In a way, we've all been exposed to what is now called “flash fiction” (stories written in 1,000 words or less) throughout our lives. In fact, you were probably introduced to it through the works of Aesop!

As a new writer who was trying to break into publications, I hopped from one online magazine to another. I would check their submission guidelines and most of them would say something along the lines of, “Flash fiction only!”

I hung my head. I HATED flash fiction.

It's not that flash fiction is universally bad, but the vast majority of it is. From what I'd read, most flash fiction seemed to be just small snippets or scenes from what should be a larger story – a story I'd rather be reading!

A story has to have three things: a beginning, middle, and end.

It's a shame that so much flash fiction seems to go nowhere, as though the author was still writing the beginning or middle when he saw that he'd reached his word count limit and had to wrap it up in a hurry. And don't lie. We've both done that when trying to master flash fiction.

Still, I was desperate to get published even if the magazine dropped off the face of the earth in a few days (as many publications were doing at the time), so I went ahead and decided to start writing flash fiction.

It sucked. I hated trying to create stories that I could condense to somewhere between 500-1,000 words. I felt like my stories were bigger, my characters more complex; however, I discovered things about the writing process that made me learn to love flash fiction! At least, I learned to enjoy it as a writing exercise, even if I'm still not fond of reading most of it.

This is what I learned:

How to Downsize and get Intimate with Your Characters

If you're writing a short story, you have room for a few characters who maybe want a few different things. In a novel, you have room for a multitude of different plot threads and characters with competing interests. In flash fiction, you have a tiny number of characters (I usually write four at max) and their interactions are all centered around a single desire.

Just one.

There's no room for elaborate world-building, a cunning plot hatched from an egomaniac's mind to take over the Five (well-developed) Worlds, or a love triangle between a human and two supernatural beings.

What I had to learn to do is create a desire, a single character who would do almost anything to get it, and a problem that prevented him or her from doing so. It had to be basic, it had to be something I could resolve quickly if I had to.

A ghostwriter who wants to be famous and recognized discovers she's telepathic and her client is plotting a murder.

A homeless man finds a magic lamp, but the genie has other plans.

A man thinks he's found the fountain of youth.

These things have the potential to grow into full-blown novels or longer short stories if I elaborate on them, but they also hold the potential for a very short, quick-paced escapade that I can resolve in less than a page. To write them, I have to get intimate with my characters and narrow them down to a single defining trait and problem.

I was able to translate this into other creative writing projects by learning to narrow in and prioritize what was really important to each of my characters.

How to Write Concisely

I'm normally not a concise writer. I mean, have you read any of my other articles? I love words and descriptions, and I like to think I'm channeling Nathaniel Hawthorn or someone like that. Unfortunately, in the 21st century, I cannot indulge in that type of thing, for the modern world likes short, sweet, and to the point. The days of powdery descriptions sprinkled atop of a confection are over.

Flash fiction is perfect for learning how to write concisely! You have to grab your reader quickly with a short but strong beginning and hook them with an interesting problem they don't mind devoting a few minutes of their time to exploring. Moreover, you have to tell a complete tale, not a scene from what should be a longer story.

How to Write Superb Twists

Flash fiction isn't always the best storytelling tool for introspection. As with Aesop, they can convey a proverb or a moral, but they aren't philosophical endeavors. They are, however, perfect for writing twists. I've never learned how to channel my inner Shyamalan so well! Whether the twist works, as in The Sixth Sense, or falls flat on its face as in The Happening is up to your readers and critics to decide.

How to Hook Readers

I've noticed that readers are a little more forgiving of novels, giving it a page or two to get interesting before putting it back on the shelf, selling it through a thrift store, or just donating it to the local library.

Flash fiction needs to grip the reader right away because they aren't going to spend the next five minutes reading a boring story when they could be playing Candy Crush (or have we moved on?) on their phone. The drama needs to start within moments of the reader's eyes meeting the page, or even immediately in order to hook the reader and lead them up to your grand finale.

You Should Write Flash Fiction

Seriously, start writing flash fiction, even if you're not an avid reader of it. You can take these same lessons and apply them to your short stories or even to your novels. Being able to narrow down on a character's priorities, keep your writing concise, hook readers quickly – all of these are important skills, and I had no idea that flash fiction would help me temper these skills into something more wield-able for me.