In a novel, we know everything about the character. We know the color of her hair, the shape and color of her eyes, the styles she prefers to wear, and the scar, the cause of that scar, and how she feels about it.

In flash fiction, you have no such luxury. Your character has to erupt on stage, make his presence memorable, and make an impact that lasts beyond the end of the story. You cannot dwell on the physical details of the flash fiction character. You cannot present excessive back story, or introduce the character's traumatic childhood, or assemble a list of preferences for that character. You have to do a lot with few character details in the tiny space that flash fiction provides.

Sometimes flash fiction characters have no physical description at all, and you learn everything you need to know about him through his actions in the story. You know him through his quirks of personality, his nervous habits, his reaction to discomfort, or through the sensory information he provides for you.

For example, in Mei Li Ooi's story "Cotton Moon Good" there is no definitive description of a particular character. She describes the main character through her wants: "I'm trying to be good, I'm trying not to do anything more than kiss, just kiss, for the longest time, this is all I wanted — to be kissed by a boy." Through her sensations: "The cool wetness of the field soaks into my feet."

And through her actions: "I spread my fingers like cards, I push against his body," and "I recoil and spring and kick before he stills me." Never do we see any physical description of the girl, making it easier for you to imagine yourself in the story. The details about her attacker are also sparse, "body of sinew and stone" and "a cotton-soft voice" but tell us all we need to know about him. The story is told through the actions and sensations of this unnamed female narrator.

So how do you describe your characters in flash fiction? Try these:

Focus on sensory information

Use the character's senses as a conduit for the reader. Sight and sound are important, but don't forget smell, taste and touch. These are powerful, memorable, and often overlooked. This passage from "Snapshots" skillfully pulls all three of these underused senses into the story: "the sticky-sweet bite of plum wine and the smooth comfort of linen tablecloths. Each piece smelled of the future." Let the reader spend time in your character's shoes.

Limit physical description of the character

If you need to include specific physical details, make them unique, and use no more than three of them. Limiting description pulls the reader into the story by allowing him to visualize himself within the tale.

Show the character's reaction to events.

Avoid summarizing the event if you can reveal the character through expressions and action, as Ooi does in "Cotton Moon Good." She shows us the narrator's reaction to her rape in the final paragraph of the story by showing us how the narrator retreats into herself, "folded up in a place where everything is festive red like a good-luck home," while her outward appearance shows something else: "colors drain from my skin and all that remains between the boy and the tree is a jellyfish shadow, translucent and spineless and dull." You feel the shame and betrayal that this character feels.

Use simile and metaphor for character description wherever possible.

Simile and metaphor are the cornerstones of flash fiction. They are the rich language that binds together the stories that we read. A clever metaphor can concisely describe a character that would take pages within a novel. Look for the instances of simile and metaphor in the stories within this issue of flashquake, and practice creating unique simile and metaphors of your own.

These techniques create realistic characters, while supporting the brevity that flash fiction demands.