Getting started in short fiction

A beginner’s guide to writing, learning, publishing, entering flash fiction competitions and building your writing community.

About me

My name’s Gillian, I’m a journalist, writer and professional reader. I’m a submission editor for SmokeLong Quarterly. I love the genre of Flash fiction, it allows room to experiment, and to try new ideas without the huge commitment of attempting a novel and it demands very tight language. I have work in SmokeLong Quarterly, Splonk, Fractured Lit, Jellyfish Review, Reflex, Best Small Fictions 2023 and have been nominated for two Pushcart prizes.

If you’ve always wanted to try writing fiction but don’t know where to start, flash offers brilliant pathways for new writers and will hone the skills of even the most experienced authors. Famous writers in the genre include Pip Williams, George Saunders, Virginia Woolf, Lydia Davis and Ernest Hemingway.

What is Flash Fiction?

Flash fiction is generally accepted as being a short story under 1000 words. It’s an umbrella term for short fiction in general, so it’s also known as nano fiction, short fiction, short shorts, etc etc. Micro-fiction is stories under about 300 words.

Flash stories are complete narratives, so unlike prose poetry or vignettes which might describe a scene or a moment, flash has a beginning, a middle and an end. Even if the action is implied and a lot of the story happens off the page, flash is always telling a story. Good flash has conflict and a sense of urgency, so you’ll find it’s often ( but not always) written in present or even future tense. You’ll often hear the expression; start in the middle, in reference to flash. You’re looking to make an impact quickly, to offer stories that linger and to capture a glimpse of a rich and fully realised world that exists beyond the page.

The best way to get a sense of short fiction is to read it widely. There are some suggestions for starting points at the end of this article. Then, like ripples, they will lead you to more and more brilliant flash stories, journals and lovely people in the writing community.

Getting started

There are so many online resources for writing and publishing flash fiction. Try googling ‘flash fiction’ and you’ll be inundated. There’s so much. So, it’s a good idea to whittle them down into something manageable. There are some great courses you can pay for, but you’ll also find endless opportunities that don’t cost anything. A good craft newsletter is a goldmine of useful and free information.

Here is an excellent overview on how to write flash fiction from the author, editor and teacher, Matt Kendrick in Lucent Dreaming. And another, written by Kathy Fish for the prestigious Bridport Prize. And Bath Flash Fiction run rolling competitions and feature a series of excellent craft articles on the website.

SmokeLong Quarterly is one of the oldest and most prestigious flash journals in the world. It offers excellent courses run nearly all year round. SmokeLong Fitness runs from September 2023, and you can find more details about that and other courses on the website.

Kathy Fish’s workshops are highly sought after, and admittance is generally by lottery. They’re popular for a reason, she’s a brilliant teacher. Her free substack is full of great resources, including writing tips, craft essays, prompts and readings.

Tommy Dean is the Editor of Fractured Lit in the US, he runs workshops throughout the year. Check out his website. Here’s one starting in August 2023 or sign up for his free substack.

Retreat West is an online writing community, they do workshops, publish and hold really good competitions. You can join up for a fee or dip in and out of their free resources. Their monthly micro competition is a fun one to start with and it doesn’t cost a lot to have a crack.

If you’re in Perth (where I am based) and keen for some face-to-face action, Night Parrot Press (which is run by the brilliant Linda Martin and Laura Keenan) holds workshops for beginners and prints a flash anthology every year, plus they run the annual Flashing the Cover competition with Writing WA.

Competitions

Competitions are a fun way to put your work out there and potentially get published, either online or in a hard copy anthology. Even if you don’t make the winner’s list, they give you a focus to write, a word count, often a prompt, and a deadline, so a reason to stop tinkering and submit that sucker. That said there are a lot of dodgy dealers out there, so make sure you choose a reputable comp.

Be wary of competitions that cost too much to enter, ($20 is the top end of what you should expect to pay in my view and the prize money should match.) Many lit mags are run by volunteers and use income from competitions to keep afloat, so it can be a good way to support the writing community, but it’s ok to be wary. They will often have some free entries for those who can’t afford the entry fee so worth checking.

Lucent Dreaming via Betas and Bludgers has a very handy spreadsheet of available comps, inc. word count, prize money, deadlines and entry fees. You’ll find it here.

Books

The glorious hard copy book of craft advice is still one of my favourite resources. They’re few and far between in this genre though. There are a couple coming out soon, highly anticipated works by Kathy Fish and Tommy Dean.

Nancy Stohlman’s Going Short is contemporary and very comprehensive. (pub: Ad Hoc Fiction, 2020)

The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers and Writers in the Field. (The Rose Metal Press, edited by Tara L Masih, 2009)

Unlocking the Novella-In Flash by Michael Loveday (pub: Ad Hoc fiction, 2022)

Submitting your stories

Most writers want to be published. It’s a joy. There are countless lit mags that specialise in flash fiction, some will pay for stories, some don’t. Be very wary of lit mags that ask you to pay a submission fee to have your work read. Make sure your work is as polished as it can be first, try to find someone you trust to read it for you, check it for errors and give you honest feedback. If you think your story is ready, don’t just send it to every journal out there. Look for one that you think is a good fit. You will know this by reading the publication first, to get a sense of the kind of work they publish.

Every good lit mag will have submission guidelines. Read these carefully. They will give you word limits, formatting guidelines, let you know if they pay, and other really important information you need to know. Many read blind for example so it’s important you don’t put your name on your story, it will be instantly rejected. Look for publications that offer respectful and professional communication, including, (especially) when it comes to rejections.

Don’t take rejections personally, they are much more common than acceptances and don’t argue. Be aware many publications can take several months to get back to you. Again, their guidelines will let you know. Always be professional and polite also. It’s a small community.

Like anything, it’s good to know if you’re submitting to a reputable journal. There are many. This list put together by author and editor of Flash Frog, Eric Scot Tryon is a wonderful start. As he says, it’s by no means exhaustive, but it will give you a good firing-off point to read and submit your own work.

Readings

This is such a small snapshot of the resources available. If you have any other suggestions, I’d love you to add them in the comments.

To finish off, here are a very few of my favourite examples of the genre. I will add to this list as more come to mind to build a collection of great work and fabulous journals, so check back. This is just a start. Again, if you have any suggestions, I’d love you to add them in the comments.

Company by Patricia Bidar in Atticus Review

Seven Minutes by Eric Scot Tryon in Longleaf Review

in ache by Melissa Llanes Brownlee in SmokeLong Quarterly

19 Owls by Elisabeth Ingram Wallace in The Forge Literary Magazine

Undergrowth by Melissa Bowers in SmokeLong Quarterly

I’m Vincent Van Gogh and I Painted That Way Because I knew it Would Look Really Sweet on a Mousepad by Audrey Burges in McSweeney’s

Collective Nouns for Humans in the Wild by Kathy Fish in Jellyfish Review

A Practical Guide to Making Rain by Myna Chang in The Citron Review

The Shoal by Jiksun Cheung, Wigleaf.

Sticks by George Saunders

The Cognitive Behavioural Therapist Wants a Divorce But Does Not Want To Be The One To Ask by Jo Withers in X-R-A-Y

Between the Nail and The Skin by Hema Nataraju in Janus Literary