Flash Fiction Online Columns

In This Issue

2 Mar 2010 00:00:01 EST

More great new stories this month: The poignant but lighthearted Midnight Mambo, a dark vision of Blood Willows, and the pleasant imagery—and difficult choice—of On Green Hills.

For our Classic Flash this month, we revisit Kate Chopin’s impressive oeuvre, this time seeing The Blind Man.

As always, don’t miss Bruce’s writing column, or his story We Stand Up.

Our next issue goes live on April 1. Meanwhile, comment, subscribe, and tip the authors. Thanks!

Read more. . .

Consolidated Flash and the Collective Narrator

2 Mar 2010 00:00:01 EST

In this column, Bruce Holland Rogers comes back to fixed forms, discusses story collections, and introduces the collective narrator.

Read more. . .

In This Issue

2 Feb 2010 00:00:01 EST

Numbers, numbers: in The Times That Bleed Together, the Six Reasons My Sister Hates Me, Bruce Holland Rogers’s Six One-Sentence Stories. Mark Twain even has a story—not a funny one—about The Five Boons Of Life. (Non-math types can check out Pêlos instead.) And don’t miss Bruce’s writing column.

Finally, the Preditors & Editors results are in. (Thanks to everyone who voted!)

Our next issue goes live on March 2. Meanwhile, comment, subscribe, and tip the authors. Thanks!

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A Story of n Words: How Low Can You Go?

2 Feb 2010 00:00:01 EST

In this column, Bruce Holland Rogers discusses the shortest of very short stories, and tackles, along the way, the topic, “Just what is a story, anyway?”

Read more. . .

Please Go Vote!

5 Jan 2010 00:00:01 EST

The Preditors & Editors Poll runs through January 14. We’d love your vote in any category!

As for stories, there’s a little for everyone: fantasy, literary fiction, surrealism, a fairy tale, or a Bitter Bierce classic. If you’re a writer, read Bruce’s column on what to leave out.

Thanks to the staff for making it through another year, and to donors for their help in keeping the zine moving. Our next issue goes live on February 2. Meanwhile, please comment on stories, subscribe, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!

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Ellipsis: What To Leave Out

5 Jan 2010 00:00:01 EST

The title says it all.

Read more. . .

In This Issue

1 Dec 2009 00:00:01 EST

This is our second anniversary. There are presents involved, but mostly Christmas ones: clockpunk canaries, and some from 1914. But there’s also a taste of what might have been, sabotage as catalyst, and a reprint of the award-winning “Don Ysidro”. We hope you enjoy them. And if you’re a writer, don’t forget Bruce’s column, either.

Our next issue goes live on January 5. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, comment on stories, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!

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Write Rites: The Ritual Story

1 Dec 2009 00:00:01 EST

On using ritual in stories.

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In This Issue

1 Nov 2009 00:00:01 EST

We had some fun this month, lightening the mood from our October issue. We hope you like our stories of a mom’s superpower, a homeless man’s bravery, and... well... cold fusion. Sort of.

Our Classic Flash is an ancient retort; laughter has always been the best defense.

Bruce Holland Rogers is back this issue, too, talking about writing with characters your audience already knows. His example story is about George and Baseball. But not that George.

Our next issue goes live on December 1. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, comment on stories, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!

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George Washington’s Life in Baseball:Using Characters Your Reader Already Knows

3 Nov 2009 00:00:01 EST

Bruce Holland Rogers discusses the use of characters your audience already knows.

Read more. . .

In This Issue

1 Oct 2009 00:00:01 EST

The approach of autumn brings pleasures that stem from the juxtaposition of opposites, such as smoke carried on a fresh breeze.

Us, too. We have some excellent awfulness for you this month: award-winning author Kristine Kathryn Rusch provides Eating It Too, S. Craig Renfroe, Jr. delivers Death Babies, and Damon Shaw shows us The Door. Plus a Classic Flash from H.P. Lovecraft and an essay on writing by Edgar Allan Poe.

Our next issue goes live on November 3. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, comment on stories, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!

Read more. . .

The Philosophy of Composition

1 Oct 2009 00:00:01 EST

This essay details the writing of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous poem, “The Raven”. Although flash fiction isn’t poetry, it strives for the same “unity of effect” that Poe tries to obtain in his work.

Some have said that this is satire, too precise and methodical to be serious; however, I think our own work might benefit from studying its themes.

Read more. . .

In This Issue

1 Sep 2009 00:00:01 EST

Read about the stories and columns in our current issue here.

Our next issue goes live on October 1. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!

