Last week, Gillian O’Shaughneesy mentioned my craft essays on her blog, saying they are “great material for beginners also. It’s a rabbit hole of resources and great contacts, and most importantly brilliant stories you can read and wring out for inspiration for your own blossoming writing career.” She also added in a tweet later that these have helped her own writing — a huge recognition for all the hardwork, boosted me immensely! I’ve always been this self-taught writer who has gone into many dark alleys looking for that perfect ‘flash’ of light. Remember falling in love with flash-fiction at first sight! Recall being distraught as I scrambled for months looking for what to read, how exactly to train myself, and finding little-to-none classes that I could comfortably afford. To rectify some of it, I recently announced a low-cost workshop especially tailor-cut to beginners, so I could share with writers new to the genre, my experience and research in a 2-hour capsule module. I am eagerly looking forward to it in July, and also a special anniversary post here as my website turns ONE next month.
Hope you’ve been reading up all the great work being produced. Flash fiction is constantly evolving and writers are trying out new and innovative ideas. For this blogpost, I’ve combed through my notebooks to come up with a list of six new flash ideas you may try:
1. Introduce Yourself — Who you are, what do you see, what do you hear, where you are — THIS MOMENT— in an epistolatory flash story
Remember this might not result in a traditional story with an opening, tension and resolution, but many writers will vouch for it that a writing exercise such as this, without the constraints of theme etc. is, in fact, therapeutic, and almost always leads to other offshoot pieces!
2. READ a POEM describing the weather/winter/climate/summer. Make a list of associated emotions/objects of that weather/climate from the poem as well as from memory. Now, write a story around it.
3. WRITE A STORY in 400 words max. USING the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ images on your left. If possible, use two segments distinctly made out.
You could name the two paragraphs/segments as
‘Spring’ and ‘Fall’
OR ‘Rules’ and ‘Fragments’
OR ‘Forever’ and ‘Never’
OR ‘Clockwise’ and ‘Anti-clock’
4. Use about 800 words to write a story in three TIME JUMPS and exactly ONE character.
For segmented stories, you may check out Kathy Fish’s wonderful post here
5. Scroll through the images above (in no particular order). Use as many as possible in a Gothic-themed short-story.
6. Kate Chopin’s “Dr Chevalier’s Lie” is about 385-words and is what may be called postcard fiction. Write a story where ‘suddenness’ is captured, or where a temporary fleeting moment is pivotal to the story, keep it under 400words.
You may read dr chevalier’s lie here
As always, happy writing! You need it, we need it, the world needs all the art we can gather. Watch out for the next (ANNIVERSARY!) post, I have already started working on it. Share this page and subscribe to my blogposts/craft essays if you enjoy them. Thanks!
Mandira Pattnaik 
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