by Christine Morris

Created on: December 29, 2006   Last Updated: August 05, 2009

Flash fiction is an excellent way to get the creative juices flowing, though it can be incredibly difficult to write without the correct pre-planning. Flash fiction is another (flashier) name for the short short or anecdote. At under 2000 words (anywhere under 2000 words) they tend to be very fast to write, but a novel can be fast to write if enough thought it put into it before pen is put to paper.

The object of flash fiction is to write an entire story in a very short space. In the allowed space you have to be very careful about the words you choose because every one must perform double or triple duty. Descriptive words must not only describe, but lend to the atmosphere you want to create. Metaphors must be clean and pointed. Extraneous prepositions must be eliminated.

The joy of flash fiction is that it can be completed so quickly. Writing a short story can take days or weeks. Writing a novel can take weeks or months. (I once read a book by an author who had spend 10 years writing her book. It wasn't worth it.) It can be so frustratingly complex, keeping track of characters and motivations that you will wonder why you ever wanted to do this in the first place. And then you get to page 210 and realize that Sam, the little white girl with the big attitude, somewhere along the line became Sam, the big black guy who grows orchids. There is no room in flash fiction for such things, unless you happen to be writing science fiction or magical realism.

To make this work, you will have to spend time thinking. I find that I do this part best while doing something else. Putting it all on the back burner while I'm working or driving or washing the dishes. Those are the times when I'm relaxed and my mind is wandering allowing me to bump into thoughts like "I wonder what Katherine would do if one of her late husband's friends showed up while Jack and his buddies were working on the garage. I wonder what Jack would do," Once your mind is trained to start working that way, it becomes almost like breathing.

If you want to write, or just want to be more creative, try writing flash fiction. If you set the goal of writing even one a week, you will be giving your brain exercise and sharpening your writing skills. And then, at the end of the year you will have 52 short shorts, though probably more because they're like chips, you can't have just one. While about half to two thirds will be embarrassingly awful, you will see an improvement in your abilities, which will translate, not just into your writing, but into your everyday life

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