The answer to the question, where to begin a flash fiction story is as complex as it is simple. It’s complex because there are all kinds of flash fiction writers and all kinds of flash fiction stories. It’s simple because it is what it is.
A flash fiction story must begin as near as possible to the resolution without doing damage to the storyline.
Writing Program Faculty:
Faith Adiele
Fiona Cheong
Cathy Day
Toi Derricotte
Lynn Emanuel
Lee Gutkind
Chuck Kinder
Jeanne Marie Laskas
Ben Lerner
Dawn Lundy Martin
Irina Reyn
Jean Valentine
My father is dead now. When he died he was nearly blind, frail and old and most off his teeth were gone. Now I’m 62, struggling financially to make ends meet even after getting my MFA in writing from the University of Pittsburgh in 2006.
In 1964 when I joined the army I was eighteen and bent on getting away from home even though I had a full grant to attend Point Park Junior College (two year schools where called junior colleges in those days and Point Park was a two year school). See, I wanted to get away from home because my father was a wife beater. By that time he hadn’t hit my mother in years. The beatings were only a memory to me, the memory of a young boy; but I did remember and the memories were vivid. I wanted out.
Now I look back and I still feel the anger and shame of having a father who was a wife beater. My mother is still living. Her grown children live all over the United States and they happily pay for round trip air fare for her to come and visit them and to stay as long as she likes. None of us would ever do that for my father if he was still alive.
I guess you reap what you sow.
GHH
Let’s talk about form. While I was working on my MFA in writing I taught as a Teaching Assistant two terms of Composition and one term of Creative Writing and one term of Fiction Writing at the University of Pittsburgh between 2004 and 2006. For the Fiction Writing class I tried to explain in simple, logical language several elements of the short story that I had found out about through constant experimentation. Now experimentation can be a very slow process. So, here are a few insights about the form of the short story.
As far as I can tell, and I may be wrong, but the basic form of all short stories is: the setup, the buildup and the payoff no matter what length the story is. That’s it. Don’t believe me? Go to any stories of your favorite, successful authors and re-read them; you will find this form. Some writers are more skilled at hiding the form, but it’s there all right and I would guess that this form has not changed for successful story telling since our ancestors painted stories on the wall of caves.
For a piece of flash fiction (around 1,000 words) the setup might be one, two, three, maybe four short paragraphs. The setup will probably give the location of the story, maybe introduce the main character(s)–best to keep the number of characters small like two or three–and plunge the reader into the action.
The buildup will usually be the body of the story and will contain most of the action, conflict and tension.
The payoff will contain the resolution.
That’s all there is to it. Nothing here is meant to be a hard, fast rule; but it will give anyone who wants to write flash fiction a rope to hold on to as he or she enters the swirling waters of the very short story.
It’s around 7:30 am. The Steelers have today off since they played Thursday. I have to do laundry.
I still haven’t figured out what to bring to the party at the employment and training center on Wednesday. Whatever it will be it has to be something I can bring on the bus.
Man, does it look cold outside. The last bus drivers strike here in Pittsburgh was around 1992. I worked downtown at Wendy’s. The weather was warm and I was 16 years younger. I lived in Oakland like I do now and I walked back and forth to work every day; but if the drivers go out December 1st I won’t be walking back and forth to the employment and training center. The center is too far away and it’s too damn cold outside. Which means I won’t be getting a paycheck.
Thank goodness I’m schedule to get my first social security check in December.
GHH
There are 17 short stories on this blog for your reading pleasure. Just go to the sidebar and under Categories click on “Flash Fiction Stories.” Once you read to the bottom of a page of stories just click on the link you find at the bottom to read more stories. You can do this until you’ve read all the stories on the site. The stories are:
Jocks And Ballerinas
Meeting Rachel’s Family
Boobs
Pittsburgh Confidential
The Hemingway Hero
When I Was A Young Man
La Dolce Vita
The Cathedral Of Learning
The End Of Innocence
The Twenty Dollar Suit
In The Shadow Of The Cathedral Of Learning
Life Is Art
Pittsburgh Snow
California Dreamin’
Oakland Nights
Uptown
Schenley Park
I don’t know how other writers create their characters but I get mine from real life. I’ve used my mother, father, brothers and sisters; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law in my fiction. I’ve used my niece. I’ ve used old girlfriends and army buddies. I’ve used strangers I’ve met, classmates and people in crowds that I’ve seen in the city. And most of all I’ve used myself.
Now this doesn’t mean I don’t make things up. I write fiction. What it does mean is that I don’t make everything up.
It’s easier that way.
