Why write flash-fiction?
Sometimes called micro-fiction or sudden fiction, flash fiction isn’t just a very short story, it’s a flash moment – part of a much larger untold story, where much is left unexplained. They are typically no longer than 1000 words, but can be as short as 100 words (when it’s called a drabble) or even 20–50 words (a dribble). Flash fiction challenges children to move forward in their narrative writing from Years 3-5 where they are often asked to write a single short story. For this project, they are essentially creating a whole anthology of micro stories! In the process, they become more discerning with words and learn to infuse their pieces with aspects of poetry and literary technique. Indeed, flash fiction can sometimes be seen as an extension of free-verse poetry.
Children tend to enjoy making their flash fiction anthologies, as it encourages them to come away from the habit of writing at length and to think more carefully about how they can say the things they wish to say. Flash fiction shows children that their narrative writing in the past may have sometimes ‘lost its way’ by becoming rambling and disorganised. The hope with this writing project is that it has a lasting positive effect on their future story writing. Writers have to be disciplined at the revision stage, deleting rather than adding, and being honest with themselves as to whether that particular adjective or adverb is really vital to the piece. Flash-fiction will become a genre enjoyed by the children in your class and is a pleasure to hear read aloud.
Finally, this project couldn’t be better suited for collecting evidence for the greater-depth writing standard.