Flash fiction facts for kids
Flash fiction is a type of story that is very, very short. Even though it's brief, it still has characters and a plot, just like a longer story! It's like telling a whole adventure in just a few sentences.
There are different kinds of flash fiction, often named by how many words they have. For example, a "six-word story" is exactly what it sounds like! A "dribble" is about 50 words, and a "drabble" is around 100 words. Some flash fiction can be up to 1,000 words, but that's still much shorter than a regular short story. People who write flash fiction often try to hint at a bigger story without saying everything.
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History of Flash Fiction
Flash fiction isn't a new idea. Short, quick stories have been around for a very long time!
Ancient Stories
Ancient stories like fables and parables are early examples of flash fiction. Think of Aesop's Fables, where animals teach a lesson in a short tale. In India, there were similar stories called Panchatantra and Jataka tales. Later, stories about Nasreddin and Zen koans (short riddles or stories meant to make you think) also fit this idea.
Flash Fiction in the US
In the United States, short stories started appearing in the 1800s. Writers like Walt Whitman and Kate Chopin wrote very brief pieces. In the 1920s and 1930s, these super short stories were sometimes called "short short stories." They even appeared in magazines like Cosmopolitan.
The Term "Flash Fiction"
The actual term "flash fiction" became popular much later, in 1992. It was first used by James Thomas. He helped put together a famous collection of these stories called Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories. Since then, "flash fiction" has become a widely known name for this exciting type of writing.
In 2020, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin started collecting flash fiction works. This shows how important this type of writing has become!
Famous Flash Fiction Authors
Many famous writers have tried their hand at flash fiction. They come from all over the world!
Early Writers
Some older writers who wrote very short stories include Anton Chekhov, O. Henry, and Franz Kafka. Even Ernest Hemingway wrote 18 short pieces that were part of his book In Our Time. There's a famous six-word story, "For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn", that some people say Hemingway wrote, but it's not certain!
Modern Writers
In English, writers like Lydia Davis and David Gaffney are known for their flash fiction. Many authors also share their short stories online.
In Spanish-speaking countries, very short stories are called microrrelatos. Writers like Augusto Monterroso wrote some of the shortest stories ever! His story "El Dinosaurio" is just a few words long. Another writer, Juan Pedro Aparicio, wrote a one-word story called "Luis XIV", which simply says "Yo" ("I").
Other countries also have authors famous for their very short stories. Italo Calvino from Italy, and Naguib Mahfouz from Egypt (who won the Nobel Prize), have written many.
Flash Fiction and the Internet
The internet has made flash fiction even more popular!
Online Journals
It's now much easier to find and read flash fiction online. Many websites and online magazines are completely dedicated to these short stories. For example, SmokeLong Quarterly was started in 2003 to share the best flash fiction on the web. Other popular online journals include wigleaf and Flash Fiction Online.
The internet makes it simple for anyone to share their stories. This has helped flash fiction become very popular. Many online literary journals now publish flash fiction because so many people enjoy reading it. Even The New Yorker magazine started sharing flash fiction stories online every summer.
See also
In Spanish: Microrrelato para niños
- Fable
- Minisaga
- Parable
- Prose poetry
- Short story
- Talehunt
