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FLASH!: Writing the Very Short Story
An engaging and frank guide to writing the very short story, full of sound advice, exemplary models, and provocative exercises.
The history of fiction has been dominated by the novel and the short story. But now a brave new genre has very brief fiction. FLASH! identifies the qualities that make for excellent flash fiction, demystifies the writing process, and guides writers by exercise and example through the world of the very short story. John Dufresne’s characteristic warmth, wit, and humor remind writers of the joy in the creative process, making this a perfect guide for any writer interested in trying a new form.
The history of fiction has been dominated by the novel and the short story. But now a brave new genre has very brief fiction. FLASH! identifies the qualities that make for excellent flash fiction, demystifies the writing process, and guides writers by exercise and example through the world of the very short story. John Dufresne’s characteristic warmth, wit, and humor remind writers of the joy in the creative process, making this a perfect guide for any writer interested in trying a new form.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2018
119 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
John Dufresne
50 books144 followersJohn Dufresne teaches in the Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing program at Florida International University. He is a French-Canadian born in America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
October 2, 2020
Hello my fellow writers and self-teachers! I'm happy to tell you about this book today, as it's one of my very favorites. It's rare you come across a writing instruction text that is valuable from cover to cover, but for me, this book was just that. So let me tell you what I liked and didn't like about John Dufresne's Flash!:
Likes:
1. Where do I even begin? Well, to start with, of the dozen or books I've read on writing flash, this is my favorite of all of them. To start with, I love the way this book is organized and structured. Dufresne doesn't make the mistake of trying to teach this subject in brief, which is extraordinarily difficult to pull off. He provides ample explanation, countless beautiful examples of flash in various form, and dozens of prompts and exercises. None of the material could be considered "general fiction instruction;" all is specialized and technical. This book is useful if you're serious about learning flash.
2. I mentioned the examples and prompts and exercises above, and they deserve a second mention here. I've read instructional texts for flash, general fiction, and other topics, in which the sample stories were poor examples of the craft, and the exercises and prompts were uninspired. The stories in this text beautifully represent the flash genre, and the exercises and prompts are incredibly creative.
Dislikes:
1. This is hard. Really hard. I guess it was a little annoying how often I had to stop reading so I could write something. How terrible is that?
Well, that's it! If you really want to learn flash, this is a must-have book. I hope you enjoy the review, everybody stay safe!
Likes:
1. Where do I even begin? Well, to start with, of the dozen or books I've read on writing flash, this is my favorite of all of them. To start with, I love the way this book is organized and structured. Dufresne doesn't make the mistake of trying to teach this subject in brief, which is extraordinarily difficult to pull off. He provides ample explanation, countless beautiful examples of flash in various form, and dozens of prompts and exercises. None of the material could be considered "general fiction instruction;" all is specialized and technical. This book is useful if you're serious about learning flash.
2. I mentioned the examples and prompts and exercises above, and they deserve a second mention here. I've read instructional texts for flash, general fiction, and other topics, in which the sample stories were poor examples of the craft, and the exercises and prompts were uninspired. The stories in this text beautifully represent the flash genre, and the exercises and prompts are incredibly creative.
Dislikes:
1. This is hard. Really hard. I guess it was a little annoying how often I had to stop reading so I could write something. How terrible is that?
Well, that's it! If you really want to learn flash, this is a must-have book. I hope you enjoy the review, everybody stay safe!
April 15, 2025
When I saw this book in the library it enticed me. I hoped that it would give me a new experience to explore this new world of flash fiction.
The author gave a great perspective on the science behind the stories and their importance.
The origin of flash fiction and the border between short stories and what makes a flash fiction everything was well portrayed.
The author gave many examples of flash fiction from different topics, themes, structure, and narration.
It was crazy that some stories are just a single line, many a small paragraph, and some goes up to 2 pages.
This book gave me a lot of insights about flash fiction. It brainstormed with a variety of ideas to make my creative fuel flow to create fiction.
When we travel we see many things, we can write flashes for everything just like taking photographs.
Also a new form of fiction was introduced: Ekphrastic.
It is like a response of writers to other arts like painting, photograph, and sculpture.
Also just like other stories, the flash fiction is mostly about rework. You may get a spark of idea pour it out and later edit it, restructure it, and adorn to create a refined version.
The author gave a great perspective on the science behind the stories and their importance.
The origin of flash fiction and the border between short stories and what makes a flash fiction everything was well portrayed.
The author gave many examples of flash fiction from different topics, themes, structure, and narration.
It was crazy that some stories are just a single line, many a small paragraph, and some goes up to 2 pages.
This book gave me a lot of insights about flash fiction. It brainstormed with a variety of ideas to make my creative fuel flow to create fiction.
When we travel we see many things, we can write flashes for everything just like taking photographs.
Also a new form of fiction was introduced: Ekphrastic.
It is like a response of writers to other arts like painting, photograph, and sculpture.
Also just like other stories, the flash fiction is mostly about rework. You may get a spark of idea pour it out and later edit it, restructure it, and adorn to create a refined version.
January 6, 2019
The writing advice was... Fine. I really enjoyed a lot of the examples of super short stories and wish there had been more.
