Flash Fiction: Making a Long Story Short

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn." A story told in half a dozen words.

It's unclear who wrote it, some say Hemingway, others believe it came from a 1910 ad in the Spokane Press. But no matter who actually penned this enigmatic little story, it stands as the most well-known example of flash fiction.

 Authors as far back as French writer Charles Baudelaire (1821-1869) wrote flash fiction as "slice of life" stories. Mark Twain wrote tales short enough to fit the category, as well as Langston Hughes, Jamaica Kincaid, John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, and Margaret Atwood, among other well-known authors.

In the past few years, flash fiction has become an increasingly popular form for online sites and anthologies, Although much of the flash fiction published online is in the sci-fi, fantasy, or horror genres, romance and humor publications also offer writers the opportunity to submit their work.

Flash fiction -- also known as sudden fiction, immediate fiction, micro fiction, postcard or nano fiction -- can range from fewer than 100 words up to 1500 words to tell a small story while hinting at a larger one. A concise vignette with the same structure as longer stories, flash fiction demands a solid plot and careful structure to deliver a complete story. There must be tension and conflict implied in as few words as possible. Beyond well-rounded characters, settings, and themes, this kind of abbreviated writing also needs strong tone and mood to carry it. 

In writing these short-short stories, the focus should be on the compression of language without sacrificing the elements of its form. There is a very tight space in which to develop movement, and intellectual and emotional impact. Scenes must be handled efficiently, and limited to only those necessary to the story. As in any writing, but especially in flash fiction, strong nouns and verbs should take the place of adjectives and adverbs.

Spotlight only one main conflict or the story will wander off in too many directions to keep the writing tight. Avoid backstory. That's part of the challenge in writing flash fiction. We writers tend to want the reader to know everything, the what, when, why, where, and how. But there is no room in a very short story for more than just a few solid (and telling) words of explanation or description, whether of character or setting. Word, phrase, or sentence -- if it does nothing to move the story forward, cut, cut, cut.

Your readers want something to happen within the first paragraphs, so start the story with action as your hook. (But even before that, choose a title that draws the reader in.) Flash fiction often ends in a twist, so end the piece with a surprise, if possible.

Although flash fiction is thought of in some circles as "the underdog" of writing, busy readers appreciate the opportunity to read a good story in a short amount of time. Experiment with the form. Challenge yourself to craft one of these mini-stories. It's great practice, and a perfect cure for that place called "writer's block" where your longer story or novel is refusing to move beyond that crappy scene you wrote last week.

Before submitting your flash fiction to online sites, do the research. Some of these markets are not well-presented. But there are many legitimate publications anxious to publish good quality stories. Some pay well, some pay a nominal amount, but no matter whether these popular sites pay or not, it's always great to see your name attached to a successful piece of writing.   

Here's a short list of popular online publications accepting flash fiction. Read the kind of stories they publish and check out their submission guidelines.
Flash Fiction Online
Word Riot
Brevity
Smokelong Quarterly
Nano Fiction

In addition to the above, you can find many more flash fiction publications at WritersMarket.com, and duotrope.com.

"Making people believe the unbelievable is no trick; it's work . . . " Stephen King

The Query and The Synopsis, Those Devilish Details

After five years of agony and obsession, I have finally said finis to my first novel, "Bloody Hollow Summer" and sent it out into the world to be loved or hated.

The process of submitting a manuscript to an agent, requires a great deal of attention to detail. You might think you know what you're doing, but until you do the research, you're probably going to miss an important point or two. Prepare to spend hours searching agents' websites for submission requirements.

Literary agencies can be a one-man or -woman operation, or large multi-agent businesses. The top five "brand name" agencies should probably not be your first move. Not that they are not open to new writers, their client lists are just so long that only something spectacular will catch their attention. There are many smaller agencies more open to considering the work of new writers to fill their client lists. The smaller agencies, however, have the same basic submission requirements as Doubleday or Random House, those gods of the publishing industry.

First, they want finished work. Don't query an agent if you're still writing or editing the manuscript unless your last name is Atwood, Patterson, King, or Koontz,  Some agents do consider book proposals, but only if you are already well- and widely-published. They prefer to know that you can actually write a whole book without getting bored or sidetracked by your massive collection of video games. Or if you're addicted to Facebook and Pinterest.

Second, be very sure of your genre before you submit. It's a good idea to take a look at the writers your chosen agent already represents. Mysteries? Historical? Young adult? An agent whose website says she accepts romance, science fiction, and fantasy is not going to read your crime drama. She's going to mutter "Are you serious?" as she deletes your query from her screen or dumps your hard work into the round basket on the floor beside her desk.  Which leads to another important tip: Do not send an email query if the agent's site specifies snail mail submissions. Although this is rare, there are agents who accept either. And don't annoy a busy agent who doesn't want email queries because you think the quicker you get it out there, the quicker you'll become a published author, and your friends and family will accept that you were serious about writing a novel. And bake you a cake, maybe.