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Review: The Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction

1 Sep 2009 00:00:01 EST

Editor Jake Freivald reviews The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction, a collection of 25 essays dedicated to... well, you know.

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Collaborating with MICE:Using Theory as a Creative Partner

1 Sep 2009 00:00:01 EST

Bruce Holland Rogers continues his series on writing the short-short story.

In the last four columns we have looked at Orson Scott Card’s MICE quotient and examined how it is possible to write flash fiction that depends on its success on Milieu, Idea, Character, or Event. As I wrote these columns, I was reminded of the nervous anxiety that I used to feel when I would read about theories and techniques of writing. On one hand, I would feel excited about the clarity that can arrive with a good theory: Aha! That’s why certain novels begin with the arrival of strangers and end when the strangers leave! They are novels of milieu!

Read more. . .

In This Issue

4 Aug 2009 00:00:01 EST

This is a good month, although strange in a few ways that I detail in the column. We have three new stories, a Classic Flash, and the wrap-up to Bruce’s study of the MICE quotient.

Our next issue goes live on September 1. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!

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Flash Fiction of Event:Tackling a Problem

4 Aug 2009 00:00:01 EST

Bruce’s final column in the discussion of MICE (Milieu, Idea, Character, and Event) focuses on Event stories.

Read more. . .

In This Issue

2 Jul 2009 00:00:01 EST

Start reading! We have a ghost story, a sobering mainstream story (that seems especially relevant with all of the US healthcare discussions), an honest-to-goodness romance (!), and a science fiction Classic Flash.

Bruce Holland Rogers discusses character and gives us character story called “Jerry”.

Our next issue goes live on August 4. Meanwhile, please subscribe if you haven’t already, and tip your favorite authors. Thanks!

Read more. . .

Flash Fiction of Character

2 Jul 2009 00:00:01 EST

Bruce continues his discussion of the MICE quotient by talking about Flash Fiction of Character.

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In This Issue

2 Jun 2009 00:00:01 EST

Subscribe, leave a tip, or read about this month’s stories. Our next issue goes live on July 2. See you then!

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Flash Fiction of Idea

2 Jun 2009 00:00:01 EST

Bruce’s column continues his discussion of the MICE (Milieu, Idea, Character, Event) quotient with a discussion about Flash Fiction of Idea.

Read more. . .

In This Issue

5 May 2009 00:00:01 EST

Welcome ComputerWorld readers! Don’t forget to subscribe...

We have three great new stories and a Classic Flash this month, from new and experienced authors. Bruce Holland Rogers is on hiatus, but we’ve published an index of his columns so far. For more information, follow the Read More link.

Please comment, subscribe, and (if you’re so inclined) leave a tip. Our next issue goes live on June 2. See you then!

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Short-Short-Sighted Index

5 May 2009 00:00:01 EST

With Bruce on hiatus this month, we thought it would be a good idea to create a list of all eleven of his columns so far. He’s already covered a lot of turf: from fixed forms, traditional tales, and word-count restrictions to the deliberate shattering of form and evasion of tradition. Each has at least one story to illustrate his point, too—all of which are well worth reading.

Read more. . .

More Fun Flash to Come

1 Apr 2009 00:00:01 EST

There’ll be more flash when our full issue goes live tomorrow. (We publish on the first Tuesday or Thursday of the month.) In the meantime, you can still read our stories from the March issue, below, or check out our archives.

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Flash Fiction of Milieu: What It’s Like Here

2 Apr 2009 00:00:01 EST

This is the first of four articles covering the MICE Quotient: Milieu, Idea, Character, and Event. Bruce discusses these elements (with a tip of the hat to Orson Scott Card) and goes into greater depth on milieu. His exemplar for the month is called, “Unpleasant Features of Our New Address.”

Read more. . .

The Music Issue

1 Mar 2009 00:00:01 EST

March in, sit down, and enjoy a few good stories. Everything we offer involves music in some way: “Addiction” is about the music of the sidhe, “Gustav’s Mars” is about Holst’s famous composition (sort of), and “Trumpet Volunteer” is about divine music. Even Bruce Holland Rogers delivers a music-related story to exemplify his column about breaking the rules in short-short fiction. Finally, we have a Classic Flash from Lord Dunsany about the Blackbird’s song. Join us!

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Less Than The Rules Demand: Getting By On Attitude

1 Mar 2009 00:00:01 EST

In this issue, Bruce Holland Rogers breaks all the rules—and shows how you can, too. His intriguing story “Baby, It Didn’t Have to Happen That Way”, illustrates his point.