March 17, 2020
Great ideas!
August 10, 2023
Despite being five years old, Flash sets out a solid curriculum for writers interested in getting to the brass tacks of what makes a story just that. I do think could use a second edition to accompany the growing flash fiction community on the internet and not just “serious” anthologies.
August 20, 2021
Finally. A book about writing that actually treats writing like an art. My only complaints would be that there are a lot more examples than actual tips, but it covered some solid areas and there were really good prompts.
August 30, 2018
Whew child. How can Dufresne take up so much textual real estate and say so little? How, Sway?
In the first few chapters, a lot of time is spent pontificating on the history of flash fiction and myths and reciting Oxford English Dictionary definitions. Yawn.
And the quotes. Good lord, the quotes. The text is saturated with them. The worst are pull quotes -- like the kind you'd see in a magazine, which makes for a jarring reading experience.
Speaking of quotes, Dufresne often neglects to contextualize them. I guess he thought they could speak for themselves? He relies so heavily on the input of others that I found his own insights lacking. Quotes should be used to support your own ideas not supplant them.
I think the thing I'm most salty about is his discussion of craft and technique... or the lack there of. Most of it was rudimentary, at best, and nothing you haven't seen before. Sure, there were exercises sprinkled throughout, but they were tantamount to "Okay, now write some flash fiction." Like, what?
If you want a more thorough and thoughtful discussion of flash fiction, there is a wealth of information on the internet.
All that aside, the book is a quick read, and I appreciate the collection of flash stories the book includes. You get a feel for the possibilities available to flash authors. The actual stories were great, it's just the junk bracketing them that I had a hard time with.
If you feel the need to read this book, (though I'm not sure why you'd want to), save your coins and borrow it from your local library.
In the first few chapters, a lot of time is spent pontificating on the history of flash fiction and myths and reciting Oxford English Dictionary definitions. Yawn.
And the quotes. Good lord, the quotes. The text is saturated with them. The worst are pull quotes -- like the kind you'd see in a magazine, which makes for a jarring reading experience.
Speaking of quotes, Dufresne often neglects to contextualize them. I guess he thought they could speak for themselves? He relies so heavily on the input of others that I found his own insights lacking. Quotes should be used to support your own ideas not supplant them.
I think the thing I'm most salty about is his discussion of craft and technique... or the lack there of. Most of it was rudimentary, at best, and nothing you haven't seen before. Sure, there were exercises sprinkled throughout, but they were tantamount to "Okay, now write some flash fiction." Like, what?
If you want a more thorough and thoughtful discussion of flash fiction, there is a wealth of information on the internet.
All that aside, the book is a quick read, and I appreciate the collection of flash stories the book includes. You get a feel for the possibilities available to flash authors. The actual stories were great, it's just the junk bracketing them that I had a hard time with.
If you feel the need to read this book, (though I'm not sure why you'd want to), save your coins and borrow it from your local library.
August 17, 2020
If you're looking for a quick and dirty guide to writing flash fiction, this book is not it. John Dufresne clearly has deep knowledge of and love for fiction in all forms, and Flash! serves as more of a textbook, a masterclass on how to write flash fiction than a simple guide.
Filled to the brim with excellent works of flash fiction, inspiring flash fiction prompts, and sage instruction on writing in general and on writing short short stories in particular, this is a book to take your time with. It's a book to go back to again and again.
If you're aiming to get your flash fiction published in professional literary and speculative fiction journals, Dufresne's book is indispensable. It can, at times, feel tangential or denser than it needs to be, but be patient with it. Read the first few chapters and then keep writing, taking the stories and exercises a bit at a time.
When I picked up Flash!, I was expecting a high quality but quick overview on how to write flash fiction, but I ended up with so much more. This book is definitely a keeper!
Filled to the brim with excellent works of flash fiction, inspiring flash fiction prompts, and sage instruction on writing in general and on writing short short stories in particular, this is a book to take your time with. It's a book to go back to again and again.
If you're aiming to get your flash fiction published in professional literary and speculative fiction journals, Dufresne's book is indispensable. It can, at times, feel tangential or denser than it needs to be, but be patient with it. Read the first few chapters and then keep writing, taking the stories and exercises a bit at a time.
When I picked up Flash!, I was expecting a high quality but quick overview on how to write flash fiction, but I ended up with so much more. This book is definitely a keeper!
September 21, 2018
This furthered my grasp of the very short story and points out that the format is not new. Defined as about 250-1500 words, a "short-short" story doesn't have to have a 'plot' but it has to have a point. What it leaves out is as important as what it puts in. Brevity, intensity and perhaps the unexpected are hallmarks. ". . . it's economic, inferential, allusive because it must do so much in so brief a time and space." It's not easier to write because it's 'short' as one might think, but in fact, much harder to do well for the reasons stated. Much helpful information along with many examples and exercises. I did not stop to do each exercise but I did many and marked others to do later. I will add this to my shelf of books on writing
I purchased an anthology mentioned in the book (Short Shorts by Irving Howe 1982) which I am reading now.
I purchased an anthology mentioned in the book (Short Shorts by Irving Howe 1982) which I am reading now.
