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The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story
With increased compression, every word, every sentence matters more. A writer must learn how to form narratives around caesuras and crevices instead of strings of connections, to move a story through the symbolic weight of images, to master the power of suggestion.
With elegant prose, deep readings of other writers, and scaffolded writing exercises, The Art of Brevity takes the reader on a lyrical exploration of compact storytelling, guiding readers to heighten their awareness of not only what appears on the page but also what doesn't.
ACCLAIM
"Absolutely essential reading on the power and craft of very short stories. Worth it for the brilliant analysis of narrative and poetics, worth it for Faulkner's playfulness and obvious joy on the page, worth it for the string of fascinating quotations at the end. A generous book, packed full, it is bound to be a classic."--Deb Olin Unferth, author of The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War
"Grant Faulkner, one of our finest practitioners of the very short story, gifts us with this creative, dynamic craft book. The Art of Brevity is absorbing, whimsical, and filled with the eclectic wisdom of writers, artists, and musicians who have created with an aesthetic of brevity and omission. But finally, it is Faulkner's unique, personal view on the subject of condensing short prose--as he telescopes into the fascinating 'cracks and crevices' of brevity--that makes this book a must-have for every writer's shelf."--Tara Lynn Masih, editor of The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field
"What a what wonderful book for writers and readers of short stories! Part craft, part meditation on form, it's entirely delightful, practical, and will leave any reader with a deeper appreciation of flash fiction."--Amber Sparks, author of And I Do Not Forgive Stories and Other Revenges
"In this manic world of noise and delirium, our ability to comprehend reality bends toward chaos. In brief cracks of lucidity, we scramble, hungry to purchase happiness or at least consciousness. This text is a mighty testament to the zeitgeist, an important recognition of flash as art, and a needle into our self-awareness, reflection, and clarity."--Venita Blackburn, author of How to Wrestle a Stories
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grant Faulkner is the executive director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the cofounder of 100 Word Story. His work has been widely anthologized in flash-fiction collections, and he is the author of several books, including All the Comfort Sin Can Provide, Fissures, and Nothing Short of 100: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story.
With elegant prose, deep readings of other writers, and scaffolded writing exercises, The Art of Brevity takes the reader on a lyrical exploration of compact storytelling, guiding readers to heighten their awareness of not only what appears on the page but also what doesn't.
ACCLAIM
"Absolutely essential reading on the power and craft of very short stories. Worth it for the brilliant analysis of narrative and poetics, worth it for Faulkner's playfulness and obvious joy on the page, worth it for the string of fascinating quotations at the end. A generous book, packed full, it is bound to be a classic."--Deb Olin Unferth, author of The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War
"Grant Faulkner, one of our finest practitioners of the very short story, gifts us with this creative, dynamic craft book. The Art of Brevity is absorbing, whimsical, and filled with the eclectic wisdom of writers, artists, and musicians who have created with an aesthetic of brevity and omission. But finally, it is Faulkner's unique, personal view on the subject of condensing short prose--as he telescopes into the fascinating 'cracks and crevices' of brevity--that makes this book a must-have for every writer's shelf."--Tara Lynn Masih, editor of The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field
"What a what wonderful book for writers and readers of short stories! Part craft, part meditation on form, it's entirely delightful, practical, and will leave any reader with a deeper appreciation of flash fiction."--Amber Sparks, author of And I Do Not Forgive Stories and Other Revenges
"In this manic world of noise and delirium, our ability to comprehend reality bends toward chaos. In brief cracks of lucidity, we scramble, hungry to purchase happiness or at least consciousness. This text is a mighty testament to the zeitgeist, an important recognition of flash as art, and a needle into our self-awareness, reflection, and clarity."--Venita Blackburn, author of How to Wrestle a Stories
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grant Faulkner is the executive director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the cofounder of 100 Word Story. His work has been widely anthologized in flash-fiction collections, and he is the author of several books, including All the Comfort Sin Can Provide, Fissures, and Nothing Short of 100: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story.
