WRITING

What is Flash Fiction?

by Andy Catling

Flash fiction is an amazing genre of fiction that allows authors to experiment with their writing and test their skills with the written word. A flash fiction is a story written in 500 words or less. It can be a challenging genre but also a very rewarding one. Flash fiction can be truly beautiful stores, they can be poignant, they can be resonant, they can be poetic, they can convey deep truths, or they can simply make the reader smile (and in this day and age, what’s better than making someone smile?)

Here are a few examples of Flash Fiction stories…

‘Give it up’ by Franz Kafka

‘Sticks’ by George Sanders

‘Housewife’ by Amy Hempell

And finally, who can forget Ernest Hemingway’s (alleged) legendary six-word story…

For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never Worn.

Feeling inspired? Why not challenge yourself and write your own flash fiction. And if you do decide to give it a go, we would love to showcase it here at Flashes of Fiction.

Thank you for reading!