Deborah’s stand-in this week is the inimitable Sunny Frazier, specializing in mysteries with an astrological bent, and a fellow contributor along with our own John M. Floyd and Deborah Elliott-Upton to the flash anthology, Seven by Seven. She writes of herself:

“Sunny Frazier’s short mystery fiction has won over 30 awards and trophies, as well as publication in mystery magazines and ezines. Her stories can be found in the anthologies Valley Fever, Seven by Seven, Gone Coastal, and Never Safe. Frazier has also taught “The Guerrilla Short Story Workshop: How To Kill the Competition” at several writing conferences. This is an aggressive approach to putting the odds of winning writing contests in an author’s favor, and will soon be available on DVD.”

Here she discusses how to approach one of short fiction’s most demanding specialties.

—JLW

FLASH FORWARD

by Sunny Frazier

I hear a lot of authors complain that they simply can’t write a short story. Their tales need a novel length to fit in all those precious words. How the heck does one fit in clues, red herrings, character development, and all the twists and turns required to pull off a good crime story?

Not only do I love the short story format, but I’m a sucker for the flash. Set the limit to 500 words and I’m there. Give me very little wiggle room and I’ll happily play Houdini. There’s a terrific market out there for writers who can write short. Writing contests have fewest entries in that category.

My trick to writing flash fiction is pretty simple: keep the story limited to two characters, three at the most. Start right at the action—no build-up. Don’t fret about wrapping the story with a clever ending, end right at the climax and let the reader fill in the aftermath.

When counting words, how words are used is crucial. Vivid descriptions must be captured with one good word, not paragraphs. And, speaking of paragraphs, the mystery genre is an excellent format for the one-word paragraph. Incomplete sentences are forgivable because they ratchet up the tension and give the story a tautness that the genre requires.

Back story can be worked in, but only with one or two sentences. While red herrings are harder to slip in, a good twist ending is a great payoff. Twists and turns give way to sideswiping the reader with unexpected action, clues sacrificed for misdirection.

If the words exceed the limit, I have a trick. I look at every sentence and see how many words can be removed and still have the line make sense. Surprising how many needless words show up.

My biggest no-no is the word “it.” With so few words allowed, why would I bother with a word that essentially says nothing? I’m now adamant that I will not resort to using that word in my novels. My critique group balks every time I circle one in their work, but when a dozen “its” appear on a page, my point is valid.

Those are basic guidelines I use when I tackle flash fiction. However, a prize-winning flash story also has what I consider four crucial elements.

1. Authenticating details. Why say “car” when you can say “Jaguar?” Why say “flower” when you can say “Tiger Lily?” Details not only make a story fresh, but they can define characters in a story.

2. Best line. Include a line you worked hardest at, or the words that came in a moment of genius. Let readers know you are an accomplished writer, give a line that displays craft. Caution: too many “best lines” wear readers out.

3. Universal message. A story can, and should, be more than a story. There should be something embedded in the story that all readers can relate to on some level. Be subtle. No moralizing. I find my “message” usually comes at the halfway point in the story. This might also be the best line.

4. Tell-Me-Something-I-Don’t-Know. A story stays in a reader’s head when they can put the story down and tell someone, “Did you know such-and-such (insert fact or trivia)?” Imagination is a given, but stories created out of thin air quickly vaporize in the reader’s mind. But never overwhelm the story with a series of facts. Use them like chocolate chips in a cookie. Let readers be pleasantly surprised when they hit one.

Accomplishing all of the above in a short story is a challenge. Doing the job with 500 words sets flash fiction writers apart from the pack.