Kindle Edition
Published January 9, 2023
66 people are currently reading
2038 people want to read
About the author
Grant Faulkner
18 books116 followersGrant Faulkner is the co-founder of 100 Word Story, the co-host of the Write-minded podcast, and an executive producer on America’s Next Great Author.
He has published three books on writing: The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story; Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo; and Brave the Page, a teen writing guide.
He’s also published All the Comfort Sin Can Provide, a collection of short stories, Fissures, a collection of 100-word stories, and Nothing Short of 100: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story.
His “flash novel,” something out there in the distance, a collaboration with the photographer Gail Butensky, is coming out in September 2025 with the University of New Mexico Press.
His stories have appeared in dozens of literary magazines, including Tin House, The Southwest Review, and The Gettysburg Review, and he has been anthologized in collections such as Norton’s Flash Fiction America; New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction; and in several editions of the annual Best Small Fictions and Best Microfiction anthologies.
His essays on creativity have been published in The New York Times, Poets & Writers, Lit Hub, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer. He serves on the National Writing Project Writers Council, Litquake’s board of directors, the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Words’ Creative Council, and Left Margin Lit’s Advisory Board.
He’s presented at events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Associated Writing Programs Conference, Book Expo America, the Chicago Humanities Festival, the Oakland Book Festival, the Bay Area Book Festival, Poets & Writers Live, the San Francisco Writers Conference, the Commonwealth Club, the Digital Publishing Innovation Summit, Writers Digest West, the Porchlight storytelling series, Litquake, Lit Crawl, the Mendocino Writers Conference, the Sierra Writers Conference, and the Arizona State Library Association’s YA Summit.
He has published three books on writing: The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story; Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo; and Brave the Page, a teen writing guide.
He’s also published All the Comfort Sin Can Provide, a collection of short stories, Fissures, a collection of 100-word stories, and Nothing Short of 100: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story.
His “flash novel,” something out there in the distance, a collaboration with the photographer Gail Butensky, is coming out in September 2025 with the University of New Mexico Press.
His stories have appeared in dozens of literary magazines, including Tin House, The Southwest Review, and The Gettysburg Review, and he has been anthologized in collections such as Norton’s Flash Fiction America; New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction; and in several editions of the annual Best Small Fictions and Best Microfiction anthologies.
His essays on creativity have been published in The New York Times, Poets & Writers, Lit Hub, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer. He serves on the National Writing Project Writers Council, Litquake’s board of directors, the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Words’ Creative Council, and Left Margin Lit’s Advisory Board.
He’s presented at events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Associated Writing Programs Conference, Book Expo America, the Chicago Humanities Festival, the Oakland Book Festival, the Bay Area Book Festival, Poets & Writers Live, the San Francisco Writers Conference, the Commonwealth Club, the Digital Publishing Innovation Summit, Writers Digest West, the Porchlight storytelling series, Litquake, Lit Crawl, the Mendocino Writers Conference, the Sierra Writers Conference, and the Arizona State Library Association’s YA Summit.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 26, 2023
My blurb for this wonderful craft/essay book:
Grant Faulkner, one of our finest practitioners of the very short story, gifts us with this creative, dynamic craft book. The Art of Brevity is absorbing, whimsical, and filled with the eclectic wisdom of writers, artists, and musicians who have created with an aesthetic of brevity and omission. But finally, it is Faulkner’s unique, personal view on the subject of condensing short prose—as he telescopes into the fascinating “cracks and crevices” of brevity—that makes this book a must for every writer’s shelf.
Grant Faulkner, one of our finest practitioners of the very short story, gifts us with this creative, dynamic craft book. The Art of Brevity is absorbing, whimsical, and filled with the eclectic wisdom of writers, artists, and musicians who have created with an aesthetic of brevity and omission. But finally, it is Faulkner’s unique, personal view on the subject of condensing short prose—as he telescopes into the fascinating “cracks and crevices” of brevity—that makes this book a must for every writer’s shelf.
