I have discovered a new addiction: flash and micro fiction.
And oh my, I rhymed! :-O
What’s the fuss about, you’ll say?
Let me explain.
Flash fiction is the new fashion in writing. Yeah, long-winded novels and novellas are still out there, still selling, still good. Never said the contrary. And short stories, too, oh yes, three to ten thousand words. Still going strong.
But more and more magazines, both print and ezines, as well as contests, call for flash pieces. Flash simply means stories shorter than one thousand words. That’s actually quite short, fellas! Very short. But in those thousand words (or less) you need to pack a story, with beginning-middle-end, with a character and a personality, with a meaning and a message, with an atmosphere and a voice. With everything a story IS.
Think it’s hard? Unthinkable? Infinitely difficult?
Think again. There’s harder. Ladies and gents, I present to you Micro fiction!
*rubs hands and chuckles evilly and, yes, maniacally, too, so be warned*
Micro fiction is usually a hundred a fifty words or less – yes, you read well! 150, take it or leave it. Again, a story with all a story entails. Think you can do it? There are calls for submissions, and contests, too.
And, so help me SFWA, I gave it a try. It’s highly addictive and amusing and hard as hell. Each word counts, each phrasing can change the count, and in the end you press it, fold it, squeeze it and polish it, and send it off, keeping your cramped fingers crossed.
It’s fun!
By the way, did you hear that there are also fifty word flash contests, even eight (!) word story contests – on Twitter?
My friends, a writer’s life was never so exciting before. Dive into the new era and discover how much you can tell in a few words.
It’s art! And it’s what writing is all about.
yes, I’ve tried flash fiction and microfiction, I enjoyed microfiction mostly, cause if i spend time to write about 800 words on a story, why not make it a bit larger (by 2-3 thousand words) and turn it into printable or even publishable material? I’ve tried it both in english and in greek and I have created numerous ekatolexa about cities. Check them out at my blog http://www.tsiailisworld.blogspot.com
Well, micro fiction is more 100-words actually – with 800 you’re writing Flash. I have stories that are meant to be 100 words, others that are meant to be 60.000. Very different stories. And micro and flash fiction are publishable.
I’d be interested to check out your ekatolexa. 🙂 In fact, I am going to. 😀
Yeah I know about flash and microfiction. Friend of mine writes almost nothing else.
I really never could write it, though. I’m sure I could bend my talent that way, but mentally it just doesn’t appeal. I’ve never even gotten along with short stories that well.
Just want to say what a great blog you got here!
I’ve been around for quite a lot of time, but finally decided to show my appreciation of your work!
Thumbs up, and keep it going!
Cheers
Christian, iwspo.net
No, no, I’m not even thinking about it. Ok, I know It can be done… I read your micro, Chris, and enjoyed it a lot, but it’s insane for me. How can someone write a story that short? 🙁
I could in the past write stories 1500 words long… but it was a torture to me.
No. No, no, not my thing…
Welcome! And hey this is funny, because today I just found out that Alienskin magazine accepted one of my micro fiction stories (“Inter-sphinx bazaar”) to appear in their June/July 2010 issue. :-)))
Grats! Any publication is good publication. Keep it up if you can.
Fun to see others who enjoy writing flash or micro fiction. I’ve been doing it a number of years. Won a Short Mystery Fiction Society Derringer Award for my flash story, “Secondhand Shoe.” I like writing concise, crisp because my penchent is toward writing verrry, long and wordy stuff.
Cheers and all the best on their writing and publishing.
Thanks to everyone for their comments! Since I posted about micro and flash fiction, I’ve had one micro fiction and two flash pieces accepted for publication, so I do think it’s a path worth following for those of us who like it. 🙂 I do love long stories, and novels – these short pieces are a challenge which I enjoy.
Hello Chrystalla!
I just started a flash-fiction/micro-fiction blog (I found out and fell in love with this kind of fiction recently)-I would like to hear what you think about it! I look forward to reading some of your writing 🙂