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What is Flash Fiction?


All of you know what fiction is, but do you know anything about flash fiction? To give you some idea of what it is here’s a list of other names you may know it by:

  • postcard fiction
  • minute fiction
  • furious fiction
  • quick fiction
  • fast fiction
  • micro fiction
  • sudden fiction
  • short-short stories

 

The Chinese call them palm-sized, pocket-size, little short story, minute-long or smoke-long stories, indicating, as the name suggests, that it lasts only as long as it takes to smoke a cigarette.

Getting the idea?

Some of you may also think flash fiction is a new phenomenon but you’d be wrong. It has been around since the time of Aesop’s Fables and has been practised by the likes of Franz Kafka, HP Lovecraft and Anton Chekov.

So, by now I assume you’ve guessed that flash fiction is short. But remember, it should also contain all the usual elements of a short story – a protagonist, obstacles, complications or conflict and a resolution. However, lots of what is going on in the story can and should only be implied as the word count will limit what you include. Here’s a very famous example, allegedly penned by Ernest Hemmingway to settle a bar bet.

“For Sale: baby shoes. Never worn”

These six words convey so much. We know the protagonist by imagining the parent who has lost their child, we see the conflict i.e. their pain – even though it is not explicitly expressed. And we also know the resolution i.e. what coping mechanism they are employing to deal with their pain – namely selling items that remind them of the lost child. All the elements of a story are either explicit or implied.

If you'd like to write fiction, send for details about our Fiction Writing Course or our Novel and Short Story Writing Course.

 

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The WRITERS BUREAU

Privacy Policy

10th August 2018

BACKGROUND:

The Writers Bureau understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used and shared online. We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits this website, www.writersbureau.com ("Our Site") and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a manner that is consistent with Our obligations and your rights under the law.

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"We/Us/Our"

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4 - Your Rights

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      AND
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9 - What Happens If Our Business Changes Hands?

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10 - How Can You Control Your Data?

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Name of Cookie

Purpose

Strictly Necessary

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Analytics Cookie

Yes

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Yes

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Yes

__utmc

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Yes

__utma

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Yes

__utmz

Analytics Cookie

Yes

__PHPSESSID

Analytics Cookie

Yes
     
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Name of Cookie

First / Third Party

Provider

Purpose

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Third Party

Google Analytics

Analytics Cookie

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Third Party

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Analytics Cookie
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  • Our Site may place and access certain first party Cookies on your computer or device. First party Cookies are those placed directly by Us and are used only by Us. We use Cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of Our Site and to provide and improve Our products and services. By using Our Site you may also receive certain third party Cookies on your computer or device. Third party Cookies are those placed by websites, services, and/or parties other than Us. Third party Cookies are used on Our Site for advertising services. In addition, Our Site uses analytics services provided by Google Analytics, which also use Cookies. Website analytics refers to a set of tools used to collect and analyse usage statistics, enabling Us to better understand how people use Our Site. For more details, please refer to Our Cookie section in this document

14 - Contacting Us

  • If you have any questions about Our Site or this Privacy Policy, please contact Us by email at studentservices@writersbureau.com, by telephone on 0161 819 9922, or by post at 8-10 Dutton Street, Manchester, M3 1LE. Please ensure that your query is clear, particularly if it is a request for information about the data We hold about you (as under section 12, above).

15 - Changes to Our Privacy Policy

  • We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time (for example, if the law changes). Any changes will be immediately posted on Our Site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of Our Site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.