Writing advice blog: compelling flash fiction

Susie Helme

Flash fiction is a genre of fiction which is short and quick. It is defined as a very short story of under 500 words (or whatever wordcount is specified) which encapsulates an entire story. It is not just a scene, but rather is structured, with a beginning, middle and end, and it has all the elements you’d expect in a story—character development, pacing, etc.

A sub-genre is microfiction, defined as short stories of 100 words or less.

The most famous example is:

“For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.”

The story, which may be apocryphal, is that this 6-word composition won Ernest Hemingway a drink in a bar.

A story

A story features five basic elements:

• Characters
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict, with action rising to a climax
• Denouement or resolution

It’s always important to have a punchy, innovative first line, but in flash fiction it’s essential, as you need to grab the reader’s attention quickly. So, rather than beginning with wordy descriptions of the setting, a strong visual image, an emotive sensory experience, or some action or dialogue is best.

Last lines are also more important than usual. Evoking surprise is often the aim, such as ending with a twist or an unexpected last line. A startling strong metaphor can also be a good ending.

Change

For a story to feel like a story, something must change between the beginning and the end. It has to take the reader from Point A—the status quo, where the protagonist is when the story begins—to Point B—where they are after the change.

What could change?

The character’s situation.

A He is trying to escape a burning building. B At the end, he reaches safety.

The character’s perspective on the situation.

A He believes his wife is as happy in their marriage as he is. B At the end, he realises that she has been hiding feelings.

The reader’s understanding of the situation.

A He is at an idyllic vacation resort, B which we then discover is plagued by zombies.

Because you have very few words in which to accomplish all these things, there are some tips to help you keep down your wordcount.

Start late in the story.

Don’t bother with the backstory. Begin with him crawling down the hallway on his hands and knees. You could start just before the big climax, when the zombies are first spotted on the horizon.

Choose the right details.

Include only the details that are important to the change you are discussing. ‘Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny.’ A focus on one dirty plate could give the reader the impression that the whole house is messy.

Choose details that create a certain feeling or deliver your theme. We don’t know it’s zombies, yet, but there is something awry about that idyllic resort—the staff seem fearful of something; the sun loungers are arranged crookedly.

Stay focused.

What are you trying to accomplish, here? What change are you focussing on? What emotion are you trying to evoke in your reader? Anything that isn’t aimed at achieving this goal, leave it out.

Imply more than you show.

Sometimes a gesture means more than words. You want to hint at a larger world that exists outside the frame of the story, to give the reader a sense of how the story will continue after your 500 words end.

After the wife finally tells him about her feelings, he promises to do better, and she lays her head on his shoulder. There’s no time to examine how they will mend their relationship, but the gesture implies that they will try. Or she slams the door, implying that his efforts are too late.

Remove unnecessary words.

During the initial writing, you want to focus on emotions and letting your creativity run freely, rather than on counting words. Your rough draft may be too long, so, when you revise, cut out any unnecessary repetitions, fillers or details that don’t aim toward achieving your goal.

The way to get better at doing anything is to practice it a lot—write lots of stories—and get feedback from your peers—join or form a writers’ circle.

Dos and don’ts

Here are some tips:

1. Choose an overarching theme.
2. Use one or two key characters.
3. Make every sentence count and don’t rush.
4. Prompt visualisation.
5. Start in the middle.
6. Deal with a single conflict.
7. Use descriptive, concise language.
8. Create surprise and provide a twist.
9. Present a memorable last line.
10. Write a powerful title (which ideally shouldn’t give away the ending).
11. Get others to critique.

And some no-nos:

1. Cheap, throwaway, jokey twist endings.
2. Earnest meditations on the meaning of life, with no plot or characters.
3. Crazy surrealism for no purpose.
4. Poems submitted as flash-fiction.
5. Over-writing.
6. Cheap sentiment.
7. Issue stories, where the ending is supposed to teach us an important lesson.
8. Strong stories with weak endings, where the writer seems to have lost courage.