December 6, 2023
A handful of gems, here, which I will gladly accept. The Flashpoint exercises were often fruitful and fun activities, and I enjoyed the more critical looks at examples and observations on the topics by other writers. Yet when I finished, the book overall felt not what I hoped for.
Ironically this didn’t feel particularly well-engineered for its size. Some extraneous chapters on found objects and collage that felt shoehorned in, while others that should have been fundamental in exploring short form writing (Sentences, Paragraphs, Titles, Endings) were unforgivably lazy. (“Make your title unforgettable.”) His acknowledgements section was longer than some of those integral chapters. All in all, it reverberated with self-indulgence and being behind on a deadline.
Ironically this didn’t feel particularly well-engineered for its size. Some extraneous chapters on found objects and collage that felt shoehorned in, while others that should have been fundamental in exploring short form writing (Sentences, Paragraphs, Titles, Endings) were unforgivably lazy. (“Make your title unforgettable.”) His acknowledgements section was longer than some of those integral chapters. All in all, it reverberated with self-indulgence and being behind on a deadline.
April 20, 2023
A must-read for any writer, not just flash writers; useful info and fun and challenging prompts for all writing levels!
October 17, 2024
An extremely useful guide to writing flash fiction. Lots of useful references so will be following up on them. Definitely one to reread slowly and thoughtfully.
June 16, 2024
I have been writing short fiction more or less continuously for what's getting close to nine years- and have been published (and short-list rejected by a couple of "lifegoal" magazines) so I am a person who is both fairly confident in understanding the basics of short stories and what I want to do with them, and also someone who tries to always be open to considering new ideas.
I did find a few interesting ideas to harvest from this book, indeed I wrote an entire first draft of a story inspired by taking my own slant on something I read in this book this morning, but I also found myself disagreeing with some of this book - this may mostly be due to my fundamental style clashing with the author's fundamental style.
(I noted with some amusement that for a short book about the art of brevity there were an awful lot of adjectives at times - and I really do think some of the "stories" talked about in this book are too short to be considered stories. There is such a thing as too short, for me, although I gather not for everybody. For context most of my shortest fictions sit just under 1000 words although I have occasionally managed under 750 words.)
A writing friend of mine either gave or lent me this book (I shall have to clarify that) and if it's a case of gave, then this will probably go on my shelf of craft books, which I occasionally think of actually flipping through on re-reads.
I did find a few interesting ideas to harvest from this book, indeed I wrote an entire first draft of a story inspired by taking my own slant on something I read in this book this morning, but I also found myself disagreeing with some of this book - this may mostly be due to my fundamental style clashing with the author's fundamental style.
(I noted with some amusement that for a short book about the art of brevity there were an awful lot of adjectives at times - and I really do think some of the "stories" talked about in this book are too short to be considered stories. There is such a thing as too short, for me, although I gather not for everybody. For context most of my shortest fictions sit just under 1000 words although I have occasionally managed under 750 words.)
A writing friend of mine either gave or lent me this book (I shall have to clarify that) and if it's a case of gave, then this will probably go on my shelf of craft books, which I occasionally think of actually flipping through on re-reads.
February 27, 2023
A Short Book on Tiny Stories with Massive Impact
As a longtime NaNoWriMo-er and lover of Grant Faulkner's Pep Talks for Writers, I was overjoyed to get a copy of The Art of Brevity. To be honest, I had no idea what it was about—I just knew I wanted to read it because I love Faulkner's work.
The big surprise for me was what I've been missing out on all this time. I knew nothing about short-shorts, and now all I want to do is write a whole mess of them. I had never heard of "Little Darling" by Jacqueline Doyle, and I can't get it out of my head. To read a one-paragraph story and be so shook up? I hadn't expected that!
If you're ready to make a big impact, then you need to learn how to write tiny stories.
My favorite flashpoint (exercise):
The Gape of the Garment: "Ask yourself how thinking of the form of your story as sensuous, as something to feel, changed it. How does it feel to be an author who isn't dominating or ruling the story but toughing and feeling it?
