So – flash fiction. What is it? I only came across it quite recently. A facebook friend opened an online group for people who like to read and write and kicked it off by asking for flash fiction submissions for a competition. The remit was to write 150 words or less on the title Winning.
Anyone who’s ever written for the press will know how much harder it is to cut than to lengthen pieces. In a recent article, Jeremy Clarkson quoted Clive James as saying that cutting work is throwing your babies away. Clark goes on to describe how he once cut a whole section of a programme – analogous to a whole limb cut cleanly off - rather than trimming bits off the whole programme – equivalent to cutting into the bone and hacking bits away from the whole body.
From my very limited attempts at flash fiction (ie the last 20 minutes only), there’s much less invested as your piece will only start off at a couple of hundred words.
Sorry, have removed my piece because competition entry rules declare it shouldn’t be published anywhere, even on your own website or blog.
“Flash fiction” — speed dating for those of us of the prose persuasion, I guess. I did a number of 150-word CD reviews in the latter stage of my rockcritical career, and as they often required compression worthy of postmodern fiction (no problem when I was reviewing Bjork), I should give the real thing a try sometime.
When I started reading your effort, I thought, “This won’t be Classic Leyla unless it uses a form of ‘shortlist’ somewhere,” and then it did! Enjoyed seeing your ongoing interest in literary awards fictionalized, as well as the slipping-hairpiece punchline. May you be *shortlisted* in the group’s competition . . .
I’m smiling at your comment, Richard. I guess I spend so much time writing about books that have been shortlisted for this or that prize that it even creeps in when I try and write fiction…
I like the idea of 150 word reviews – no bothering about background and past output, just getting straight to the point. I’m sure it’s the wordiness that puts a lot of readers off from reading long reviews (like my long-winded book reviews.). You should have a go at flash fiction, it’s strangely addictive. As I said to a friend on facebook today, it’s getting to the meat of the matter without bothering about the floury buns and relish. (Mind you, as a semi-veggie the floury buns and relish are the only bits of a burger I’d eat…)
2 Responses to Flash Fiction
“Flash fiction” — speed dating for those of us of the prose persuasion, I guess. I did a number of 150-word CD reviews in the latter stage of my rockcritical career, and as they often required compression worthy of postmodern fiction (no problem when I was reviewing Bjork), I should give the real thing a try sometime.
When I started reading your effort, I thought, “This won’t be Classic Leyla unless it uses a form of ‘shortlist’ somewhere,” and then it did! Enjoyed seeing your ongoing interest in literary awards fictionalized, as well as the slipping-hairpiece punchline. May you be *shortlisted* in the group’s competition . . .
I’m smiling at your comment, Richard. I guess I spend so much time writing about books that have been shortlisted for this or that prize that it even creeps in when I try and write fiction…
I like the idea of 150 word reviews – no bothering about background and past output, just getting straight to the point. I’m sure it’s the wordiness that puts a lot of readers off from reading long reviews (like my long-winded book reviews.). You should have a go at flash fiction, it’s strangely addictive. As I said to a friend on facebook today, it’s getting to the meat of the matter without bothering about the floury buns and relish. (Mind you, as a semi-veggie the floury buns and relish are the only bits of a burger I’d eat…)