Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop
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What is Flash Fiction?

Flash fiction stories are, well, short. Sometimes called ‘micro-stories’, ‘postcard stories’ (if a postcard is part of the contest) or ‘short short stories’, flash fiction challenges the writer to fit a complete story into very few words. While there isn’t a paint-by-numbers formula for flash fiction, there is a certain art to it. It’s not about trying to squish a 3,000-word story into 500 words.

Here are a few links to help you get a better idea of the craft — and to get the creative juices flowing:
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  • How To: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/14/how-to-write-flash-fiction (How-to written by David Gaffney)
  • More Tips: https://jerichowriters.com/12-top-tips-on-writing-flash-fiction/ (A UK contest with tips from the judges about how to write flash fiction)
  • Some Examples: https://www.flashfictiononline.com/what-is-flash-fiction/ (Scroll down for example pieces)
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​NOWW’s Flash Fiction Contest is a great way to challenge yourself and get the creative juices flowing.

By the way, we told the story of flash fiction here in 194 words without the title, so you have more than twice as much room to write your beginning, middle, and end.

Think you can do it? Let’s find out! Start writing today! Then submit your story to the NOWW Flash Fiction Contest.
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  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Who We Are
    • The Kouhi and Phillips Awards
    • 20 Years on Snowshoes - Anthology
  • EVENTS
    • LitFest
    • Literary Stage - Culture Days
    • Workshops >
      • Archives
    • Wednesday Words
    • Readings
  • CONTESTS
    • ANNUAL WRITING CONTEST >
      • Past NOWW Writing Contest Winners
    • Flash Fiction Contest
  • CALENDAR
  • JOIN
  • CONTACT