I’m a bachelor. I do all my own cooking. What I can’t cook on top of the stove I cook in my crock pot. Today, I cooked chili…
Every writer knows that a short story needs conflict. Since the flash fiction story can be very short, I prefer to use the word “tension” instead of conflict. That’s because sometimes a flash fiction story is so short that it can’t handle full-blown conflict but it can easily handle tension.
Tension can be a loving disagreement between a husband and wife. Conflict would not be how to describe what was going on in such a story…
For my chili, I first browned the ground meat and then threw it and some diced red and green peppers, kidney beans and tomato sauce into the crock pot. Three hours later I tasted my chili. It didn’t taste right. It was missing something. Of course, I had forgotten the chili powder. I put a heap of chili powder in my chili and that did the trick…
Don’t you forget to put some tension in your flash fiction…
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How to Write a Short Story with Only One Character
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I agree. Friction or tension is always needed in order to make flash fiction work, even if it’s underlying.
si, yes the tension can be subtle but it has to be there.