Flash Fiction

Source: Debbie Ohi

Flash Fiction: ‘Exact definitions can vary by specific market, but generally, complete stories of fewer than 1,500, 1,000, 500 or even 300 words can be classified as flash fiction. Other terms play companionably in the same sandbox, including short-short stories, immediate fiction, sudden fiction and microfiction, though their definitions overlap and publishers’ uses of them often vary just as widely as the word limits do. In a nutshell: Many publishers and writers use short-shorts, immediate fiction and sudden fiction interchangeably to reference works of 500–750 words, while microfiction often refers to stories of fewer than 400 words. Flash stories can fall under any genre; publishers in the sci-fi, fantasy, horror and even literary realms notably have embraced the inherent creativity of the format.’