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My Not-So-Funny Valentine

1 Feb 2009 00:00:01 EST

Stories of love dominate the month, including the Classic Flash, but there’s nothing Harlequinesque about them. Bruce has a new column, too, and a poignant story to exemplify his point. Also a note on Bill Highsmith’s outstanding contribution to our blog, some thank-you’s to those who help keep us running, and a wrap-up of the Preditors & Editors poll.

Read more. . .

Zoom! Writing A Lifetime In A Page Or Two

1 Feb 2009 00:00:01 EST

In this issue, Bruce Holland Rogers makes time fly by focusing on a lot of time in a small space. He uses a poignant 300-word story, “Dinosaur”, as an illustration.

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Vote in the Preditors & Editors Poll!

1 Jan 2009 00:00:01 EST

There’s a lot to say about this issue, but first: The Preditors & Editors Poll is up, and polling only runs for about two weeks, so please go vote! I’d be honored by Flash Fiction Online nominations in any of the appropriate categories: Fiction e-zine, Artist (for R.W. Ware, our artist-in-residence), Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Story, Non-SF&F Story, Non-fiction Article (for Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-short Sighted” column), Author, and, if I may not seem too immodest, Magazine / e-zine editor.

Read more. . .

Get Unreal

1 Jan 2009 00:00:01 EST

They say that truth is stranger than fiction, but they’re not talking about this sort of fiction. Bruce Holland Rogers covers some of the stranger styles of fiction—expressionism, surrealism, magical realism and fantasy—and shows how they can be useful in short-short stories. He offers his story “Estranged” as an example of expressionism.

Read more. . .

Is “Paper Anniversary” Too Ironic For A Web Site?

1 Nov 2008 00:00:01 EST

This is our first anniversary issue—lucky thirteen—and I’m happy to report a lot of great things going on here at Flash Fiction Online. Our very first story just won an award, we’ve started podcasting, we’ve nominated stories for the Pushcart Prize, and, of course, we have great new stories for the month.

Read more. . .

Counting and Multiplying: The Birth and Evolution of the Three-Six-Nine

1 Dec 2008 00:00:01 EST

The latest installment of Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-Short Sighted” column discusses the “369”—a form so rigid that one might wonder whether it can be effective. After reading this column, you’ll stop wondering.

Read more. . .

An October Surprise

1 Nov 2008 00:00:01 EST

Yes, I know we already published a Halloween story—“A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf—but Mercedes M. Yardley’s “Ray the Vampire” seemed so perfect that we had to do another one. It’s a fun story and, of course, a quick read.

Normally we publish on the first Tuesday or Thursday of the month, so the rest of our November issue will go live on the 4th—Election Day! Print out the stories to read while you’re waiting in line.

Read more. . .

The End of the Year

1 Nov 2008 00:00:01 EST

This issue marks the end of our first full year of publishing, and I give a few statistics in this article. I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished. In addition, we have some great stories—haunting and compelling—and a new column by Bruce Holland Rogers.

Read more. . .

Once Upon A Time: Fairy Tales

1 Nov 2008 00:00:01 EST

The latest installment of Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-Short Sighted” column discusses fairy tales. His short-short story example, “The Dead Boy At Your Window,” is a haunting example—and winner of the Bram Stoker and the Pushcart Prize. Don’t miss it.

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The Ladies of October

1 Oct 2008 00:00:01 EST

This is our first all-woman issue, even including (sort of) Bruce Holland Rogers’s writing column. In includes two very different speculative fiction stories, one mainstream story, and one Halloween-themed Classic Flash. Join us in the Flash Forum or click the link to...

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Take a Letter...or a Fire Extinguisher

1 Oct 2008 00:00:01 EST

The latest installment of Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-Short Sighted” column discusses fixed forms found “in the wild,” in letters and travel guides and even fire extinguishers. His short-short story What to Expect is about pregnancy—and a little bit more.

Read more. . .

In This Issue

1 Sep 2008 00:00:01 EST

More great stories for you, whether you’re a grown man who’s been shaken up, a child dealing with her father, or a boy going a little bonkers. Or maybe you’re an ancient Greek being channeled by Edgar Allan Poe. And if you’re a writer, you can see how Bruce Holland Rogers uses rigidity to get creative.

Read more. . .

One Loopy Sentence At A Time

1 Sep 2008 00:00:01 EST

The latest installment of Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-Short Sighted” column discusses fixed forms—using rigidity to inspire creativity. His 400-word story The House of Women serves as an example.

Read more. . .

In This Issue

1 Aug 2008 00:00:01 EST

Serious stories? Silly? Both? Yes—even out of this world. Plus flash writing tips. Plus Bruce writes by counting to three!

