A Crash Course in Flash Fiction By Ian Emery
Table of Contents - Background...................................................................1 - What exactly is flash fiction?........................................2 - Example.........................................................................2 - Analysis of Chopin’s Story............................................4 - What to Look for in a Flash Fiction Tutoring Session...5 - Strategies with Flash Fiction..........................................6
Background One day I found myself sitting in my Forms of Fiction course thinking about the different stories I had written over the semester. We discussed Gothic, Horror, and Letter Narratives, to name just a few of the many forms of fiction existent in our imaginative world. However, the brevity and sharp-minded conciseness of flash fiction stories stuck with me in a major way. I loved utilizing razor sharp consciousness when picking and choosing every single word I placed in my stories. I felt so artistic, so meticulous, like a clockmaker setting tiny gears into a wristwatch. With flash fiction, literally every word has to make a big impact. This is why I fell in love with the art, because it taught me to choose my words wisely and how concise, contemplated wording makes for a more effectively and efficiently told story.
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What exactly is flash fiction? Some experts think you should limit flash fiction pieces to 300 words. Others are more generous, raising the word cap to 1,000. Since there is no true standard, any story between 3001,000 words is generally accepted as flash fiction. Some writers enjoy a challenge in writing stories with an exact word count, say 100 or 750 words. This genre is not to be confused with prose poetry, which shares a similar word length. Both often contain a short narrative, yet prose poetry maintains its poetic qualities by focusing on descriptive language which takes precedence over plot. Flash fiction’s language is usually more sparse, to the point, and more concerned with telling a story as efficiently as possible. Flash fictions are frequently nicknamed microfictions, short shorts, or a similar term in that vein. They usually do not contain a full-circle plot with all the standard story elements: protagonist, antagonist, conflict, obstacles, and resolution. Due to space constraint, many elements are left to the reader’s imagination, but the missing elements can usually be inferred from the details in the story.
Example “The Blind Man” by Kate Chopin is a classic example (755 words): A man carrying a small red box in one hand walked slowly down the street. His old straw hat and faded garments looked as if the rain had often beaten upon them, and the sun had as many times dried them upon his person. He was not old, but he seemed feeble; and he walked in the sun, along the blistering asphalt pavement. On the opposite side of the street there were trees that threw a thick and pleasant shade: people were all walking on that side. But the man did not know, for he was blind, and moreover he was stupid. In the red box were lead pencils, which he was endeavoring to sell. He carried no stick, but guided himself by trailing his foot along the stone co pings or his hand along the iron railings. When he came to the steps of a house he would mount them. Sometimes, after reaching the door 2
with great difficulty, he could not find the electric button, whereupon he would patiently descend and go his way. Some of the iron gates were locked, their owners being away for the summer, and he would consume much time striving to open them, which made little difference, as he had all the time there was at his disposal. At times he succeeded in finding the electric button: but the man or maid who answered the bell needed no pencil, nor could they be induced to disturb the mistress of the house about so small a thing. The man had been out long and had walked far, but had sold nothing. That morning someone who had finally grown tired of having him hanging around had equipped him with this box of pencils, and sent him out to make his living. Hunger, with sharp fangs, was gnawing at his stomach and a consuming thirst parched his mouth and tortured him. The sun was broiling. He wore too much clothing — a vest and coat over his shirt. He might have removed these and carried them on his arm or thrown them away; but he did not think of it. A kind woman who saw him from an upper window felt sorry for him, and wished that he would cross over into the shade. The man drifted into a side street, where there was a group of noisy, excited children at play. The color of the box which he carried attracted them and they wanted to know what was in it. One of them attempted to take it away from him. With the instinct to protect his own and his only means of sustenance, he resisted, shouted at the children and called them names. A policeman coming round the corner and seeing that he was the centre of a disturbance, jerked him violently around by the collar; but upon perceiving that he was blind, considerably refrained from clubbing him and sent him on his way. He walked on in the sun. During his aimless rambling he turned into a street where there were monster electric cars thundering up and down, clanging wild bells and literally shaking the ground beneath his feet with their terrific impetus. He started to cross the street. Then something happened — something horrible happened that made the women faint and the strongest men who saw it grow sick and dizzy. The motorman’s lips were as gray as his face, and that was ashen gray; and he shook and staggered from the superhuman effort he had put forth to stop his car. Where could the crowds have come from so suddenly,as if by magic? Boys on the run, men and women tearing up on their wheels to see the sickening sight: doctors dashing up in buggies as if directed by Providence. 3
And the horror grew when the multitude recognized in the dead and mangled figure one of the wealthiest, most useful and most influential men of the town, a man noted for his prudence and foresight. How could such a terrible fate have overtaken him? He was hastening from his business house, for he was late, to join his family, who were to start in an hour or two for their summer home on the Atlantic coast. In his hurry he did not perceive the other car coming from the opposite direction and the common, harrowing thing was repeated. The blind man did not know what the commotion was all about. He had crossed the street, and there he was, stumbling on in the sun, trailing his foot along the coping.
