Part of being a writer, as any honest writer will tell you, is whining and moaning over not being able to write. Oh, we're creative when it comes to the details — work, school, kids, cats, laundry, dishes, gutters, gardens — but the underlying excuses are the same: I don't have time, I don't have any ideas, and I wouldn't know where to market my story even if I did, by some miracle, manage to finish it.
Even those who haven't yet ventured onto the page have the lingo down. If I had a dollar for every person I've met who would love to write, if they just had the time — well, I'd have more money, anyway. Beginning and wannabe writers have access to a bonus excuse: I don't know how to write a story (okay, some of us who've been writing for a while use this one, too — never let it be said that we are not shameless opportunists).
Writers — active, beginning, and wannabe — please sit down. Take a deep breath. I have terrible news for you: Your excuses are no longer acceptable.
Michael Wilson, a writer, editor, and creative-writing educator, has written and published a lively little writing guide entitled Flash Writing: How to Write, Revise and Publish Stories Less than 1000 Words Long. In short, friendly chapters with clear headings, Mr. Wilson addresses all the excuses we rely on, and encourages us, with examples and exercises, to move past them (the nerve!).
But I don't know how to write a story.
Never fear! Mr. Wilson has included all the pertinent information, reminding us of the basic components and principles of good writing: character, description, point of view, setting, event and conflict, style, and revision.
But I don't have any ideas.
A highlight of Mr. Wilson's book is its abundance of writing exercises and prompts. Each chapter ends with several types of exercises: activities supporting the contents of the chapter, exercises for timed writing sessions, first lines, and quick topics. Some of the chapters (Chapter 3 — Preparing to Write Flash Fiction, Chapter 4 — Where to Get Ideas, Chapter 8 — Sources of Character) address at length the idea-gathering process. And if that isn't enough for you, Appendix B lists other useful writing guides and exercise books.
But I don't have time to write.
"Flash fiction is exactly what it sounds like — fiction that can be read in a flash," points out Mr. Wilson. Writing flash represents far less time investment than writing a lengthy short story or novel: "In less than a day, you can have a completed (and possibly publishable) story to show for your efforts." One of the things I like best about writing or editing flash is the ability to cast my eyes over the entire story at once, which makes it easier to keep track of what's going on. Also, there's far less going on in a flash story, as Mr. Wilson makes clear throughout the book, but particularly in Chapter 15 — Compressing the Narrative for Flash Fiction.
But I don't know anything about flash fiction.
In Flash Writing, Mr. Wilson touches on the history of flash fiction, which has "been here for centuries under a variety of aliases: myths, fables, parables, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, tall tales, and legends." He notes also its recent rise in popularity, with appearances in such mainstream publications as Esquire, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair. Appendix B lists many flash fiction collections, and Chapter 17 — Marketing Flash Fiction lists online publications featuring flash. He even reprints ten complete stories from flashquake and Vestal Review in Appendix A.
But even if I did finish a story, I have no idea how to market it.
As noted above, Chapter 17 includes a section of print and online flash fiction markets. Mr. Wilson also details the submission process, reprinting in full and commenting on flashquake's submission guidelines. This may seem superfluous — we all know to check a publication's guidelines when submitting, right? Yet ask any editor and they'll tell you of the many submissions they receive that are too long or too short, incorrectly formatted, missing pertinent contact information, or just obviously wrong for the magazine.
But I already have twenty writing books gathering dust on the shelf.
What sets this book apart from other writing guides and idea books is its focus on flash fiction (and since We don't have time to write, that's where we need to begin, right?). Mr. Wilson shows, with clear examples, how flash differs from longer stories, and discusses choices the writer must make to narrow the focus and compress the narrative.
Chapter 13 — Style points out that flash fiction "is not bound by the conventional rules of longer fiction." In this chapter, Mr. Wilson shows how word count, genre, topic, format, and what he calls "weirdness" can influence the style and content of a story.
If I could change one thing about this book, I'd want this chapter expanded, with Mr. Wilson using his knowledge and expertise to take apart a variety of complete flash stories and show us exactly how and why they work. I'd also like to see some paragraphs from full-length stories or novels compressed as if to appear in a flash story. Mr. Wilson will be writing a regular column for flashquake, and perhaps he will humor me. Sure, I could do these things myself, but hey, I'm a writer (see excuses above and apply as necessary).
But ... But ... But ...
All is not lost, friends and fellow writers. True, Mr. Wilson has gently but firmly slammed the door on our best excuses for not writing. But your friends and family don't have to know that. You can still talk poor — Oh, I have no time, I have no ideas, blah de blah de blah — to people who haven't read Mr. Wilson's book. But with a new year in sight, let's leave the excuses outside and embark on a new, if secret, practice of actually — gasp! — writing.