Let’s talk flash fiction!
I love writing it and along the way I’ve discovered a lot more facets of my characters and even my books.
For me, flash fiction is short tales about my characters.
I started writing them after I sold the first Hex book, 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover.
I see it as something easy and fun to do since I have a pair of magickal bunny slippers that can get into more trouble than most creatures. Not to mention the witches and their guys.
My flash fiction pieces are short stories that wouldn’t make it into a book, usually outside the bounds for a book. Plus they give me a deeper look into their personalities. Some tales turn out more wild and twisted than others. There’s a reason why my friends call me evil and demented.
It takes a lot of pressure off a writer. You’re not worrying about deadlines, word counts, or what you’re doing to your characters. You’re just sitting there having fun with them and discovering little known facts about them along the way.
I have a lot of fun writing flash fiction. My internal editor takes a nap and I just let loose.
Thanksgiving dinner takes on a whole new persona when witchy Jazz tries to cook. Fangy bunny slippers, Fluff and Puff, get even with Jazz on Black Friday. Vampire Nick braves holiday shopping. Jazz and Nick put up a Christmas tree with hilarious results. The creatures go on vacation with me and even my agent took Fluff and Puff camping with her where the kids at the campground enjoyed participating in their adventures.
You can even incorporate ideas that you couldn’t use in your book. I have a character my editor never wants to see again. Yes, I see more flash fiction popping up.
Do the same. Have some wild out of the box fun with your characters. Throw them in a situation that your editor might say “you have got to be kidding!” and go for it. Use it as an additional outlet for your writing. Think about the enthusiasm you’ll drum up for your books.
If you’re curious about what I’ve written about my characters please visit my blog, http://linda-wisdom.blogspot.com.
Now, you didn’t think I’d let you sit there and just read this, did you? Tell me. Do you enjoy reading/writing flash fiction? Do you see it as another learning tool?
Linda
Understanding Your Characters Through Flash Fiction, presented by Linda Wisdom, runs from July 18, 2011 through July 31, 2011
Linda Wisdom has published more than 70 novels with 13 million copies sold worldwide including traditional, paranormal, humor, action/adventure romance and romantic suspense. Her bestselling books have been nominated for Romantic Times awards and the Romance Writers of America Rita Award, and recently won the 2009 RT Book Reviews Career Achievement award for Best Indie Press Contemporary Paranormal with Hex in High Heels. She lives with her husband in Murrieta, California.
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11 comments:
What a fun tool! The idea of simply letting your imagination loose for short periods of time definitely appeals ... especially when the payoff is a better understanding of my characters.
Fun blog!
Pam S.
This is a great idea. My crit partners always find a character they'd like to know the back ground on.
I had no idea this way of story telling had a name. Great post.
Mary George.
Thanks Pamela. It is fun because there's no rules.
Mary George. You can give them a more in depth background, tell stories of what they're doing inbetween books, you name it.
Sounds like fun. Jackie
Hi.
I write flash fiction for flash's sake.
Never did it with characters from novel-length MSs.
I use flash as a way to decompress and free upmy brain. A story that fits on a page is so much easier to control.
On the other hand, a story fifty words or less can require as much agonizing as part of a novel.
Cheers, Kelly
Thanks Jackie.
Kelly, I like writing it to give my readers extras that they enjoy reading.
HI Linda W... Sounds like fun! Does your publisher allow you to use characters from the books they publish? Inquiring minds want to know. hehehehehe. Cuz this is great!
THE OTHER LINDA
www. lindathomas-sundstrom. com
Hey Linda!
I own my characters, so I can do anything I want with them. I just can't mention something from the books. More fun that way anyway since it's all new stuff.
The closest I've come to this exercise is an interview of my protagonists for a blog tour, but I also just finished a 30,000 word short, and yikes, did that make me aware of all the places we lose pacing. Fun--but a challenge too.
What a great idea. I played around with flash fiction after taking a mini-workshop with Lisa Kessler at FF&P. I've done a prequel to other stories, but never played around with the characters from a specific story. I'll have to try it. Thanks!
Grace, I've posted interviews with my characters, but I have a lot more fun with the flash fiction. It shows so much more of their personalities too.
It's fun Dawn Marie. That's why I'm giving a class on it. It's amazing what else I've learned about my characters and their world.
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