Hello there everyone!
This day last year I published my first (and so far only) ebook, Bound by Life, on Amazon. It has been quite an eventful year since. The book has sold 14 paid copies and over a hundred free copies. It has also being downloaded at least fifty times via Kindle Unlimited/Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. For a beginning author as myself, I consider it an achievement!
To celebrate one-year anniversary of Bound by Life, I am publishing a guest post by Shilpa Niraj, blogger at Femme Time. Shilpa is set to publish her first novella, A Murder Gone Wrong, on Amazon soon. Today, she shares with you ten tips to write short fiction.
Ten Tips to Write Flash Fiction
By Shilpa Niraj
We all know that any story should have a beginning, middle and an end. Also, it should have three basic elements, the character, the setting and the plot. But how about when we try to cram up all the elements in an insanely short fiction?
Flash Fiction is a disciplined genre, which helps writers’ to hone their skills. It is an art form that takes ability and effort to fit a good story within the small framework.
To submit a flash fiction online, stories must be between 500 and 1000 words. Brevity is the key. This leads to lot of constraints and restrictions while writing a story that is succinct. Here are some tips that will help in writing ultra-short stories.
- Select a single theme for your story.
- More than two characters are not advised.
- Start at the middle of the story, not the beginning.
- Keep the story as a single plot. Sub-plots may not fit into the word count limit.
- Do not have multiple scenes.
- Unnecessary adverbs and adjectives are not advised.
- Remember that flash fiction is not a narrative or an essay.
- Create an impact with a twist at the end.
- Know when to show and when to tell. You need to select it wisely.
- Entice the reader with a great title.
About the Author
Shilpa Niraj has been reading mysteries ever since she first discovered Nancy Drew. An ardent fan of mysteries, she can still go back and reread her favorite books of Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardner. An avid reader and a blogger, she is now eagerly awaiting for the release of her debut mystery novella, A Murder Gone Wrong.
Shilpa holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and a master’s degree in Information Management from Mumbai University. She lives with her husband in Mumbai, India.
When she is not reading or plotting murders for her next story, she is busy exploring new destinations.
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The thoughts and opinions expressed in the guest post are solely the guest’s. The owner of this blog makes no representation as to the originality, accuracy or completeness of any information in this post.
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