October 10, 2022
What is the very short story? The poem? What are some examples of the very short story? Why write a few?
These are the questions and many more that this book poses and attempts to answer.
Most importantly, however, the book provides thematic prompts to write your own. I've actually written short stories related to the two prompts I've already encountered and have a solid idea to pursue for the third. If that's the measure of success of this book, for me this book was amazingly productive. (I haven't finished it though and I'm not even sure I'll ever finish it).
Loved the book!
These are the questions and many more that this book poses and attempts to answer.
Most importantly, however, the book provides thematic prompts to write your own. I've actually written short stories related to the two prompts I've already encountered and have a solid idea to pursue for the third. If that's the measure of success of this book, for me this book was amazingly productive. (I haven't finished it though and I'm not even sure I'll ever finish it).
Loved the book!
July 28, 2025
Some good advice that mostly confirms what I already knew and also adds nuance to my knowledge.
Some of the examples of flash ficton is good, although most of it has an unpleasant edge, but they are still engaging. A lot is non-specific to flash writing advice. Good for beginners in creative writing and flash, those wanting to explore flash writing and those wanting to glean a bit more and explore a bit of examples.
My final take is this book is not essential to an advanced writer of flash fiction, but it does inspire confidence that you are going in the right direction.
Some of the examples of flash ficton is good, although most of it has an unpleasant edge, but they are still engaging. A lot is non-specific to flash writing advice. Good for beginners in creative writing and flash, those wanting to explore flash writing and those wanting to glean a bit more and explore a bit of examples.
My final take is this book is not essential to an advanced writer of flash fiction, but it does inspire confidence that you are going in the right direction.
July 9, 2018
A really interesting guide to flash fiction. I read it because I wanted to understand the genre better and because I am currently writing four stories for a writing challenge. It was full of varied examples and several writing prompts. I haven't tried any of them yet but plan to. I didn't like his first couple of example stories, but they improved later. I like his outlook that anything can become a story- even a mundane visit to the store.
December 2, 2021
Admittedly I just read this cover to cover without doing the exercises because I wanted to learn more about Flash. I was surprised at how long some of the short stories were — a few pages. (I had been imagining them all a few paragraphs or shorter.) The exercises are generally good but some feel a little too proscriptive, as someone who writes mainly speculative fiction. Which is okay. There are plenty of other exercises.
April 10, 2018
I'm new to flash fiction, and this book gives a lot of information on the history of flash fiction, as well as numerous examples and writing activities. I didn't do any of the activities on my first pass, but I marked many of them to go back and work on at a later date. The author includes a nice variety, so there's a bit of something for everyone.
August 26, 2018
This book was filled with a lot of good practical advice for writing stories. A lot of that advice, I thought, could also apply to longer works. But the exercises and very short stories included kept the book focused on the form I was reading for. A worthwhile read for anyone interested in very short fiction.
June 13, 2019
This is quite a nifty book. For those who are interested in either learning how to write flash fiction or how to improve, it gives excellent examples of types and methods. There are plenty of exercises to try and prompts to get your creativity flowing. Rather than simply telling you how flash fiction is written, it shows you. I recommend it for any writer, not just short story writers.
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August 20, 2024I just finished reading my 42nd book this year. As any fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series will know, 42 is a significant number. 😁
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February 26, 2025
Although lots of great information is found in this book, I found it a slog to get through. I'll confess I skipped sections. Some of the flash fiction examples didn't interest me at all which further made it a difficult read. It's probably just me, as I'm not a "literary" person. Others might find this comprehensive and enjoy it.
December 7, 2018
This book was really informative on the art of writing flash fiction. I actually wrote a few pieces with this book as a guide and am actually impressed with myself. His exercises are really helpful for practicing.
January 26, 2019
This seemed to be more a fiction writing book then a flash fiction writing book. An enormous number of writing prompts here, and I don’t know that they relate more to flash fiction than any other kind of fiction.
March 11, 2020
A thought provoking exploration of short short stories and other microfiction styles of writing. As a long time lover and writer of short stories I found the freedom expressed through form examples to be very insightful. I recommend this read to any writer looking to experiment with a new form.
June 7, 2024
I found this book helpful in understanding what exactly a short story (a very short story I should say) can accomplish. There's a lot of examples and tools to use when approaching a short writing project, which I really appreciate
March 12, 2018
This book was so fantastic! I closed my eyes and felt as if there was a class going on around me. All of the lessons, followed by brief examples made this book be an essential read.
April 4, 2018
Full of great examples of flash fiction by many authors and exercises to inspire your own flash fiction.
June 10, 2018
I've always been intrigued with this form. This book talks intelligently about the traits of the very short story and shows it with some wonderful examples.
June 17, 2018
Book was fluffed with other writer's work. I felt there are just better books out there for people working on their writing.
August 18, 2018
Some good ideas and inspiration. Other parts were over my head.
August 27, 2019
Food for the creative soul. Full of rich flash fiction, and techniques for creating your own. Any time I'm in a creative dry spell, I'll flip to one of the many exercises included in this book.
March 24, 2020
Great insight and examples of the art of flash fiction
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews