Google that question and you'll find a plethora of how to's. Wiki-how.com has a numbered response with pictures for that
answer. Since the answer is readily available, I thought I'd tell you exactly
how I do it.
With Mondays Finish the Story – Barbara W.
Beachman gives us a picture and a first sentence prompt. For Friday Fictioneers, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields gives only a photo prompt. She expects 100
words while Barbara gives us a challenge of 150 words. I enjoy both and if you're interested,
please click the links to find out more.
As soon as the prompt is posted,
I save the photograph to my desktop. I make it my desktop background until the
story is finished simmering in my head.
However, the first thing I do is put myself into the scene – no
matter what or where it is. Then I start to detail my story through the questions I ask.
For a recent Mondays Finish The Story, the picture was of a black cat hiding
behind a curtain, his paws clearly visible, and his bright green eyes shining
through the thin material. Barbara posted the sentence "He thought he had
found the perfect hiding place."
I became the cat. Why would a black cat hide? Whom would he hide from? What was happening that made him
hide? From that, I fashioned my story Spells & Potions. See, it's that
simple. I also try to find a way to end the story with something fun,
unexpected, and surprising. It's not
necessary, just fun.
For a recent Friday Fictioneers,
the photo prompt was a winter scene with a pavilion. I placed myself at the scene and then asked the question, why
was I there? I decided for a first date. Moreover,
while I made it a lovely first date, with the possibility of more for
this young couple, and could have ended it that way, but I like a twist.
I read First Date to my husband and son,
and they immediately said, no one proposes on a first date. However, I had personal experience as proof
they were wrong. I've had such a proposal, not once, not even twice, but three
times – thank God, my dates didn't carry
knives. :)
I hope this gives you some insight into how I write flash
fiction, and an excuse to try one yourself. Once I see the prompt, I can
usually get the story written in a very short time. I always write, edit, edit,
edit, and then publish. The first draft is never good enough. Still the entire
process takes very little time, I'd say
from beginning to end, one hour, and it's
fun!
And now you have my secret to flash fiction prompts:
QUESTIONS
It's a technique I learned when my son
was young, and we had a long ride in the
car. He'd get anxious and cranky. So we created stories. I'd ask a question.
He'd give me an answer and then I'd embellish his answer and add another
question. On one such trip, we fashioned a story of how he and his trusty best
friend, his dog Peanut, saved the moon from a cheese eating alligator. He had
fun, and a long ride became much shorter.
I use the same technique of asking questions during all my writing, especially
when the story falters. Ask the right question, because there's always an answer!
While it might seem easy to put yourself into a photo prompt to get your story, you can do the same with a title, a list of words, or a sentence. What image do the words conjure? You're a writer, use that imagination and paint our story.
Detailed scenic writing is almost a lost art in the modern
day of quick stories – get to the action – and short attention spans. Denise's
scenic writing takes you to a destination
without a photograph because she creates the scene fully through her writing.
So check out the WEP blog and learn how add atmosphere to your writing. CLICK HERE!
HAPPY WRITING!
Do you have any secrets to writing
you can share?
Do prompts do it for you? Is it a title, a few words, or a
complete sentence that gets your flash fiction writing juices started?
Come on share – it's just between
you and me!
