Flash fiction is a fiction narrative in the form of a very short piece of writing that nonetheless offers a character arc or implies a larger story; some commentators consider its unique literary quality to be exactly this ability to hint at a larger story despite its brevity, which places it as briefer even than the traditional short story.
Facts
Place of OriginUnited States: early forms of flash fiction appear in nineteenth century American writing, in the work of Walt Whitman, Ambrose Bierce and Kate Chopin. 1 Notable ExampleFlash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories (1992), the landmark anthology edited by James Thomas, Denise Thomas and Tom Hazuka that introduced the term flash fiction itself. 1 Defining TraitA very short piece of narrative writing that still offers a character arc or implies a larger story, briefer even than the traditional short story. 1 Connections
Sources
1. Flash Fiction (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)History section
It was coined by James Thomas, who together with Denise Thomas and Tom Hazuka edited the 1992 landmark anthology titled Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories, and was introduced by Thomas in his Introduction to that volume.
Lead section
Flash fiction is a fiction narrative in the form of a very short piece of writing, which still offers a character arc or implies a larger story.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.