Flash Fiction Advice

The term 'Flash Fiction' arrived in the 1990's, and the style is still evolving. Our 2015 Non-Members' Flash Fiction Competition has a limit of 300 words. Other competitions and magazines vary either side of that, so checking the word limit is important. Flash fiction runs across all genres, so take your pick.

 As with short stories, you still need to have the usual fiction components:

• protagonist
• conflict
• obstacles
• climax and resolution

although you may need to imply some elements. It will also limit the number of characters you include - to keep them all strong & believable.

'Show, not tell' becomes even more important with this style, and every word has to work hard - don't be afraid to use a thesaurus here and there.

Try for an attention-grabbing opening and a thought-provoking ending.

Make sure you allow plenty of time to devise  your title - it won't be part of the word count and has to work for its living.

Be ruthless -  you might love your chubby baby, but if its over the word limit CUT.

Read flash fiction - there are loads out there on the internet and it's not going to take you long so taste and see what works for you.