Lightning Stories: AKA Flash Fiction!
By Sophie Masson | December 23, 2024 |
It’s that season of the year when things feel both more hectic and slowing down, as everyone scrambles to get everything done before the holidays, and end of year catch-ups and parties proliferate. In this time, it’s not easy to concentrate on starting–or continuing–any long-form writing. What if you still want to exercise that inspirational muscle before the festive torpor hits–or even, heroically, during it ? Then lightning stories, otherwise known as flash fiction, are the way to go, being both energizing and relaxing–and not just at this time of the year either!
Here are some quick tips to help catch the lightning:
Plot:
Only one plot, no sub-plots at all. Keep scenes to a minimum. But they need to lead to a climax and resolution: flash fiction is a proper story, not an impressionistic scene or a prose poem.
Setting:
You don’t have time to build up a detailed setting but your story should still have a sense of place/atmosphere. Imagery is important, used sparingly but strongly.
Character:
No more, and no less, than two characters. Remember, plot at its essence is the interaction of character. But having too many characters will clutter up your lightning story.
Point of view:
First person or third person works equally. Even second person can work, if you do it carefully.
Narrative structure:
Up to you! Mostly linear narrative only or linear with flashback or even flash forward. But take care not to clutter the narrative with them. One brief flashback/flashforward is enough.
Beginning and end
Beginnings should immediately take you into the action/main character (no time for setting up), and endings should have a surprise or twist.
Length
Up to you, but I find up to 500 words works well. And certainly no more than 1000.
Title
Needs to be short and punchy!
I’d love to hear about your own experiences of writing (and reading) lightning stories. What makes a good one—and a not-so-good one?
And to everyone who’s read and commented on my posts over 2024—thank you and many good wishes for a happy, peaceful and relaxing holiday season. See you again in 2025!
Born in Indonesia of French parents, and brought up in France and Australia, Sophie Masson is the award-winning author of over 70 books for children, young adults and adults. Her latest books include Sydney under Attack (children’s historical novel, Scholastic Australia, 2022) A Hundred Words for Butterfly (adult novella, ES-Press, 2022) and Cock-a-doodle-doo (children’s picture book, (illustrated by Kathy Creamer, little Pink Dog Books, 2022). In 2019, Sophie received an AM (Member, General Division) award in the Order of Australia honours list.
Thanks, Sophie. I have taken excerpts from my longer works and created short stories. As a writer, words are precious and I don’t want them to linger, to be unread. Your ideas are helpful. When a writer puts hours into a longer work, she can often lift a scene, use tension and emotion to create a shorter work. Enjoy this holiday season.
Thanks, Beth, glad you found my piece helpful. That’s a great idea, re taking excerpts from longer works and turning them into short stories…there are cameo scenes where you could really do that!
I used to belong to a forum that would post stories up to 1k. I credit that with helping me to carefully choose strong words for maximum impact, a tool that comes in handy when writing category romance.
That sounds like an excellent prompt!
In my time, I’ve written a fair number of Drabbles – 100 word stories. My bent is toward dark ones, but some are just an attempt to make you look.
My favorite is still Girl and Dog and Destiny, based on a photo:
https://liebjabberings.wordpress.com/girl-and-dog-and-destiny/
What a great lightning story, Alicia!
The photo was from a Maryknoll magazine, showing a barefoot little girl in a very poor community holding a pet. It stayed with me. So many stories of all lengths could come from that.
Do you remember the beautiful Afghan girl on the cover of National Geographic with the striking blue/green eyes? Her name was Sharbat Gula. Years later they found her again and took a similar picture – I believe she was a mother by then. It is their most famous cover – and made it dangerous for her to stay; she was granted asylum based on it.
Like the My Lai photo of Phan Thị Kim Phúc running down the road naked after a napalm attack – some things just stick.
I really enjoy flash fiction, both reading and writing. It’s a great way to feel a tangible sense of accomplishment, especially for those of us who are more accustomed to wrestling with novels.
Yes indeed it is!
Sophie, thanks for this great–and pithy!–introduction to writing flash fiction. They are also applicable to writing flash essays, including memoir. I’ll be sharing your column (and linking back to it) in the workshops I’m leading. I know the participants will find it as helpful as I have.
Thanks, Barbara, glad you liked it! And I’m very pleased that you’ll be sharing it with participants at your workshops.