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How to Write Flash Fiction: The Challenge of a Word Limit
Keeping your story to 300 or 500 words is fun — and a good lesson in editing as well
Why write flash fiction? Because it’s fun — and it’s a great challenge. It’s like a picture book for children, a lot harder than you think. Don’t be fooled by the word length.
You might know it as sudden fiction or fast fiction, but generally, it’s a story of around 300–1000 words, with a common maximum length being 750 or 500. It’s the magazines and ezines that publish flash fiction who usually have these word limits. Even shorter, a micro-story is under 300, often as low as 50.
How do you write flash fiction?
Firstly, keep the word length in mind right from the first draft. It helps a lot to stop yourself from getting carried away by your idea.
Secondly, intention. In a flash fiction story, there’s no time for lengthy characterization or complicated plots. You have to start with the intention of creating something small but complete, and providing just enough for the reader to work out the rest.
Thirdly, subject and style. Many prose poems are often considered to be a form of flash fiction. Flash fiction often uses heightened language and imagery to help tell…