My favorite quotes:
"A writer of brevity has to paint characters in deft brushstrokes, with the keenest of images in such limited space, in order to capture their essence."
"Brevity is about the tiniest of moments, the fleeting."
"A good author is always allowing peeks into the garment but doesn't strip off the clothing—or doesn't do so until exactly the right moment."
As a longtime NaNoWriMo-er and lover of Grant Faulkner's Pep Talks for Writers, I was overjoyed to get a copy of The Art of Brevity. To be honest, I had no idea what it was about—I just knew I wanted to read it because I love Faulkner's work.
The big surprise for me was what I've been missing out on all this time. I knew nothing about short-shorts, and now all I want to do is write a whole mess of them. I had never heard of "Little Darling" by Jacqueline Doyle, and I can't get it out of my head. To read a one-paragraph story and be so shook up? I hadn't expected that!
If you're ready to make a big impact, then you need to learn how to write tiny stories.
My favorite flashpoint (exercise):
The Gape of the Garment: "Ask yourself how thinking of the form of your story as sensuous, as something to feel, changed it. How does it feel to be an author who isn't dominating or ruling the story but toughing and feeling it?
My favorite quotes:
"A writer of brevity has to paint characters in deft brushstrokes, with the keenest of images in such limited space, in order to capture their essence."
"Brevity is about the tiniest of moments, the fleeting."
"A good author is always allowing peeks into the garment but doesn't strip off the clothing—or doesn't do so until exactly the right moment."
November 25, 2023
As someone who moderates a monthly writing group at our local library, I am always impressed by my fellow writers who can do well with the short story medium. My best success has been with those that float at about ten pages or so. I have not, however, been able to master the one-to-two page variety. That's where Faulkner's book could come in handy.
Faulkner is the executive director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) as well as the cofounder of 100 Word Story. So, he knows a lot about writing, both in long form and very short form. By providing insights and examples from authors who excel at this skill, he gives advice on how to tackle this exercise where "less is more". Each chapter also ends with a "flashpoint", a writing exercise to practice the technique of the chapter.
This book taught me a lot of things to add to my writing toolset.
The only thing I would have liked to have seen was a bibliography in the back. Faulkner refers to so many solid sources and examples that having a single section at the end of the book to summarize them would have been very beneficial.
Faulkner is the executive director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) as well as the cofounder of 100 Word Story. So, he knows a lot about writing, both in long form and very short form. By providing insights and examples from authors who excel at this skill, he gives advice on how to tackle this exercise where "less is more". Each chapter also ends with a "flashpoint", a writing exercise to practice the technique of the chapter.
This book taught me a lot of things to add to my writing toolset.
The only thing I would have liked to have seen was a bibliography in the back. Faulkner refers to so many solid sources and examples that having a single section at the end of the book to summarize them would have been very beneficial.
January 16, 2024
Is brevity an inescapable characteristic of contemporaneity? Yes. New communication systems (nowadays phones, internet, but possibly going back to the telegraph and similar) → exponential increase in production and sharing of material → competition for attention by tending to brevity.
Yes, the bad: superficiality and decrease of attention span. But the good is very good: a potential incentive to condensation, purity, simplicity.
The fragment has an illustrious history and I have always been fascinated by it: aphorisms, poetry, short stories, musical pointillism (btw: the painting is the non plus ultra of brevity, w no time at all). Against the rumination of the long story, or the elephantine music (eg Mahler&co), which made sense in other historical circumstances anyway (is the novel antihistorical today? I think so).
This book reads too much as a patchwork of examples unfortunately, without a proper analysis of any of them, and without a more structured (historical) understanding of the phenomenon. But I am too interested in the subject not to overlook these flaws.
Yes, the bad: superficiality and decrease of attention span. But the good is very good: a potential incentive to condensation, purity, simplicity.
The fragment has an illustrious history and I have always been fascinated by it: aphorisms, poetry, short stories, musical pointillism (btw: the painting is the non plus ultra of brevity, w no time at all). Against the rumination of the long story, or the elephantine music (eg Mahler&co), which made sense in other historical circumstances anyway (is the novel antihistorical today? I think so).
