Stories of shortness: Introducing the medium of Flash Fiction.
Today’s article explores one of the newest emerging forms of literature: Flash fiction
Wait, what?? You’ve never heard of flash fiction!? This article was written for you… if you want a definition and some interesting facts, then this article is for you!
Wait, what is Flash Fiction?
Flash fiction is a medium of short-written stories, most often stories under 1000 words. Here are Five things you might not have known about the medium known today as Flash Fiction.
1. There already exists an extensive community for Flash Fiction
Flash fiction is not only an obscenely popular art form but has already within a vast established community. As it’s the ease of access, it may be fiendishly difficult for those used to lengthier works. Flash is new, elegant and downright uber!
2. Flash Fiction exists in five separate, unique literary flavours
Flash fiction is so diverse it exists in five ways archetypes. They are:
The eponymously titled Flash fiction(max 1,500 words), Sudden Fiction (Max 750 words), Drabble (or sometimes called Micro-fiction maximum 100 words), and Twitterature are even shorter(280-character story), and the ever so quick six-word story may be the most profoundly challenging to convey.
While Sudden fiction is barely meaty, with 750 words maximum, Drabble is the second most Dfiffuclut form before the Six Word Story (just six words!)
3. We celebrate flash fiction every year with prizes for the best submissions, worldwide.
Flash fiction is so popular has become a worldwide phenomenon and has zines that pay for accepted submissions. Check out the flash fiction magazine for some inspiration. Flash fiction day celebrates micro madness every year. It is a day celebrated across the globe with prizes for those who top the competition!
4. Flash fiction is the most typified example of 21st Century of literature
Flash Fiction may be short but can be fiendishly difficult to write, as it gives little space to write a story.
Flash fiction, like poetry, should be short but sweet. But, as attention spans are growing shorter during the post-modern age, literature has come to embody this lack of attention – with flash fiction.
While a lengthy story fiction is arduous and time-consuming to write, composing a story of 500 words is problematic in another form – the limitation of the maximum word suits the mass commercial audience in the post-modern age.
5. Flash fiction is not a recent phenomenon!
It may surprise you entirely, but what we now call Flash Fiction has existed since ancient times.
The short literary tradition has appeared since Aesop’s fables, and modern examples include Franz Kafka, the idea of flash fiction has been around for much time. Another similar version is Pachantanra in India. However, it wasn’t till 1992 that James Thomas coined “Flash Fiction” and became categorised into a collective Medium of nomenclature
Some Famous flash/ micro fiction writers:
Saadi, Chekov, Kafka, H. P. Lovecraft, Ernest Hemingway, Arthur C Clarke, Philip K Dick. So if you have time, then attempt a short story.
Experimenting with different types of mediums and forms is exciting and is not only creatively cathartic but fun. So write a micro-fiction story and express yourself today!