No, this isn’t a joke. Flash fiction and stand-up comedy have a great deal in common. For starters, both forms are compact surprises. How do they do this? It’s all in the set-up, the delivery, and the punch. Let’s look at each in turn… The Set-Up The Set-up answers the 5 W’s: Who, What, When, […]
Progress By Jane Matthews It’s taken us five years to get here. Five years, four nights in a hospital, three lost friends, two major fights, and one attempted murder. And, of course, that all-important partridge in a pear tree. “Marry me.” Those two little words made it all disappear. Theresa and I met in high […]
Travel Broadens the Mind by Emma Baird Time travelling was not all it was cracked up to be, Maureen mused to herself. She hadn’t worked out precision in her century wanderings, so instead of landing up as the Roman emperor’s wife lying on villa balcony eating grapes whilst being fanned by a nubile and oiled slave, […]
The Butterfly by Debbie Manber Kupfer Simon concentrated on the words. They had to be just right, perfect. The ink flowed from his pen as it floated a few inches above the magenta vellum. There that’s it, and now to fold, to create. Silently he mouthed the spell and the butterfly began to take form. […]
Esmeralda Grunch and the Red Tulip by Debbie Manber Kupfer Esmeralda Grunch opened her eyes and stretched. She reached up and tugged apart the crimson petals above her head and gazed out at the sunrise. “Ouch,” screeched the Tulip, “what did you have to do that for? I’ll open up in a little if you […]
Fantasy in Light and Dark A Flash Fiction Allegory by Matthew R. Bishop There were great people who walked in this world, who lived and breathed our air and whose dreams lifted the sky above our heads. With innocence and nobility in their hearts they shaped the world. They served the Light. They defended the […]
That Thing We Saw That Night By Kevin Candela There’s just something about riding in a flying fireball. Mariko smiled, taking in the darkened fields and forests over which his absolutely silent vessel was currently gliding at an unhurried pace. More than a mile below, a handful of awestruck motorists gazed up at the […]
April Fool By Kevin Candela What would you do with a package with no return address that held only a tiny metal box with a single button on one side? Would you push the button? The corrugated cardboard package, left on my front porch that Friday, was soaked from the April drizzle by the […]
The Walk by Kerry E.B. Black They rushed like worker-bees returning pollen-laden to a hive. “I found the lucky sixpence! Great Aunt Ruth wore it in her shoe when she was married.” “How long ago was that, Ruth?” “Forty-two years ago, and” She patted her niece’s hand, “your marriage will outlast mine!” A glowing smile […]
(Photo Credit: duitang.com) Flash fiction often relies heavily on what is left unsaid. Like the glass in this sculpture, the invisible elements accentuate and highlight what is visible. Structure, of course, is invisible. Different story structures accentuate different elements of the story and create different effects – much like in longer fiction. One might think […]
