the maximum result – although creative fields like writing should not have any fixed pattern to follow. But for the ease of reading and readers, even writing has some formats and patterns, which help in attracting the target audience. So, in this way an author can reach out to its target audience easily and widely. Flash fiction like any other genre have some unique characteristics and form which are:
- Prose that has intensity
- Narration that is effective and engaging
- Delivering maximum in minimum words
Flash fiction is not about the word limit, it’s about expressing the idea in the shortest possible way in a very clear, sharp and engaging way to your audience.
4. Avoid using repetitive methods of narration – it is true that every writer has its own style and many people love that particular style. But in a creative and expressive field like writing, being repetitive is a curse. So adding a new audience along with your existing one, a writer should know how to reinvent in a way that both his fans and new raiders find the work interesting and entertaining too. To do that a writer should stop writing like an old chestnut and start experimenting so that it amplifies his level of skill as well as his audience base too.
So, those who are willing to experiment in writing then flash fiction is the answer. In a short span of time a writer can discover and create so many new stories and ideas. Flash fiction also helps in breaking the monotony of a writers’ writing pattern. For readers also it’s a great thing as they get to read some out of the box stories with new and precise expressions of the story telling art. Flash fiction celebrates the fact that stories are the real heroes.
