What is the definition of Flash fiction?

Snapshot Storytelling

Flash fiction is simply very short fiction. However that oversimplifies things. How short is "short?" That depends on whom you're asking. It is basically a complete story - having a beginning, middle, and end - which confines itself to a very low word count. some even allow for non-fiction, so long as its a story meeting the definitions and expectations set out by the publisher.

This forces the writer to condense, stripping away the wordy descriptions and character development common in longer works. Define your character by watching him do something rather than assaulting the reader with lengthy histories, motivations, or what-have-you. The character plans the bank heist, he pulls up to the bank, demands money, then speeds away only to be caught for motor violations.

It's similar to flash photography. You don't know the people in the photo, but you get ideas about them in the way they are presented. A snapshot tells you the story without so much of the baggage a writer may feel is necessary. The viewer - or in the flash fiction case, the reader - must read the story and by the conclusion draw his or her own conclusions.

A wonderful site about this is at Writing-World.com, under the fiction section.

Main keys:

Tell your story based on conventional structure, omitting everything that may help us experience it deeply but clouds the main thrust of the tale.

Show, dont tell. Don't tell me how cold-blooded and heartless the assassin is; show me him killing a woman carrying groceries because she was in the way and I'll get the idea.

Know what word count range is expected and pare down your wordy passages accordingly.

Keep the story moving forward with every sentence.

Hope this helps.

Dream Walker

First answer by Dream Walker. Last edit by Dream Walker. Contributor trust: 46 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 20 [recommend question]