Woman As Art
A writer can write nearly an infinite number of flash fiction short stories if he or she has a clear understanding of just how the form works.
The form incorporates the classic short story form: a beginning, a middle and an end. I like to use the terms: the setup, the buildup and the resolution.
Because the form is so short you want to keep the setup as short as possible. The longer the setup is the more a writer has a tendency to explain what is going to happen instead of showing what does happen. You want to get the characters interacting as soon as possible. Dialogue is a great device for doing just that.
Five Stories (short story collection) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Keep in mind that the flash fiction story is about a significant event in the life of at least one of the characters, usually the protagonist.
Finally, we come to the resolution. There are three basic kinds of resolution: epiphany, change of direction and the summation.
An epiphany is a realization. A change in direction is just that. The entire story is going in one direction until the resolution sends it in a different direction. And a summation clarifies what the story is really about.
Keep reading and keep writing that flash fiction.
*****
The Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette is an online magazine of creative ideas, serious writing and brazen sexuality.
*****
Read. Study. Write. Submit. Follow.
Related articles
- Thoughts on Writing Flash Fiction (aecurzon.wordpress.com)
- Erotic Flash Fiction And The Female Orgasm As Art (pittsburghflashfictiongazette.com)
Filed under: Writing Flash Fiction Tagged: | brazen sexuality, creative ideas, dialogue, flash fiction for beginners, how to write, life, online magazine, serious writing, submit, Writers
[...] Writers: How To Write Flash Fiction For Beginners Rate this:Like this:LikeBe the first to like this. [...]
[...] Writers: How To Write Flash Fiction For Beginners Rate this:Like this:LikeBe the first to like this. [...]
[...] Writers: How To Write Flash Fiction For Beginners Rate this:Like this:LikeBe the first to like this. [...]
[...] Writers: How To Write Flash Fiction For Beginners Rate this:Like this:LikeOne blogger likes this. [...]
[...] Guy’s complete blog post at http://pittsburghflashfictiongazette.com/2012/07/11/writers-how-to-write-flash-fiction-for-beginners… Share this:Like this:LikeBe the first to like [...]
Love these thoughts about flash story resolution. Hope you don’t mind me sharing a quote with my flash writing class and Flash Memoirs blog readers, and a linkback to your post. Guy, would you be interested in writing a guest post for my blog at flashmemoirs.com? Regardless, glad to find you and see you blogging about flash writing!
Christine, it’s good to hear from you. I would be delighted to do a guess blog. How should we go about it? Do you have any instructions for me? Guy-
Hey, that’s great. Let me give it a little more thought and get back to you via email soon. Thanks!
Okay.