What Actually is Flash Fiction? Tips for Writing a Moment in Time
The definition of flash fiction is as elusive as the genre itself. Technically-speaking, it is a piece of fictitious literature that varies in short lengths, some swimming around a thousand words, others diving below three hundred. It sits between the realms of short stories and prose poetry, poised and precarious as an egg on the edge of a swaying branch. But it holds its own as a poignant storytelling vehicle, specializing in moments.
Unlike poetry, flash fiction (hereafter also lovingly referred to as “flash”) is constructed of prose with words rooted more in the literal than say a prose poem. It doesn’t mean poetic flash fiction pieces don’t exist, and, if you choose, should not stop you from exploring that experimental realm of the in-between. However, for the sake of differentiation, we’ll say it focuses more on the literal and tangible, rather than the metaphorical. Just as most other fictive prose does.
While longer works of fiction like novels and even short stories can span across time and follow a laundry list of characters, flash isn’t afforded that kind of print space. Flash embraces the glory of a moment, whatever that may look like. It could be a split second when two characters share a glance hopping on and off the metro, or a fleeting memory such as watching the sunset, surrounded by other blushing onlookers. However this “moment” looks to you, it must retain a sense of immediacy— if we blink, we might miss it entirely! Let’s dig into some tips and tricks for creating a solid moment for your flash piece.
The Senses
As I mentioned previously, flash focuses on the glory of a moment in time, so the sharper that moment is, the juicier the experience of reading it. Creating an encompassing kinetic experience can very well work in your favor when developing that atmosphere, and it all comes down to the senses. Specifically, sound, smell, taste, and touch. The first and last are probably the most intuitive, but don’t let the others slip below the surface. They are powerful when wielded well, and can add a uniqueness to your moment that sets it apart from other flash pieces about similar instances.
It’s All in the Details
Flash revels in the use of specificity. Anything that can be used to ground your moment, use it! That’s the beauty of the genre— since it only allows for an instant in time, that instant can be elaborated, pulled out, and molded as much as the author pleases. Take an empty writing desk. On its own, it’s quite boring and unassuming, but if you zoom in—the chipped edges, the scratches, the indentations of overlapping words from letters written long ago—you have a much more interesting story. But be warned, overwhelming an image with description can end up unbalancing the piece or lessening the image’s impact. Be detailed, but choose those details with the selectivity of a sommelier. This is what draws another line between flash and poetry: everything from the briefest mention to the most unassuming word can mean something much bigger. It’s not just about the tip of the iceberg, but also what lies underneath.
Keep the Pace a-Flowing
You only have a thousand or so words, perhaps translating to a handful of minutes of your reader’s time. The trick here is to find a balance between dense and shallow— a sort of lushness of text that makes the moment you’re writing about come together as a whole without feeling like a slog. This can be managed, as mentioned above, by choosing your details wisely, not lingering on one for too long before moving to the next. Let’s look at the writing desk again, and say we’re zooming in on some of those overlapping words. Remember, this faux piece is about the writing desk as a character/subject, not the words on it. Those are a part of the desk’s identity, which help create a fuller image of the desk’s story. But the words are not the desk and vice versa. Leave space for the chips and the scratches as well. And don’t forget to lift the lid and look inside!
Overdecorating the Cake
At the beginning of this post I mentioned how flash fiction tends to focus on one subject or character, and this is for a very good reason. Say you’re writing about a holiday dinner with family. You run through each member you interact with, trying to add detail and characterization to each and—boom! You’re in short story territory. Like details, subjects need to be chosen carefully. Ask yourself: which characters are essential to this story? What is this story about, and whose story is it? Perhaps this holiday piece is told through the eyes of the house cat, watching a mouse weaving around the guests’ feet, planning its attack. The story focuses on and is about the cat and mouse, not Jim, Mary, Barry, or Sue. Who are they? Doesn’t matter.
Flash fiction is a genre of precision and intention. But, as with any piece of writing, don’t let the so-called rules make you nervous. This is an outline, not a script, and should be treated as a helpful list of tools rather than an absolute decree. In the end, it’s your story—your moment—and who knows it better than you, the writer.
