Flash Fiction

Flash fiction is a short story that is 53 to a thousand words.  That's it.  I have fun with this from time to time and write stories centered around one character or one situation.  It's usually with a prompt, as it's a bit easier that way instead of doing it off the top of your head, and my hat is off to those writers who can do it off the top of their head.

Now, you're probably going "okay, flash fiction, nice and easy, what's the catch?".  The catch is you need to be on the ball.  You need to know exactly what you're doing, exactly what characters you're using, and how you're going to use them.  All the other rules of a story apply but you've only got a thousand words.  1001?  Nope, sorry, go away.

For a bit of recommended reading, always go to Walt Whitman.  Uncle Walt is going to have the best for flash fiction and he’s a personal favorite of mine.  Ernest Hemingway is good too and he was one of the first people who wrote a six word story with “For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn”.  You don’t need the emotional background to know what’s happening there.  There’s also H.P. Lovecraft, Phillip K Dick, and a lot of others.

What do you think of flash fiction, dear readers?  Do you like the idea of the challenge or do you think it’s something silly?  Leave a comment below and, until next time, keep on writing.