Welcome to Writers Talkback. If you are a new user, your account will have to be approved manually to prevent spam. Please bear with us in the meantime
Hi everyone
I am a newbie here, and really new to trying to write for publishing. I am trying to get experience and have been working hard to try to improve my skills and feel I am ready to try and write to enter comps or submit for publication.
I am coming across some terminology I'm not familiar with and certain things I am unsure of but hopefully practise and constant reading will get me up to speed!
I am looking for some guidance on flash fiction. This is something I've not really done before (though I know a lot of women's magazines print that kind of thing...I've just never been a reader of women's mags!) and I am wondering is there a formula for flash fiction or a certain way of doing it?
Sorry if it seems stupid, I just don't want to embarrass myself by doing something outwith my comfort zone and messing it up!
Caroline
Comments
I wouldn't associate flash fiction with the Women's magazine market except that one page stories would fit a flash fiction length.
If you're interested in the women's magazine market have a look at the womag blog, run by our own PM. The latest guidelines are there.
http://womagwriter.blogspot.co.uk/
I have no interest in women's magazines I am afraid. I don't read them ever, but as I say I've been reading these things online so I assumed that the one page stories were classed as flash fiction. A lot of flash fiction I have read is about fairly normal things, I'm quite into horror and sci fi and stuff like that. So I know that it definitely wouldn't be of interest to women's magazines anyway!!
Caroline
There are no hard and fast rules for flash fiction - even the length varies, it all depends on the rules of the competition or magazine.
Thanks for the info re the One Word Challenge. i'll certainly give it a go
A fellow TBer introduced me to it and I post weekly on my blog. If you follow the links you can read lots of flash fiction by us all.
This is mine http://lizy-expat-writer.blogspot.com.es/
http://www.danpurdue.uk/2012/12/a-free-flash-fiction-competition.html
There's a free entry competition on the EWG website, closes in August. Theme is 'Summer Loving' you may like to give that a go. It'll be a bit more experience for you and won't cost you anything to try.
http://erewashwriterscompetition.weebly.com/2015-summer-loving-themed-short-story-competition-with-andrew-campbell-kearsey.html
Another good source of flash fiction examples is to have a look through the past winners of the Flash 500 competition (http://www.flash500.com/index_files/allwinnersflash.htm). I like Flash500 as they seem to attract a broad range of styles and themes and - because the judge changes each time - you don't get the same type of story winning all the time.
In fact one of our comps was ' A Three-Line Horror Story'. Challenging!
Should he slice its head off or smash it to pieces?
There was no time to decide; he sliced it off.
The egg stood no chance.