This book reads too much as a patchwork of examples unfortunately, without a proper analysis of any of them, and without a more structured (historical) understanding of the phenomenon. But I am too interested in the subject not to overlook these flaws.
February 9, 2023
Grant Faulkner's THE ART OF BREVITY is a fabulous addition to learning about the craft of flash fiction! The slim book is interwoven with creative prompts and literary ruminations that examine the art of flash from so many angles like a gleaming jewel. As a writer who flows between both flash fiction and full-length novels, I found so many of the prompts helpful in opening up my creative well. As Grant says in the introduction: "Life isn't a round, complete circle--it's shaped by fragments, shards, and pinpricks. It's a collage of snapshots, a collection of the unspoken, an attic full of situations you can't quite get rid of. The brevity of flash is perfect for capturing the small but telling moments when life pivots almost unnoticeably, yet profoundly." He certainly makes a compelling case for the power of flash stories, and finding your own unique voice to tell them. Can't wait to delve deeper with my writing group!
April 1, 2024
Very interesting book. It referenced a book that it reminded me of, which was Meander, Spiral, Explode. The thesis of this book, which is never discussed outright and is available for inspection only after reading meander, Spiral, Explode, is that there is an element of shape in the story space. We traverse this shape by means of scenes in books. The places we visit on the shape, the sort order of the visits, and their length, determine how we perceive the story. Think blind men all touching a different part of an elephant. What this author asserts is that short fiction really boils down to capturing only what is essential and allowing the reader to create the rest in their mind. It's really just a hint, and everything else that follows is the reader's doing. At the same time, the short fiction author must truly strive to capture that which must be captured in order to give the reader a fighting chance.
Do recommend for anyone following me that is a writer.
Do recommend for anyone following me that is a writer.
March 4, 2023
Not knowing where to shelve it I decided fiction because it is a book about writing fiction (mostly) and reference because it has portions one might want to look back at from time to time. I received this book within 2 weeks of being notified by Goodreads that I had won it and started reading it. There are a lot of good ideas about writing short ficltion with numerous anecdotes. The author provided 'exercises' at the end of each chapter. I read through them and will, sometime in the future (I'm a procrastinator) actually do them. I recommend this book to those who don't think they can really write as well as those who like writing for fun. It seems a lot of short fiction can be the seeds for longer stories. Yet short fiction can be like a fortune cookie, you open it up to see what mystery is therein and you read that and find it is an enigma, fill in the blanks.
January 6, 2025
Love. This. Book.
I heard of Faulkner through NaNoWriMo and follow him on Substack. He is quite knowledgable in his field and excels at explaining flash fiction. The Flashpoint exercises were the best. Being able to practice what I'm learning made it really stick. One of my favorites is the erasure exercise; I actually blotted out words with nail polish so it looks pretty and the words left behind create a thought-provoking poem.
Another favorite Flashpoint exercise is writing in shards. For whatever reason, I found it easier to write in French. Then later, when I put the seven sentences back together to make a story, I wrote it in both French and English. It resonated well in both languages.
I appreciate that Faulkner drew from such a broad list of examples, both of stories and authors. The quotes peppered throughout and at the end were quite excellent.
I heard of Faulkner through NaNoWriMo and follow him on Substack. He is quite knowledgable in his field and excels at explaining flash fiction. The Flashpoint exercises were the best. Being able to practice what I'm learning made it really stick. One of my favorites is the erasure exercise; I actually blotted out words with nail polish so it looks pretty and the words left behind create a thought-provoking poem.
Another favorite Flashpoint exercise is writing in shards. For whatever reason, I found it easier to write in French. Then later, when I put the seven sentences back together to make a story, I wrote it in both French and English. It resonated well in both languages.
I appreciate that Faulkner drew from such a broad list of examples, both of stories and authors. The quotes peppered throughout and at the end were quite excellent.
