Flash fiction has become my main form of writing since I first learned of it earlier this year and I think it is making a comeback as a genre. I enjoy writing it because most flash stories capture a scene and, if written well, can evoke in the reader what a novel can despite its brevity. One reason I believe it is making a comeback is because of just that. It’s short. It takes merely minutes to read which is a shorter time than most people spend on their phone/social media when waiting for whatever they may be waiting for or when looking for something to waste those few minutes when they find themselves bored. It also doesn’t take very long to write which is good because I find I don’t as much free time as I used to have (though I don’t know where it slips away to).

For now I write a lot of flash because of my lack of time but also because it lets me explore ideas in a concise manner that I can use to discover if I’ll explore the idea further. If that idea holds ground and interest enough to become a longer story. It’s like taking notes, but I can share it even if they are written in only one draft. As a writer I’ve come a long way in that aspect. I used to be very protective of my work. I still am for projects that aren’t ready for eyes other my mine, but I’ve come to a point where I can share work that I know isn’t even close to my best. I like to think that I waste a lot less of my writing as well. There are fewer abandoned works that never see the light of day. Flash lets me jot down my scene and walk away if I don’t think it has much potential. I’m still working on my book of course, but flash fulfills the need to write something. And something new at that.

There are downsides to flash as well (as with any genre or form). I cannot create especially deep characters or plot because there is not enough room. That’s where the book comes in or the short story. I hope the characters in my book are not only engaging, but elaborate enough that some readers will like them and want to know more. I say this of the support characters mainly. As always, I never believe that I can write as interestingly as many authors I’ve read. But I just have to keep plugging along and maybe one day I will prove myself wrong. Maybe one day I will meet someone who truly likes my stories and characters and they can tell me their favorite parts and I will be surprised. That one day will never come if all I do is talk about it. So with that, it’s time to work. See ya.