HOW FLASH FICTION IS DEFINED

If defining Flash Fiction appears somewhat daunting, writing it is infinitely more difficult. I remember when I first came across the term. It confused me. But after reading various definition of what Flash Fiction is, it suddenly dawned on me that it was something I have been writing for years. And, in fact, practiced by writers that I have admired since my childhood.

Before I go on and try to define it for you, let me give you my own interpretation.

A child stung by a burner on a stove, a young woman seeing her father cry for the first time, a man at a funeral suddenly realizes his own mortality: an epiphany on steroids. A small burst of incredible initiation by the protagonist. A fictionalized image captured with words. It is writing with the lust for the claustrophobic.

Okay, perhaps not user friendly definitions. Yet definitions that reflect how I interpret it from personal experience.

When you come across Flash Fiction online, you will often see the word “Brevity.” A piece of fiction that is extremely small duration and concise. There are numerous sites that go out of their way to define it for you. Here are some a general definitions.

"A good flash fiction story combines the elegance of a great poem with the elements of a good novel."

--Darren Anderson

“ . . .the pace of life in general is faster: fast food, broadband Internet, multiple competing pressures for our attention, movies that are little more that quick-edit action scenes, 24-hour culture. Flash fiction is both a reaction to, and a consequence of this. Flash writing allows us to get in, tell a story, and get out - all in under a page or a screen of text.” –Brevitything.

"The best stories often speak to us obliquely, and speak of the human condition in a profound way--in truths that cannot be seen as clearly in other ways. The best flash fiction lingers in the mind long after the story has been read--the way of all great literary works of art "--Pamelyn Casto

Now I am going to include something that often is either left out or sometimes not discussed when it comes to Flash fiction. Prose Poetry.

"A prose piece whose brevity produces the rhythmic poise and acoustic structuring, the expressive elisions and condensed imagery, normally associated with verse." --Answers.com

If you have ever read Dylan Thomas' Quite Early One Morning you will understand what I mean. Although a very short story, it is so compact and brimming with lyrical imagery, a flavorful after taste is the result.

And perhaps the ubiquitous nature of the Internet, Flash fiction has many names.

Micro-fiction, micro-story, sudden fiction, postcard fiction, short-short fiction, nanofiction. . .and the list may go on depending on the resourcefulness of those on the Internet.

Most ezines or online websites have their own defined limits in length in regard to Flash fiction. Less rigid websites would generally run from 1000 words or less. Others, with more strict interpretations: Flash fiction: 100-1000 words. And a “drabble” or micro-fiction: 100 words or less.

Perhaps because of its very nature(compact and short word length), it makes it such a playground for experimentation. Not limited to straight prose, it can branch out. For instance. A list story:

1. I was trying to climb the glass mountain.

2. The glass mountain stands at the corner of Thirteenth Street and Eighth Avenue.

3. I had attained the lower slope.

4. People were looking up at me.

5. I was new in the neighborhood.

6. Nevertheless I had acquaintances.

7. I had strapped climbing irons to my feet and each hand grasped sturdy plumber's friend.

8. I was 200 feet up. . .

--from Donald Barthelme's "The Glass Mountain”

The “Glass Mountain” is by its very format a surprising and poetic piece. Barthelme's list goes on until it reaches 100. And it is worth every single number.

Flash fiction seems genuinely able to bend back ward for various genres: mainstream, literature, horror, fantasy, dark fantasy, science fiction, slipstream, experimental and you may encounter sites that have a genre that I did not include here. Lovers of the craft, whether they be neophytes with their personal blogs or experienced editor with fully operational ezine sites,  have made inroad for Flash Fiction.

The list of websites that cater to Flash Fiction is too extensive to cover here, but I do recommend a few just to get you're feet wet. Enjoy!

Vestal Review

Flashquake

Smokelong Quarerly

Would love to hear back about other recommendations for Flash fiction sites!

--Eltonto