Turning to flash fiction and embracing rejection

We’ve all been there – we start a writing project with enthusiasm, vision and momentum. But after the exciting newness passes, we falter.

Writer’s block is common, but this doesn’t make it less of a pain in the arse.

I’m no exception: three chapters into my first attempt at writing a novel and I’m stuck.

A culmination of losing my writing habit rhythm, increasing work demands, pressing personal priorities like our wedding and honeymoon, and starting to train for an ultramarathon (swiftly followed by a blowout knee injury that is taking weeks to heal) are but a handful of the factors I could use as excuses.

But rather than bash my head against a creative brick wall, I decided to attempt writing flash fiction. It took me several months to take action, but I’m relieved I did.

A lot of you here are writerly folk as well, so I hope my observations on flash might help you too if you’re in a similar position.

Flash fiction: the what and why 

Authors of flash fiction vary on the specifics of the form, but we can loosely define it as very short stories of up to 1,000 words (some call stories under 500 ‘micro fiction.’) 

People assume the shorter length of flash fiction makes it ‘easier.’ They are wrong.

Flash fiction stories still entail all the core components of longer, traditional stories – character development, conflict, plot, story arc, themes, etc – just in a condensed form. It is an art to elicit captivating tales in such a pithy, punchy package.  

And so far, my initial experience dipping my toe into flash has been energising and incredibly rewarding.

It’s like doodling on a napkin in a restaurant.

The shortness of the form lets you experiment, and the beauty is you can work through them quickly, moving on from one idea to a completely new one in the same sitting – heck, even the same cup of coffee.

On rejection

So far I’ve written a handful of stories, submitted two for publication and received two rejection letters.

The second one offered no feedback from the readers, but the first one contained useful – if brief – thoughts on the piece.

As humans it is natural for us to resent rejection and react negatively to it.

But for me the first instance of receiving a rejection letter for my short story felt empowering – it made me feel seen.

Sure, I liked the piece and wanted it to do well.

However the readers were right, and I have taken their positive criticisms onboard with the stories I’ve written since.

Rejection with feedback is infinitely better than yawning silence – like when you apply for a job but never hear back from the company.

Plus, you feel the momentum of putting yourself out there, embracing action over stasis.

If you’re grappling with writer’s block or fancy trying a new creative outlet – give flash fiction a whirl.  

Where to start

A solid starting point I found useful was ‘The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction.’

Divided into logical chapters written by separate authors, they each offer their thoughts on different dynamics of flash – wrapping up with examples and commentary on them.

There are also countless blog posts and YouTube videos on the topic aimed at familiarising newbies and veteran writers alike.

Good luck!

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