Agents don't have any illusions that you're sending your query to them exclusively. They expect you to spread the good news to multiple agencies that you've written the greatest book ever written. (Seriously, don't ever say that in your query, not only will you look unprofessional, but stupid, too.) Don't send your query to more than one agent per agency. It's tacky and might get complicated if two agents at the same agency decide that your book will be profitable enough for them to buy that hot tub they've been wanting.   

Now. Format. Every agency has particular requirements for receiving queries. They all want a clean, professional query letter with just the pertinent details about you and your work. Briefly explain the material you want to submit, a general, but short, description of your manuscript. Don't fill your query with the names of family members who love your book, or friends who tell you that you're another Joyce Carol Oates or Lisa Gardner. However, if you're a member of Romance Writers of America, or other prestigious writing organizations and groups that clearly reflect what you write, very briefly mention it. Example, if you're an attorney writing crime dramas, or an investigator with a journalistic background who now writes fictional legal thrillers, you could probably blow that horn as background info. Anything that backs you up as a writer, such as a musician writing a fictionalized tale about your world tour would show that you know the journey and the characters firsthand.

The second most important piece of writing for an agent submission is the synopsis. Writing a synopsis is harder than writing the novel. You're condensing a 100,000 word story into a one-page description. And I assure you that at least once while writing this one-page explanation, you will angrily shove your chair back from your desk, stand up and yell, "I give up. Can't be done, by God. I'm going back to selling insurance." Later you'll sit back down and try again two or three times, maybe four. And eventually you'll get it done. Because you're a writer.
      
Some agents will request sample chapters either with initial contact, or after reading your query and synopsis. Make sure they're formatted properly, just as you would for submission of the entire novel.

There are many informative websites that can help you write your query and synopsis. Here are three that I found particularly comprehensive and helpful.

writersdigest.com
"38 Query Letter Tips from Literary Agents"

reedsy.com
"How to Write a Killer Query in 7 Easy Steps"

query-letter.com
"How to Write a Query Letter/Query Letter vs Synopsis"

So do your research and carefully study these last steps in writing your story, then get busy on that query and synopsis. They're not going to write themselves.

Book Review: The Snow Child

I took the book off the library shelf and read the blurb at least a dozen times this past year. I thought, Oh, I don't know, maybe next time. Didn't think it was for me and my reading peculiarities.

This time I brought it home along with the usual four or five books I think I might read in the next two weeks. Third book in I decided it was time to give it a go.

Didn't stop reading until 1:30 a.m. And then, reluctantly.  

I found magic in Eowyn Ivey's The Snow Child. From page 1 to page 388, I reveled in this author's enchanting, emotional story, told in language that sent my writer's heart soaring across the harsh landscape of the Alaskan wilderness. I swear I smelled spruce, and melted snowflakes on my tongue. The imagery is that well done, and so are the characters. I sat with Mabel all night as she sewed her snow child a new coat. I trekked with Jack through the snow in the forest to hunt moose to keep him and Mabel alive through the winter. I climbed the mountain to help him bury a stranger. I made snow angels with Faina. 

The Snow Child is a fairytale and folk legend blended with the realities of homesteading in the Alaskan wilderness in the 1920s. Ivey's prose is perfect, her imagination is boundless, and the heart of the novel is so very true to the hearts of all of us who wish for something with such ferocious longing that we make it real.       

Robert Goolrick, author of  A Reliable Wife, said of Eowyn Ivey's novel "If Willa Cather and Gabriel Garcia Marquez had collaborated on  book, The Snow Child would be it."

Ivey was raised in Alaska, and was a reporter for the Frontiersman newspaper. The Snow Child, her debut novel earned her a spot as a finalist for a Pulitzer in 2013. Her second novel, To the Bright Edge of the World, is also set in Alaska in 1885. She is an independent bookseller in addition to being a writer. An excellent writer.

And you all who know me, know I cried at the end. For the beauty of the story, and for my envy of the author.

Writing Between the Lines

Subtext in fiction implies that something important is not being said. The technique can take many forms, including symbolic dialogue and a character's actions while speaking. Subtext can also work with silence or digression when a character, for one reason or another, can't say what he thinks, or sidetracks from the subject.

When ideas are only suggested instead of directly voiced, the undercurrents can often hit harder than dialogue. Make use of subtle tension with voice inflection and facial expression that give deeper meaning to dialogue.

Silence is useful in presenting pertinent subtext. What is not being said is often more powerful than words spoken out loud.

