We will make this quick—flash fiction is fiction on a much shorter scale.1 Defined word counts vary but common word limits in Flash range from 6 words to 1,500 words (usually under 1,000 and those with super low word counts are often known as “microfiction”). What sets it apart from a vignette or a prose poem is that a Flash Fiction piece is still a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end. They have things like unexpected lines and twist endings. They make the reader work a little bit more because, in such a short form, not all the questions can be answered. But that’s what we love about fiction, right? The NOT KNOWING.
Here are some flash fiction best practices to get you started:
• Work with one or two characters
• Keep your images and imagery strong and distinct.
• Surprise the reader (or scare the shit out of them)
• Focus on a particular moment in time. You don’t have much space for backstory!
• Make the title part of the story. Hey, it’s a few extra words you are allowed!
• Trust the reader (but Kailey, what about my trust issues?!) While you might be inclined to word build or add unnecessary description, flash fiction is a time for creative restraint. Trust that the reader will understand what’s going on and lean into the mystery of what they don’t know.
If you love Flash and want to learn more, Kathy Fish writes a Substacked called, ‘The Art of Flash,’ and there is no better place to start.
This week, we are featuring magazines that not only publish flash fiction but who also have speedy response times. We know how impatient you all are.
Speaking of impatience, I’m realizing now that I should have included last week’s ham and cheese as this week's super fast-to-make-recipe. Bacon is quick but not that quick.
And since we all know how to make a Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich, (and I don’t want to insult your intelligence lol) I’d love for you to comment below with what else you would add to this simple recipe. Think: sauces.
Really wow me here, let’s go crazy.
The Sub Club Weekly Specials!
SmokeLong Quarterly
"We are dedicated to bringing the best flash narratives to the web quarterly, whether written by widely published authors or those new to the craft."
Fast Facts: Pays writers $100 per piece, accept simultaneous submissions, features published writers in a special interview, free subs, and responses within 8 days.
Genres: Fiction (1000 words), Nonfiction (1000 words), Hybrid
Special Sauce: Over the past 20 years, the editors of SmokeLong Quarterly have read hundreds of thousands of submissions. Our submissions editors are all talented writers who understand what makes a narrative flash. When we open a submission, we're hoping to find an urgent story--fiction, nonfiction, or anything in between--that feels tight and complete, that wows us at the line level again and again, and that reveals something compelling about life. This could be comedy that cuts us into a million little pieces or tragedy that ruins our day for all the right reasons--or both. We want to be able to say Damn, we have to share this with the world. The world needs this. - Christopher Allen, EIC
Catch the feels! Read:
Bead Lizards by Emily O. Gravett
The First Music I Ever Heard Was the Music of My Mother’s Voice by Caroline Wampole
Portrait of an Ape by Jiaqi Kang
By the Numbers: With an acceptance rate of 0.5% with over 222 tracked submissions, it’s safe to say that it’s hard as fuck to get into SmokeLong Quarterly. But if you do, congratulations! It’s one of the toppest-tiers for Flash. We’ve actually had a lot of interactions with Christopher Allen between interviews and rejections and he is a consistently excellent human. SmokeLong also has a ton of workshops for Flash which I’ve taken and they are super helpful. The magazine has been around since 2003, it has a ton of credibility and they’ve managed to fund operations through education which means NO FEE with payment. And, super-fast response times. Consistently. For twenty years. One-week response times. There is a reason this place is a top-tier flash publisher. They make it clear in their guidelines that if your submission is taking two weeks or longer, that is an excellent sign, and not an indication they’ve forgotten about you. Now, enjoy a series of Ben’s rejection letters from the always-polite Christopher Allen going back all the way to 2014.
2014: …though we are not accepting it for publication, we hope you find a better fit for it elsewhere.
2019: Though we are not accepting it for publication, we hope you find a better fit for it elsewhere.
2020: Though we are not accepting it for publication, we hope you find a better fit for it elsewhere.
2021: Though we are not accepting it for publication, we hope you find a better fit for it elsewhere.
2022: Though we are not accepting it for publication, we hope you find a better fit for it elsewhere.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.