February 11

Flash Fiction 88

Read our first Flash Fiction contribution.

lightning 88

By Anonymous

‘You disgust me’, I thought angrily. What can I do about it anyway?

I stare hard at the face in front me.  Concertinaed forehead, mouth twisted into a grimace with corners turned down, the eyes, ocean blue and pleading, are demanding something of me.

To my horror I see fat, hot tears gathering in the corners of those pleading eyes.

‘Stop it!’ I scream. ‘Don’t think a few tears will get you anywhere.’

I look again into those pleading eyes, revulsion growing.

OMG!

It can’t be!

It’s me.

 

 

February 5

Flash Fiction 88

Want some tips on writing flash fiction? For 13 pieces of good advice click HERE.lightning 88

This is tip 1:

1. Take out all unnecessary words. Practice on Twitter. I kid you not, and I speak from experience. Nothing shows you how to whittle down a sentence to the key elements better than Twitter. Pretend you only get one single solitary tweet to get the idea across. Can you do it?

Let’s practice and redo this sentence:

Pretend you only get one single solitary tweet to get the idea across convey your idea.

Pretend you only get one tweet to convey your idea.

Look, I just saved 3 words by editing that sentence. That’s GOLD in flash. It adds up, people!

December 16

Flash Fiction 88

lightning 88Write your own Flash Fiction 88 and win a book.

Write a story in 88 words.

Email your entry to: carrington.janie.w@edumail.vic.gov.au, make a post, or give a hard copy to Library staff.

Visit Pasco Library for more information.

Read some Flash Fiction HERE.

Go to the end of this article from The Guardian for 6 tips on How to Write Flash Fiction.

For even Flasher Flash Fiction check out these two sentence winners and read the judges comments about why he liked them.

Or take some advice from: Stace Budzko, writer and Instructor of “10 Weeks/10 Stories” at Grub Street:

Start at the flashpoint – By definition Flash begins at the moment of conflict, when all the action is nearly complete. Think: the final gesture of a love affair, or the start of a good old-fashioned gang fight. All of this is to say we need to avoid preambles or introductions (unless working on a specific conceit).

Focus on the powerful image(s) – Find one or more powerful images to focus your story on. A wartorn street. An alien sunset. A Going Out of Business sign. They say a picture worth a thousand words. Paint a picture with words. It doesn’t hurt to have something happen inside that picture. It is a story after all.

Hit them where it hurts – Go for an ending that offers an emotional impact. As flash writers, we are in the punch-in-the-gut business. Play against expectations with a sense of narrative mystery or devastating twist, a poignant implication or declarative last sentence that leaves the reader breathless, and going back for more.