May 30, 2025
As a longform writer who transitioned to the world of copywriting, I've needed a less-is-more approach. Flash fiction is an unorthodox way of going about that.
Who have I become? I'm buying poetry, writing haikus for fun and trying to write a 100-word story.
This book featured several examples and exercises that encourage one to be brief with purpose. I was in awe of the amount of authors referenced in this book, many of which I save to my to-read list. I have a brave new world to explore.
My loyal newsletter followers have probably noticed a change from the sprawling think-pieces I used to write: capture the small moments and let the reader fill in the space around it.
Want to see one of my haikus? Behold:
Who have I become? I'm buying poetry, writing haikus for fun and trying to write a 100-word story.
This book featured several examples and exercises that encourage one to be brief with purpose. I was in awe of the amount of authors referenced in this book, many of which I save to my to-read list. I have a brave new world to explore.
My loyal newsletter followers have probably noticed a change from the sprawling think-pieces I used to write: capture the small moments and let the reader fill in the space around it.
Want to see one of my haikus? Behold:
February 19, 2024
Flash fiction is what happens in the white space, in the silence among words.
This book, which is about brevity, tends to be ironically repetitive. It could have been written in fewer chapters and fewer pages. I wish there were more flash fiction stories to supplement some of the ideas because it is a lot of post-modern talk about how fragments intertwine and meet each other at the crossroads of possibility.
This book, which is about brevity, tends to be ironically repetitive. It could have been written in fewer chapters and fewer pages. I wish there were more flash fiction stories to supplement some of the ideas because it is a lot of post-modern talk about how fragments intertwine and meet each other at the crossroads of possibility.
September 25, 2023
Intrigued by the art form; respected the author's work; checked out the book.
Appalled at the length.
Eyes grabbed by examples, found them disappointing. Skimmed for kernels of advice but couldn't find them buried in the verbiage.
Laughed at his joke, but not sure if he got it.
Practicing brevity, not sure if I get it...but don't need to say more.
Appalled at the length.
Eyes grabbed by examples, found them disappointing. Skimmed for kernels of advice but couldn't find them buried in the verbiage.
Laughed at his joke, but not sure if he got it.
Practicing brevity, not sure if I get it...but don't need to say more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2023
There are books that make you fall in love with words, language, and literature... this is one of them.
It is directed towards students of the short form literature. However, anyone who loves a good story will find the book interesting. Can a novel be as short as a single page? six words? one? Read this book and find out...
It is directed towards students of the short form literature. However, anyone who loves a good story will find the book interesting. Can a novel be as short as a single page? six words? one? Read this book and find out...
April 30, 2023
When Grant Faulkner talks about flash fiction he also talks about art, poetry, philosophy, perfume…. The Art of Brevity is beautifully inspiring. A passionately thoughtful and insightful book.
June 12, 2023
Somewhat inevitable, but... I thought most of the chapters could have been briefer.
September 13, 2023
Ironically, this book was a little long.
January 30, 2024
Great book, with appropriate tools to be concise when writing.
March 1, 2024
An surprisingly verbose discourse on writing extremely short stories. Dense and pithy, with examples galore.
January 29, 2025
some interesting sections, some good exercises, mostly philosophical musing about literary concepts. In short, interesting but not particularly useful on the "crafting" part of the title.
May 11, 2025
3.5/5 stars.
June 26, 2025
I found most of the writing prompts in this book helpful. However, I was worn down by a book on brevity that felt repetitive. Frankly, it seemed like it could be more brief and less pretentious.
March 13, 2024
Audiobook ISBN: 9798212961370
For a book about brevity, this book is unnecessarily long.
For a book about brevity, this book is unnecessarily long.
December 11, 2022
A book about writing flash fiction from a writer, teacher, and editor that really understands the variety of the form! A masterclass in how to write flash fiction, but also how to use brevity in all writing. Faulkner writes with a love and a warmth, and a a searching spirit as he measures out his lessons. I plan on using so many of these lessons as I write my own flash and I will incorporate them into my own teaching of the form.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews