I’m not one for following too many rules in creative writing and luckily, flash fiction lends itself to breaking rules and experimental writing. If it flows, it probably works.
I’ve therefore called this section ‘key aspects of’ rather than stating rules to follow.
Key aspects:
- ‘Show’ don’t ‘tell’
‘Show don’t tell’ is often an aspect quite rightly repeated endlessly in longer forms of fiction, and is equally important in flash fiction. In its most basic form ‘showing illustrates, telling states’. See the specific resource for more on this.
- Don’t neglect the title
Having suggested you have permission not to follow my list, if there is one aspect of flash fiction to adhere to it is this. Titles are a pet love/hate of mine, vitally important, of greater use than you may think but often neglected. See the specific resource for more on this.
- Punchy end (twist/reveal)
The twist ending is common practice in flash fiction, however the creation of these is a skill in its own right. See the specific resource for more on this.
- Limit the number of named (main) characters
Having and naming main characters is good as it allows the reader to feel a connection to them and obviously identifies them, however, I suggest that in stories of less than 300 words there are no more than two named characters, and a maximum of three with a word count of between 300 and 1,000 words.
Other passing characters (extras in the cast) can be used, but keeping track of too many main characters can easily confuse the reader.
- Avoid cliché
Cliché settings and plots are always a hard read but can still be a good story if very well written, alternatively a cliché story may be a set up for a non-cliché twist. However, in general avoid cliché, which in flash fiction is often related to the following plots: Death or dying, it was all a dream, or the character was actually an animal or an imaginary friend.
- Give the reader some intellectual credit
Creative fiction writers can often be guilty of spoon-feeding the reader, scared that they won’t understand what is being said, this can often be seen in the twist or reveal after an otherwise well-constructed story. This can lead to a flat, anti-climactic story of ‘telling’ and not ‘showing’ or over-explanation giving the reader no scope for their own visualisation. Allowing the reader to make their own connections and realise what is happening also allows for a reduced word count – lending itself to flash fiction. ‘Show don’t tell’ can help with this.
Fusilli Writing 