Guest Speakers: Robby Hilliard, John Edward Lawson, Melissa McArthur, James Nettles – WRITE Program Director: Venessa Giunta
Flash your fiction! How short can you go?
This may sound like an odd challenge for a writer, since many of us dream of writing a full-length novel. However, the concept is not without merit!
First off, what is Flash Fiction?
Roughly 1,000 words or less on average; 1,500-2,000 at most. Typically up to 5 pages, though it depends on the publisher. There are plenty of daily or weekly Flash Fiction contests. “5 Minute Fiction” is an example online.
The purpose of Flash Fiction is often to stir the creative juices in your mind. It’s great for getting rid of mental barriers and to simply start putting words to page without any mountain of pre-conceived expectations or insecurities. This is especially useful for anyone dealing with “Writer’s Block.”
Another function of Flash Fiction is the resourcefulness to have written “snippets” on hand for marketing purposes. Artists will create a portfolio to showcase their work in a quick fashion, displaying a variety of their talents all in one place. Writers can also create a portfolio of their short-written works to advertise to Agents, Editors, Publishers, Critique Partners, Beta Readers, and potential customers in your target audience.
Now what are some ideas to inspire quality Flash Fiction? Many writers focus on 1st-Person POV (point-of-view) because an audience will typically identify with your main character faster. One of the benefits (and challenges) of writing short fiction is the need to say more with fewer words. Ironically, it may not be as easy as you think. Sparse words can increase the tension built within your story.
One of the recommendations was to listen to older radio stations, set in the 50’s. While not many words were spoken in the brief time frames they were given, each phrase was tightened and packed with a punch! Learning how to communicate effectively and concisely is priceless in the writing realm! This skill translates over to larger form novels as well.
How to get started quickly? Choose a random setting, character, and conflict – then see what your mind can do in 3 minutes or less! Set the timer, and GO!
Poetry is a great example of writing briefly–but making every word count!
PUB PITCH – (THE BAR):
James Nettles, Tiara Jante, K. Ceres Wright, & Mr. Ken
As mentioned above, learning to be concise is key! A “Pub Pitch” or “Elevator Pitch” is meant to be 30 seconds or less – typically the time it would take to ride an elevator with a stranger, and still pique their interest in your writing. Though instead of providing a written form, you are speaking directly with a potential buyer (or professional in the industry!) This is your moment to sell your idea, and prove it worthy of invested interest!
Think about your work. What is the Hook? (A Hook is what grabs your reader’s attention, and convinces them to keep reading.) Break it down to the most basic format, and incorporate that into your Pub Pitch.
Now, if you’re like me, then the Hook gives away a major spoiler near the climax of the story. If this is the case, you still want to use that in your Pub Pitch with Agents and Publishers. However, you may need to come up with a secondary Pub Pitch for potential readers in your target audience.
Practice writing out these Pub Pitches first, then memorize and test them on friends, acquaintances, and members of your target audience. If you notice that people are looking at their watches/phones, are yawning or looking at something else, then you may need to hone your Pub Pitch. However, if you get interested and engaged reactions from these people (especially people who you don’t know as well) then this is a great sign!
I’ll be honest. As a writer, I often struggle with writing in shorter form. I’ve completed some rough drafts for full-length novels, but writing short quality pieces of fiction is particularly daunting to me. I received remarkable advice from these speakers, that was surprisingly simple – but brilliant!
Perhaps it will be more intuitive to the rest of you than it was to me, but for those who also struggle with this issue, here is a solution. Start with writing short stories or “Flash Fiction” instead of novels, then work your way up. Like I said, amazingly simple – but wise.
Most people (like me) want to start off with a novel. However, with most things in life that are of value, you have to start small and then work your way up to something bigger. Marathon runners don’t (typically) start off by completing a 5k run – they have to build up their endurance and skill day by day. If they did try to run 5k for their first attempt… they would probably be pretty sloppy in their form and fall short of the other trained athletes who’ve invested time to hone their skills and techniques.
The more that you learn how to write short fiction with increasing quality, the better your long-form fiction will become naturally. Say more with less.
Now, if you’re really stuck on your passion project (i.e. Novella or Novel) and want to see it through, consider taking a break to write news articles about your main character, or other noteworthy characters in your book. What’s the “big scoop” of their latest endeavor? This is a great exercise that could stir up some unique ideas, as well as fine-tune your skill with writing in short-form.
As always, I’m curious to know your thoughts! Are you a writer, participating in NaNoWriMo? Have you considered honing your work with short stories, or practiced a Pub Pitch of your own? Have you struggled with Writer’s Block and found Flash Fiction or any other technique to be useful in snapping you out of it? Let me know in the Comments Section below!
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