The Maker The Charles Causley Literary Blog
What are the benefits of flash fiction?
Flash fiction is a unique genre that inspires the mind to think quickly and succinctly. It is a practice that applies creativity with skill, and it nourishes the way in which creative ideas can be organised. Though it might not seem like it, it can at times be a challenging task. Not only does it demand a word limit, but it also demands a limit on ideas and potential diversions within a story. Flash fiction can often feel more like a trap to the imagination. However, flash fiction is an important practice to any writer, and one that should not be underestimated. As enticing as a gripping plot that uses emotive and detailed language is, sometimes simple is good.
Through my journey into flash fiction, before which I was a complete novice, I struggled to see the benefits of such abrupt stories. But my opinion has been revolutionised. I now understand flash fiction to be a stark way to present an opinion, but also an extremely important creative exercise. Therefore, please read ahead to look at what I think are 5 benefits of practicing flash fiction:
It helps to get rid of writer’s block.
The most beneficial aspect of practicing flash fiction is that it promotes imagination. Writer’s block is extremely common. At its most extreme or just at the smallest level, the mentality that stops imagination is often reversed by flash fiction. This is because flash fiction requires focus. It needs an incredible specific plot, character, and emotion. The options to choose from here are endless, and it is the abundance of possibilities that is so useful to authors suffering from writer’s block. Flash fiction is a fantastic way to kick-start the imagination, producing simple, maybe even unsophisticated stories, that refocuses an author’s imagination.
It’s fun!
An obvious benefit of flash fiction is that it is fun. It is a genre that does not take itself too seriously (though at times it can), which takes the pressure of having to create something ‘good’ or ‘clever’. It is another reason why it is good for writer’s block, as it promotes self-confidence and understanding in one’s own abilities. The pressure to write something worth reading halts a lot of authors in their creative track, but flash fiction is a good way to forget the pressures of creativity. Rather, flash fiction inserts a lot of joy into writing as it does not have to be complicated, or eloquent, or wordy.
It helps to prioritise the most important theme/ idea.
Flash fiction must be brief. Whether it is a short story of around 1000 words or the classic six-worded story, there is not a lot of room to negotiate the ins-and-outs of every character, subplot, or setting description. The benefit of this is that is forces the author to prioritise the most significant idea. This idea must be what the author truly wants the reader to understand. The benefit of this, of course, is that when writing other, longer, works of fiction, an author is well versed in succinctness. Clarity is imperative in successful fiction, and it is achieved through an author prioritising their key themes.
It helps to condense language into its more understandable form.
Following on from the benefits of flash fiction in ensuring clarity of ideas, flash fiction also significantly reduces an author’s word pool. Choice of language, punctuation, sentence structure, and form become imperative to how the piece of flash fiction is perceived. It helps an author understand why they have chosen some words over others and what other grammatical choice could they make to extend their key theme. Successful fiction is only reached when an author understands the basic building blocks of literature.
It’s easy once you get going.
Of all the various ways in which fiction can be written, flash fiction is the easiest. Not because it only requires a small word count- that is harder than you think. But because of time. Work-life balance is hard but consider trying to create a six worded story of your surroundings as you commute, or when doing tedious chores. It does not require paper, or pens, or laptops. All it needs is imagination and seconds to be able to create these short pieces of fiction. Practicing longer methods and styles of flash fiction might require more time, but only 15-30 minutes. In these short spaces of time, practicing flash fiction can benefit an author’s overall approach to fiction, quickening how ideas are processed and channelled into readable content.
These five benefits of flash fiction are reasons why I believe the genre can complement any writer’s technique and style. It is in the hope that authors who are struggling to focus their thoughts or writing will use flash fiction to remove these anxieties and learn that creatively is not found through pressure.
Words by Elizabeth Davis