In a scene from my own work, two key characters, both teenagers, have a conversation about one character's alcoholic grandparents and the many ways in which they are dysfunctional. Ironically, the character who complains about his grandparents' constant drunkenness is drinking a beer. Lately, it's become the norm for him to have a beer in his hand. His environment is such that it's perfectly normal for him to drink. When he does acknowledge his drinking, he justifies it by telling himself that every teenage kid does a little drinking now and then.

But his friend's awkward silence is far more telling than if he had said, "Hey, by the way, lately you're drinking like a sailor on shore leave, and I think you've got a problem." Because they are best friends, the character with the beer knows exactly what his friend is thinking. He knows, because the whispers of his subconscious are growing louder every day.

In subtext digression, a character who fears he will be rude or hurtful, (or get hurt, himself) often sidesteps the obvious by changing the subject. Like when someone asks "Is this a good color for me?" and you tell them their hair looks fantastic instead of saying "You look like a pumpkin in that particular shade of orange."

Dialogue is not the only way to suggest subtext. Subtext in description is a good way to give your writing tone. It's the old "dark and stormy night" without writing "dark and stormy night." Subtext in setting or description is a little more complicated than silence or digression in dialogue, and it's difficult not to fall into cliche when using subtext in setting or mood. (Please don't ever use "dark and stormy night." Please.)

Good mystery and crime writers often use subtext to point to a key piece of information that eventually answers the what, why, how, and especially, the who, questions.

Subtext is a secondary message to the reader that reflects on both character and circumstance. Weather, color, texture, facial expression, even architecture can enhance what your character thinks of himself and of others.

While one person might see a common chicken shape in the water stain on the ceiling, another character might see an elegant swan, Not only have you shown a character's state of mind, you've identified something about why she's in that state of mind. A water stain on the ceiling could indicate a "leak" in her life, and might also say something about the circumstances in which she lives.

Or maybe that chicken/swan stain on the ceiling is just one indicator in a list of things that point to a character's emotional state or circumstances. Maybe there are overflowing ashtrays, dirty dishes, beer bottles under the couch, a screen door hanging precariously on its hinges. These things can be perfect examples of subtext.

Or maybe it's just the opposite. The house is scrupulously clean, organized, and your character, who is OCD, is about to lose her mind over that one imperfection in an otherwise perfect home.

Subtext is the colorful vehicle that drives the reader from the start of the story to its promised destination at the end of the Ah Ha rainbow.

Set Your Sites

There are two kinds of writers: Those who are beginning and those who are continuing. As in just about everything else, Internet sites offer a place for every kind of scribe, those who are just starting to dip into that great sea of writing, and those who are already fully immersed.

Every writer has those times of sitting patiently (or impatiently) waiting for those creative ideas and the words to express them to drop out of the sky and onto the page. But when staring at that immense expanse of white for six hours doesn't help you be any more literate than a four-year-old with a limited vocabulary, there's always the Internet to inspire you. And I don't mean social media.

One day I decided to stop just sitting around staring into the abyss and waiting for my brain to produce actual words worth putting on paper (or screen) and went looking for somebody to smack me upside the head with advice on how to continue being a writer. Besides finding like-minded people, I found a treasure of helpful sites for those of us who dare to call ourselves writers.

Following are 10 sites that are worth the time to explore when you need advice, encouragement, and how and where to submit your work.

1. Writer's Digest. If you don't know WD, then you're not a writer. Or you're a very new one. Writer's Digest has been around since 1920. The print magazine routinely publishes author interviews, markets, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles on every aspect of the writing life. Their website carries the same information, offering writing prompts, workshops, and lists of literary agents and publishers, among other services. Both the print magazine and the website are well worth a subscription.

2. Writers Write. This site offers well-written articles on everything from beginning a writing project to how to get through writer's block to dealing with publishers and rejection. Writers Write is a pretty comprehensive guide to finding articles on things like preparing your work for submission, and lists of current writing competitions.

3. Fiction Factor. A great site to find the basics, such as structure, punctuation, editing, critique methods, marketing advice and contests. They also do book  reviews.

4. Advanced Fiction Writing. Among other articles, this site bases its articles on using the "snowflake" method for structuring a novel.

5. Fiction University. This is one of my favorites. Writer Janice Hardy maintains this site, and presents articles on every form of writing. There are some very good guest blogs in addition to Janice's own, on planning your writing project, problems, editing, selling your work, and many other subjects. One of the best sites.

6. Funds for Writers. This site offers excellent guest blogs, contests, markets, and how to apply for grants. I found that the market listings are up to date and very comprehensive.

 7. Now Novel. Another excellent site with a very long list of how-to articles about writing, current market lists, and great tutorials. This is an excellent site for learning how to begin a novel and how to finish it.

8. WOW (Women on Writing). The site provides lists of contests, articles about women who are focused on their writing careers. Freelancers are welcome to submit articles, and the site has been known to occasionally pay reasonably well for blogs on the subject of writing in whatever form.

