Dazzled by Flash Fiction
The term 'flash fiction' can be used to describe several genres or modes of writing. Such writing can include traditional or mainstream short-short stories as well as various other types such as American haibun, ghost stories, monologues, epistles, mysteries, myths, tall tales, fables, anti-fables, parables, romance, fairy tales, horror, suspense, science fiction, prose poetry, and more. It can also embrace several "isms" such as magical realism, dadaism, futurism, surrealism, irrealism, and postmodernism. Charles Baxter notes that these short-short stories occupy many thresholds--"they are between poetry and fiction, the story and the sketch, prophecy and reminiscence, the personal and the crowd." --Pamelyn Casto --Dazzled by Flash Fiction (Flashes on the Meridian)Thanks for the suggestion, Mike.
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No problem. I'm very glad that you're teaching this stuff to the Intro to Literary Study class and that the students are enjoying the creative writing exercises. You should know that I have always had my students write flash in my Fiction Writing course, too...so I hope this won't be too redundant for them...but then again you can't write too many of these things. There's probably no better way to hone the blade of the craft. (Or the axeblade of the jerz, in any case...great entry on 1/31!) [The link to gorelets.com here is in error, btw].
OK, I'll fix the link. I don't imagine that the students will be too bored by flash fiction, since I really don't spend that much time on it -- I wasn't planning on teaching it as a genre, just using it as an exercise to get them to focus on the efficiency and potency of their writing.