21ST Module 9

flash fiction

- also known as short-short story, it is a much shorter version of a short story
- composed of 100-1000 words in length
- has a well thought out plot and great characters, but they don't necessarily need to be fully developed
- shouldn't be more than one plot and one theme.
- is punchy and to the point, a story of extreme brevity with the plot pared down to the core of the story. Every detail, every character gesture, every description counts; each word has its place. Take one word away and the meaning is lost.
- most famous genres are in romance, thriller, horror and sci-fi
- bears the essential elements of a short story

Short Story

- is significantly shorter than a novel
- consists of 1000-10, 000 words in length
- has a fleshed-out plot, well-rounded characters, and a developed setting and theme.
- has one or a few characters and one or a few settings (limited in place and time, such as a day or a couple of weeks) and expresses a single theme, or message.
- generally is more flexible. There is more space to develop ideas, plot, character and theme; there is at most, one plot and a small subplot or a plot and a half

Characteristics of Flash Fiction

story structure, settings, characters and backstory, description

Story Structure

A flash fiction story is not the shortened version of a longer story; it still follows the elements of plot, including a beginning, middle and end, as well as a conflict and satisfying resolution.

Setting

Most flash fiction stories take place in one setting, as moving between locations uses up too much space. It allows the writer and reader to focus on the plot

Characters and Backstory

Flash fiction pieces are plot-driven and include no more than three or four characters. They may include some character development, but too much backstory can use valuable space

Description

a strong piece can balance vivid descriptions with a quickmoving plot. Stories that lack description are not satisfying to read, and a flash fiction piece should feel complete.

plot

- the series of events and characters' actions that includes a beginning, a middle and an end

Two types of plot

unified
episodic

unified plot

has a story that is realistic with a central character and action and the story happens in one place during a short span of time- a day, several hours or even just for an hour.

episodic plot

has a story that happens in a much extended period of time. A writer who employs the ____ plot frequently uses the technique of 'flashback' to lay out background details of the story. But similar to the unified plot, it also has a central character, setting and action

three ways to write a plot

movement in casualty
a movement in time
movement in dramatic tension

PLOT - a movement in time

when the story transpires on a particular period of time such as an hour, a day, a week, a month or even a year

PLOT - movement in casualty

when the story is established on a series of casual events that happen one after another. Here, the writer is to create a story based on the principle of cause and effect that is, the first event sets off the second and the second event sets off the third and so on. Hence, every new event has a casual relationship to the old ones.

PLOT - a movement in dramatic tension

when the story has dialogue, action, details, descriptions and scenes that amplify the tension and persuade the reader to turn the page and continue reading. The techniques of foreshadowing, flashback and epiphany are oftentimes employed in this type of plot

components of a plot structure/parts of the narrative

exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution/end

Exposition

- the beginning of the story
- also known as the inciting incident.
- where the author introduces the characters, identifies where the story is happening, and establishes the main conflict. This includes events, actions or even decisions that build conflict, pressure or disturbance to the main character.

Rising Action

also known as the plot complication where the writer fully introduces the conflict or the obstacle that will prevent the main character, the protagonist, to achieve his goal

Climax

most exciting part of a story. This part has the most tension or most exciting event compared to all other events in the story. Also, this is where important decisions are made or important things are discovered

Falling Action

occurs after the climax as the problems in the story start to work themselves out. The excitement becomes less and less as the conflict is resolved.

Resolution/End

the solution to the problem in a story

closed ending

the resolution is done by answering all unanswered questions that were implied or explicitly stated.

open ending

leaves the readers to think, wonder or speculate what happens after the story has ended.