Seven Tips on How to Win a Flash Fiction Prize
I've written – literally – hundreds of flash fiction stories since first discovering the form back in 2013. Even allowing for the fact that these things are all a matter of taste anyway, I don't pretend to be top of the class. As general editor of Friday Flash Fiction, I find it rather humbling to discover what other writers can do in the space of 100 words.
But I've seen and read many thousands of flash fiction stories now, including more than a few that have been submitted to Friday Flash Fiction but rejected. Here are a few tips about what, in my view, makes for successful flash fiction. The judges will be using these same guidelines as you, the author.
The same sorts of things apply to poetry competitions, too, obviously.
But the main thing to remember is that entering any flash fiction should be fun. Good luck!
Gordon Lawrie
March 2024
But I've seen and read many thousands of flash fiction stories now, including more than a few that have been submitted to Friday Flash Fiction but rejected. Here are a few tips about what, in my view, makes for successful flash fiction. The judges will be using these same guidelines as you, the author.
- Flash fiction should be a story. It might seem obvious, but even in the space of a hundred words, there should be some sense that something happens, even if only a tear falls. The famous story often ascribed to Hemingway – 'For sale, baby shoes, never worn' – gets that sense across somehow. Flash fiction is not descriptive prose about a beautiful piece of scenery, say.
- Your words are precious and should be used sparingly. The best flash fiction almost always has to be heavily edited. Getting rid of needless fluff from your over-long first draft is part of the fun, to be honest.
- The words should speak for themselves. 'Show don't tell' applies even more to flash fiction than to novels. Personally, I find an author's exclamation marks irritating: I shouldn't need to be told that something is meant to be funny, it should be obvious.
- You need to write well. Spelling, grammar and punctuation should be spot-on, and words should be used correctly. Check the dictionaries if you're not sure.
- Check your work carefully. Writing flash fiction is great for developing your language abilities if English is not your mother tongue. But don't assume that the site editor will correct your mistakes – it's your job to send in material that is absolutely perfect. Get someone else to look over your story before you send it in.
- Follow the instructions on the entry form. Check the word count. You have no idea how many submissions fail because they're one or two words over (we do check). Fill that box in the top where you write your story title and name EXACTLY as requested. There's a "house style" – please follow it. If you can't be bothered to study how everyone else's story appears, ask yourself if your own story deserves any more respect.
- And finally, don't cheat or take advantage of any publishing site by posting material that isn't yours, or by persistently re-submitting material that has already been published. Friday Flash Fiction checks on that, too, and we have ways of dealing with cheats.
The same sorts of things apply to poetry competitions, too, obviously.
But the main thing to remember is that entering any flash fiction should be fun. Good luck!
Gordon Lawrie
March 2024
