May Blog 2020: Why you need to write flash fiction (and how to do it!)

​Are you short on writing time? Do you have a gap between projects that you’d like to fill with something quick and satisfying? Do you want to polish your writing skills or increase your body of work? Then Flash Fiction is the way to go, and I’ve got the why and how for you!

Flash Fiction; fast and fabulous! 

​I started writing Flash Fiction for two main reasons: one, to feel that sense of accomplishment in finishing and publishing pieces more frequently; and two, to give back to my readers.
Many writers long for that ‘I’m done!’ feeling, that sense of accomplishment, completion, and having works out there in the world being read! I appreciate that feeling, and it helps me carry on with longer projects, providing little reminders of what finishing a full-blown novel feels like. Through writing Flash Fiction, I discovered benefits I hadn’t thought of: 1. Practicing and polishing my writing skills, 2. I can draft a piece in an hour or so, so I can write a whole story whilst my kids are occupied with a movie or drawing, 3. I can write, edit, and publish a piece in a week (a great and productive gap-filler between larger projects), 4. Readers get a taste of my writing in different genres, 5. I can push my boundaries by trying different genres, characters, and settings, therefore stretching my writing muscle. And boy does Flash stretch that muscle! You’ve got such a short window to get that story across, and every single word needs to count!
I’ve challenged myself to write at least one Flash Fiction piece for publishing each month in 2020 (this is my year for big goals, after all!). I felt the need to up my count of published pieces on Amazon, and to give back to readers. At the same time, I wanted to provide an incentive for my audience to read more of what I’ve written: the hope being that if a reader enjoys a historical fiction Flash I’ve written, they might then choose to read a historical fiction short, or if they liked my contemporary Flash, they may then go on to read my novel. Essentially, my Free Flash Fiction Friday pieces are a ‘lead magnet’ of sorts, but not the main reason I write them.

“Writing Flash Fiction stretches the writing muscle and focuses the writer in on what REALLY counts in good storytelling.”
​- Emily Larkins.

"Want to test yourself in another genre? Want to focus your writing skills right in close? Flash Fiction is an excellent tool for honing your skills!"
​- Emily Larkins.

Image sourced from D.L.Fisher on Pinterest

​So, how do I do this Flash thing?

​First of all, keep in mind that Flash Fiction is like a glimpse through a window; you’re not entering the whole house, just catching a view. In other words, Flash Fic is short and to the point; you just don’t have the word count to go into depth, so must convey your idea succinctly.
I tend to follow a formula that I’ve developed through reading short stories, blog posts, and articles on short stories and flash fiction, combining what works for me into my own formula. This process is ever-evolving, and I have a base document that I plan and write from that I regularly update with new (and often simplified) ideas. On occasion, I’ve been known to ‘pants’ Flash Fiction (writing without planning first), straight from a prompt if it grabs me strongly enough.
Most of my flash fic starts from writing prompts. A prompt that’s strong enough to capture my imagination will provide an image to start from, and often a character, setting, or problem. There are so many prompts available on the internet, and I’ve collated many of my favouites into a Pinterest board (see them here). I also write prompts and add to them every week which you can see and pin for yourself here.
The following are extended explanations of the steps included in the downloadable document I’ve included in this post for your use.

1. Choose that prompt or record your 'spark' - that idea that you're interested in exploring.
2. Next I think of a character, and a problem they have – one or the other could come to me first, occasionally they come together. The key with Flash is to keep it really simple, but make it punchy (you’ve only got 1500 words MAX to tell the whole story). Bonus: Make your character want something right from the start.
   
3. Time to chuck an obstacle in your character’s way of their working out the problem. Challenge them. Think, ‘how can I make things worse for this character?’
   Obstacles can be ‘external,’ such as an antagonist, or ‘internal,’ such as a character flaw. If you plan to challenge your character with an antagonist, the key is to make what they want mutually exclusive – only one can achieve their goal, or have both lose (they can’t both win).
   
4. Now it’s time to have your protagonist fail. Challenge them, and have them fail at least once. Show us how badly they want to achieve their goal/solve their problem! They can try and fail up to three times in this length of story, and bear in mind: they don’t have to be massive challenges, it can be as simple as a question with a ‘no’ in return, but MAKE IT WORK HARD.
   Use the protagonist’s failures to build in clues, tools, or steps toward eventual success (or failure). Take care to give enough for the reader’s mind to tick over, but don’t make it too obvious either.
   
5. Time for a crucial turning point: Time for your protagonist to put those clues or realisations to work – it’s the ‘ah ha!’ moment of your story. They may latch onto the right or WRONG solution to their problem.
   
6. Now it’s time to show your character’s success or failure. Make it punchy and to the point – there’s not enough word count left to waffle! Wrap that story up and give your reader a sense of satisfaction in your completed story.

​Now that you’ve nutted out your basic plot, you’ve got 300-1500 words to make it all happen. If you’re REALLY into challenging yourself there’s also a category smaller than flash – Micro Fiction – stories of than 300 words!
I usually aim for that 1500 mark (and end up with about 2000 words). I find that it’s much easier to strip away from, rather than add to a story. 2k down to 1500 is doable through some good, brutal editing! Plus, with Flash Fiction, especially if you’re selling individual stories on Amazon, when priced at .99c, I want to give my audience enough for that story to be worth it. If not, perhaps put together collections of flash and sell them as a bundle.
So, that’s how I do the Flash thing. How about you give it a go too!

​Until next time, happy writing everyone,
​Emily.

This is the latest version of my flash and short fiction planning template. There is a section on the next page for you to write your story on the same document, or you can write into a separate document if you wish. Download your FREE copy below!

Get your free Flash Fiction and Short Story template here!
File Size:	94 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

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Want more on writing short fiction? Click here to have a look at my Short Story Tools board on Pinterst!

​Hey all you readers and writers out there,
Do you have any tips or tricks to writing great Flash Fiction? Do you want to help other writers get the best out of their 1500 words? Please comment on this post!
Better yet, pop on over to my 'contact' page and drop me a line. I'd love to include a section on this post with tips and tricks from all of you! Please include your name so I can credit you in the post!