9. Writing.com. You can buy a subscription to this site, or scroll to the bottom of their homepage to get writing prompts. They also offer the opportunity for you to submit a writing blog for possible publication on the site.

10. Scribendi. This is a very professional site that maintains a long detailed list of market categories and articles for writers of every genre, including non-fiction.

These sites are just a few examples of help for writers, both professional and novice, who have those inspiration-less days when our writer-ly brains turn to mush and words fail.      

Literary vs Mainstream

For the most part, both short stories and novels fall into two categories: literary and mainstream. Agents and editors differentiate between them in several ways, but the two forms often overlap.

 Mainstream fiction is categorized as entertainment. A mainstream work of fiction usually incorporates overt conflict, whether between characters or humanity at large. The reader is told what is happening in a physical, clearly-defined world. Action drives the story forward. Tension is more apparent and less nuanced in "popular" fiction, making the work more accessible to a wider range of readers. Plot takes precedence in mainstream -- also called commercial -- fiction. In this type of fiction, the protagonist does the work.

Commercial genres include romance, mystery, and thriller, sci-fi and fantasy, and even some forms of humor in fiction.

Literary genres are more difficult to define.

 Literary works can be a manifesto of sorts, where the ideal is more complex than the plot. In literary fiction, the reader does the work. This type of fiction is directed to impact society in thought-provoking, and often controversial, ways by taking on social and cultural issues. Readers are led to question preconceived notions. Writing style for this kind of story doesn't rely on convention, but can be experimental, transcending structural elements, with subtext often used to reinforce the theme. The language is broad, elegant, and imaginative, putting the art of prose foremost. The pace is slower in literary fiction than in commercial fiction.

It used to be said that mainstream fiction was "light reading" and literary works were "serious fiction." But today, the genres often overlap into a category called "upmarket," a cross between literary and commercial fiction. The work is still literary but will also appeal to commercial readership. The story is written with a high command of language, but without being pretentious or "stuffy," which makes this type of fiction easier to market than it once was.

In the past, literary fiction was easy to identify, Most of these stories were classic English assignments: Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies, Moby Dick, To Kill a Mockingbird, among others that most of us have read. (Whether we wanted to or not. And hurray for Cliff Notes.)   

Today's A-list literary fiction authors include writers like Alice Sebold, Jodie Picoult, Annie Proulx, Toni Morrison, Sara Gruen, and Joyce Carol Oates. 

As writers, we should read in the categories we most want to break into with our own work. Remember that a well-read writer will soon turn into a well-read writer. (Think about that and it will make sense.) Actually, that's all we writers want, we want readers to read our work. 

And money. We want money. 

Developing Your Writing Style

Loosely, the definition of writing style is: The ability to write in a unique manner, clearly, effectively, and with a readable rhythm that makes the work sound right to the ear.

We all have our favorite writers when it comes to style. Jodie Picoult, Amy Tan, Toni Morrison, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Lisa Gardner, Wally Lamb. So many excellent writers, and not one of them writes like another, they've honed their writing skills over many years to develop their unique style. As writers, we usually read those whose work reflects the kind of writing we want to do. We take note of how our favorite authors achieve their colorful figures of speech, their flavor, their rhythm, without considering how many words these people have written in order to find their voice.

Style is a matter of choice. There are writers who are terse, blunt, or brisk. There are those whose words flow like untroubled waters. It's our own preferences -- and I would think, our personalities -- that for the most part dictates our writing style.

Technically, writing style involves both addition and subtraction. It involves subtracting words and phrases that clutter or muddy the meaning. When editing, cut all those fusty, pompous, or complex passages. Replace them with simple, clear, lively and engaging words and phrases. Or, if the passages are unnecessary, don't even bother to replace them. Cut out everything that isn't story.

Style also involves adding the perfect combination of words, when necessary, to express something in a way that moves the reader either emotionally, or in an Ah Ha, I get it now! way.

A pleasing style is one of continuing originality, using fresh, arresting word visions, with little twists of surprise in the manner of syntax. Avoid rare, difficult words, trite sentences, and cliches that are stale from overuse. There are times, however, when a cliche works, when the writer is sharp enough to use a cliche in a "tongue in cheek" (sorry) manner simply to point out that it is a cliche, especially when uttered by a cliche character.

In a previous post "Enhancing Your Fiction with Figurative Language", I offered a list of figures of speech that add flavor to writing. These devices, such as alliteration, assonance, consonance, personification, and many more -- are all language forms that can create a trademark writing style, adding flow, harmony, and grace.

Short sentences make more impact. Longer sentences smooth things out, and offer a lull in action so that the reader can relax and look around the fascinating world you've created for them.

Twist it. Turn it upside down. Let it go. Pull it back. Invent new words, play with old words. Punctuate it your way.

That's style.

Your style.