Writing Flash Fictions

Flash fiction is a style of fictional literature or fiction of extreme brevity (a short story).

It can be as short as one hundred words or as long as a thousand words.

Flash Non-fiction is like the first one. However, it is more related to memories. In other words, your life experience.

Schematic Structure

(Orientation)^Complication^Evaluation^Resolution/Twist^(Coda)

Orientation: Introduction of setting and characters:

a) This was back in the mid 70s (time);

b) It was my Mom’s birthday (people, situation);

c) So we were going out to eat for dinner (place, situation).

Complication: Main body of the story. The complication normally begins as soon as the orientation material has been established.

In the complication, a problem arises followed by other problems

Evaluation: Reaction to the complication

The evaluation process will show the reactions of the characters to the problems presented during the complication.

Resolution/Twist:  

The end of the complication.

It is the solution to the problems posed by the complication.

The twist of the resolution is characterized by a big changing in a story, in other words, surprising and unexpected outcomes; no matter if they are "good", "bad" or "funny" ones.

Coda: Returns the listener to the present. The listener needs to be brought out of the written ‘world’ and back to the actual, present world.

a) So that was really scary;
b) And that was that;
c) And even now I get nervous when I think about it; d) Those were the days!

Mandatory stages: Complication, Evaluation and Resolution/Twist.

(Orientation and Coda are optional)

Examples

Mamma Knows Best (Flash Fiction)

Fifteen years ago, it rained not cats and dogs but tigers and wolves in my city. I can tell you that it was possible to find Atlanta there. Well, after a storm comes a calm and, on the next day, there was still water everywhere, but soon it would be gone. My mother told me to not go outside because it was dangerous yet. I was so curious about the "strange lizard" out there that I did not pay attention to her. When I tried to caress its head, big teeth reminded me to listen to my precious mother.

Stepheson Emmanuel

A Disaster in The Kitchen (Flash Non-Fiction)

On Mother's Day Eve, I decided to do something for my precious queen. Instead of buying a cake, I tried to bake one. When I went to the grocery store to buy the stuff I needed, I saw a very good-looking cake, but I resisted the temptation of taking it home. I went back home to execute my plans, but things went a bit out of control. I accidentally turned off the oven in the middle of the baking process. Lord! Everything turned into a big mess. Then, I had to buy that cake I saw before. We ate the cake and laughed a lot at such misadventure.

Stepheson Emmanuel

References

COOPER, Jennifer S. Flash Fiction – a workshop on the practice of English teaching/learning as a foreign language (EFL). Ministered by Prof. Dr. Jennifer Sarah Cooper at the Federal University of Acre, Cruzeiro do Sul/Acre/Brazil, 2014.

DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS. Language Structure and Verbal Art Natural Narratives of Ordinary Experience. Available at: <http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~rn oyer/courses/103/Ling10309NarrativeIntro.pdf>

MARTIN, James; ROSE, David. Genre Relations: Mapping Culture. Equinox, 2008

SOUZA, Stepheson E. A. A World Made of Words. Available at: < http://wordsof stephs.blogspot.com>

WIKIPEDIA. Flash Fiction. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_fiction.