Analysis of Chopin’s Story Protagonist : The blind man Antagonist : None named. You could argue that whoever sent him on his way with the
pencils could have been fleshed out as an antagonist if this were a larger story. However, this detail hangs in the background of the story, and no real antagonist exists in the story. Conflict : A poor, hungry blind man struggles to make a living by selling pencils door to
door, but is vastly unsuccessful and not helped. Obstacles : The man’s blindness, his many failures as a blind pencil salesman, the
incident with the children and his need to protect his livelihood, etc. The story is filled with many small obstacles that center around the man’s hand icap. Resolution : There is no clear resolution. The man’s condition never changes throughout
the story. He does not find success or any more failure. There is a random car accident and he goes on about his business. Based on the details in the story, you could infer that his position in the world will probably never improve.
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What to Look for in a Flash Fiction Tutoring Session Ok, so I’ve familiarized you with the genre complete with an example. Now let’s talk tutoring sessions. You don’t have to major in Writing or English to conduct a successful tutoring session in flash fiction. The majority of the tips below are commonsensical and broad enough to relate to basic experiences with composing research p apers or critical essays.
- Conciseness : Every word counts. Does the writing reflect this? Does the story have brevity while still reading like an effective and well-edited piece of writing? Look for adverbs and adjectives; are they gratuitously used? Snag the uses of “very” and other words that look unnecessary right out of the story and see if it reads smoother. - Word Choice: The story may look concise, well-polished, and sparse in language. However, is the wording effective enough? Could stronger words be used to replace weaker words? Or could some words take the place of two or more words while still conveying the same meaning? Flash fiction pieces are all about brevity in synergy with effectiveness. A worthwhile flash fiction contains an effective balance of both. - Story Elements : Remember that every story might not have a protagonist, antagonist, conflict, obstacles, and resolution. However, the story needs to read like nothing is missing. Can you read the story and at least infer some of these elements that the writer implied? If you cannot at least assume how the story probably resolved, then maybe there needs to be a resolution or details in the story that hint at a probable resolution. If you can read the story and feel satisfied that it functions as a solid narrative, it is probably fine. If you feel a void, or something is “off”
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with the plot, discuss including a missing element with the writer, or even excluding one (and implying it instead) for space to further develop the use of the others. - Entertainment Factor: A reader could still grow bored reading a satisfactorily complete 300 word story. Is the story compelling to you? Are the characters believable or relatable? Is the plot compelling? As a reader in every day life, you can intuit if you like a story or not. If you don’t, what can spice things up? What’s holding it back from greatness?
Strategies with Flash Fiction You’re familiarized with the definition of and how to tutor a writer in this genre. Now let’s look at ways you can use flash fiction exercises to strengthen a writer’s core skills. For example, let’s say a student is writing a short story, a novella, or even a novel. If this writer is experiencing word choice problems, have him or her write a simple flash fiction piece with a certain length, say three paragraphs. Such an exercise causes the writer to think about conciseness, which goes hand-in-hand with precise word choice and overall effectiveness (refer back to the “background” section of this guide). Even a full-length novel needs concise, effective writing for its message to be powerful and its story to flow well. You can also use flash fiction as a brainstorming session. A case of writer’s block can potentially be alleviated, or even overcome, when a tutor has the writer free-write a flash fiction piece during a session. As a creative writer myself, I can find inspiration for an entire novel seeded in observing my surroundings or in a free-writing exercise. I’d even suggest it as a fun exercise for an overwhelmed student trying to think of essay ideas or in need of a warm-up to get creative and critical juices flowing before tackling an essay.
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Sometimes after a long summer or even winter break, a student may feel rusty in his or her writing skills. And let’s face it, many students who come into the writing center are as pained about that essay as I am about dividing fractions. This could function as a good warm-up before brainstorming--a student is put in that writing mode, and his or her creative juices are bubbling and ready to brainstorm. The flash fiction genre sharpens a writer’s storytelling skills as well as technical proficiency. It teaches brevity, conciseness, and word count awareness. I am now a stronger, more conscientious writer and editor of my own work as a result of being introduced to this genre. It is also a fun concept to put in any tutor’s tool bag, one that takes up little session time and is flexible enough to relate to a broad spectrum of writing assignments. It’s also a stressrelieving warm-up that may be just the thing to break the writer’s dread towards an essay assignment.
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