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Momentum, Disruption, and Proof of Deflection

1 Aug 2008 00:00:01 EST

In the latest installment of his “Short-Short Sighted” column, Bruce Holland Rogers discusses a three-point structure for creating short-short stories: Momentum, Disruption, and Proof of Deflection. And he provides an extremely short story (238 words) called “Daddy” to show you how a master does it.

Read more. . .

Writing Speculative Fiction for the Flash Fiction Market

1 Aug 2008 00:00:01 EST

Suzanne Vincent gets practical on writing extremely short speculative fiction.

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The Fabulist’s Tale

1 Jul 2008 00:00:01 EST

Bruce Holland Rogers’s “Short-Short Sighted” column this month is called The Fabulist’s Tale. In it, he discusses fables and gives us a story of his own as an example.

Read more. . .

In This Issue

1 Jul 2008 00:00:01 EST

It’s a super issue: Read one of our great stories, or learn how to write your own.

Read more. . .

In This Issue

1 Jun 2008 00:00:01 EST

There’s something for everyone in this issue: boys at an abandoned mill, high-functioning robots, a little speculative non-fiction, and a classic. And if you’re a writer, you can see the first column in Bruce Holland Rogers’s new series about writing the short-short form. Read more!

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The Hand of the Dead

1 Jun 2008 00:00:01 EST

Dave Hoing, author of “Souls of the Harvest” from our February issue, sent me The Hand of the Dead with an odd explanation: “Although it’s short enough to qualify as flash, I’m not sure if it’s fictional enough to qualify as fiction.” Call it a speculative essay, if you like—it stems from his love of old books, and the legacy captured in the handwriting inside a 1792 bible. —Ed.

Read more. . .

You’ll Know It When You See It

1 Jun 2008 00:00:01 EST

Flash Fiction Online is extremely proud to welcome Bruce Holland Rogers, award-winning author and educator, as he begins his new column, entitled “Short-Short Sighted: Writing the Short-Short Story.” His first column frames the question that will lead us through the rest of his columns: What exactly is this short-short story thing that we keep talking about?

Read more. . .

May Flash May Entertain You

1 May 2008 00:00:01 EST

Great stuff this month. Two-time Hugo nominee Bruce McAllister’s “Game”. New writer John Moran’s “Select Your Champions”. A bit of microfiction from Ron Richardson called “Bus Ride”. And a classic from H.P. Lovecraft called “Ex Oblivione”. Dive in!

Read more. . .

We’re Fools For April

1 Apr 2008 00:00:01 EST

Welcome! Our April Fools issue gives you some of the crazy stories we get that are good, but a little more zany than we’d normally publish. Carl Frederick’s here—you may have read his stories in Analog—as is Kurt Bachard, and newcomer Dalton Keane. And if you haven’t groaned by the time you’re done with those, be sure to check out “Fast Living” by Hank Quense. (It’s a Feghoot, people. It’s supposed to be that way.)

Read more. . .

Small Suns and Cold Deserts

1 Mar 2008 00:00:01 EST

We have an intriguing set of flashes this month. Miracles are mundane, truth is strange, and hard topics are great reads. I discuss more in the full article. We also have our St. Patrick’s Day special, “Lucky Clover”. And don’t miss the interview with Eric Garcia, and the Classic Flash from Mark Twain.

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Interview with Eric

1 Mar 2008 00:00:01 EST

Eric Garcia is a novelist and screenwriter who writes insane things. Interestingly, he seems to be able to make a living selling them. Nobody’s quite sure how this works.

Read more. . .

Pro Prose and New Names

1 Feb 2008 00:00:01 EST

This is a great month. Just go read new stories.

Veteran Dave Hoing lets us see the “Souls of the Harvest.” We have two first-class first sales: “Apologies All Around” by Jeff Soesbe and “Masquerade at Well Country Camp” by Ann Pino. Our Classic Flash #3 is a science fiction story from 1962 — when communications were a little more primitive. And Bruce Holland Rogers discusses deadlines, genres, and the state of writing.

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An Interview with Bruce Holland Rogers

1 Feb 2008 00:00:01 EST

Bruce Holland Rogers is an award-winning fiction writer and teacher, best known for his short — sometimes extremely short — fiction. Among many other places, his stories were included in both the original 1992 Flash Fiction anthology that coined the term and its 2006 follow-up, Flash Fiction Forward. The Keyhole Opera, a collection of his short stories, won the 2006 World Fantasy Award for best collection. He also wrote Word Work: Surviving and Thriving As a Writer, and is on the faculty of the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA program. His “Reconstruction Work” appeared in Flash Fiction Online’s inaugural issue.

Though he bases himself in Eugene, Oregon, we caught up with him in London, where he’s living until July, 2008.

Read more. . .

Allegory vs. Symbolism — What’s It All Mean?

3 Jan 2008 00:00:01 EST

In this article, Mark Freivald uses Bolesław Prus’s "Mold of the Earth" and other stories to discuss the difference between allegory and symbolism.

Read more. . .

Flashes for a Happy New Year

1 Jan 2008 00:00:01 EST

Skip this and just read great new flashes, if you like. (If you want more detail than you get on this page, click here.)

There’s something in this issue for everyone: Eric Garcia, author of the Anonymous Rex series, contributed a demented little ditty called "The Materialist", Stefanie Freele brings us down to earth with "James Brown is Alive and Doing Laundry in South Lake Tahoe", Beth Wodzinski takes us on a side trip with "The Human Clockwork", and Rod M. Santos gives us a delightful modern fantasy called "Speed Dating and Spirit Guides". And, of course, we’re still mining the archives of publicly accessible Classic Flashes: this month’s "Mold of the Earth", written by Boleslaw Prus and translated by Christopher Kasparek, comes from 1884.

And for the writers among you, be sure to check out our interview with Liberty Hall founder Mike Munsil.

Happy reading!

Read more. . .

Liberty Hall Writers: An Interview with Mike Munsil

1 Jan 2008 00:00:01 EST

This issue we sit back, spit on the mat, and talk to Mike Munsil. He’s founder and proprietor of Liberty Hall, talks about his writers’ workshop and how it helps writers like this issue’s Beth Wodzinski and Rod M. Santos.

Read more. . .

Our Inaugural Issue!

1 Dec 2007 00:00:01 EST

You can skip the details and just read stories, of course!

But if you want to know what’s coming, here it is. We have stories by an established pro, Bruce Holland Rogers, as well as an up-and-comer named Suzanne Vincent. And a Classic Flash from H.P. Lovecraft rounds us out.

You can tell us what you think, too, on the Flash Forum. Log in and discuss the stories, or, if you’re a writer, discuss your own works in progress.

All of this means that this is your new source for quality flash fiction—complete stories at 1000 or fewer words—starting right now.

Read more. . .

Don’t Miss It!

1 Dec 2007 00:00:01 EST

We’re sponsoring Liberty Hall’s end-of-year "flash challenge", and interviewing proprietor Mike Munsil.

Eric Garcia, the only guy I know who could pull off three complete novels about dinosaurs who disguise themselves as people, will provide us with a new story.

Plus more classic flash, more great art, and more stuff that hasn’t even been thought of yet!

Read more. . .

Flash Fiction Online Columns

In This Issue

Consolidated Flash and the Collective Narrator

In This Issue

A Story of n Words: How Low Can You Go?

Please Go Vote!

Ellipsis: What To Leave Out

In This Issue

Write Rites: The Ritual Story

In This Issue

George Washington’s Life in Baseball:Using Characters Your Reader Already Knows

In This Issue

The Philosophy of Composition

In This Issue

Review: The Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction

Collaborating with MICE:Using Theory as a Creative Partner

In This Issue

Flash Fiction of Event:Tackling a Problem

In This Issue

Flash Fiction of Character

In This Issue

Flash Fiction of Idea

In This Issue

Short-Short-Sighted Index

More Fun Flash to Come

Flash Fiction of Milieu: What It’s Like Here

The Music Issue

Less Than The Rules Demand: Getting By On Attitude

My Not-So-Funny Valentine

Zoom! Writing A Lifetime In A Page Or Two

Vote in the Preditors & Editors Poll!

Get Unreal

Is “Paper Anniversary” Too Ironic For A Web Site?

Counting and Multiplying: The Birth and Evolution of the Three-Six-Nine

An October Surprise

The End of the Year

Once Upon A Time: Fairy Tales

The Ladies of October

Take a Letter...or a Fire Extinguisher

In This Issue

One Loopy Sentence At A Time

In This Issue

Momentum, Disruption, and Proof of Deflection

Writing Speculative Fiction for the Flash Fiction Market

The Fabulist’s Tale

In This Issue

In This Issue

The Hand of the Dead

You’ll Know It When You See It

May Flash May Entertain You

We’re Fools For April

Small Suns and Cold Deserts

Interview with Eric

Pro Prose and New Names

An Interview with Bruce Holland Rogers

Allegory vs. Symbolism ﻿—​ What’s It All Mean?

Flashes for a Happy New Year

Liberty Hall Writers: An Interview with Mike Munsil

Our Inaugural Issue!

Don’t Miss It!

Allegory vs. Symbolism — What’s It All Mean?