libraphile's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve read a couple dozen books on writing, and until now, I’ve had nothing to show for it. Doubtless, some of these books are better in their own way than Writing Flash Fiction, but none of them were more effective at pushing me down the path toward my goals. This book is like a new writer’s starter kit, all assembly tools included.
The author gives a step by step approach to build a writing habit, conquer common problems, generate ideas, and submit work for publication. This was just the ticket for me. It’s a quick read, but with exercises and other to-dos at the end of each chapter that I will go back to. In less than 24 hours after downloading, I finished the book and wrote my first flash story (in addition to doing my day job, commuting, etc). As the author points out, completing (and publishing) flash stories gives a sense of accomplishment that builds confidence and motivation for the next one.
Experienced writers may find much of the information basic, but if you are new to writing or new to flash fiction, this is a great primer in condensed format. It comes complete with a list of online resources and a few sample flash stories from the author’s collection as examples. It is also helpful to see what methods and tools the author uses herself to generate ideas, write, and publish. Best of all, by following the instructions, you are practically guaranteed to come out of the experience with completed flash stories under your belt as well as tips on how to edit and publish them.
The author gives a step by step approach to build a writing habit, conquer common problems, generate ideas, and submit work for publication. This was just the ticket for me. It’s a quick read, but with exercises and other to-dos at the end of each chapter that I will go back to. In less than 24 hours after downloading, I finished the book and wrote my first flash story (in addition to doing my day job, commuting, etc). As the author points out, completing (and publishing) flash stories gives a sense of accomplishment that builds confidence and motivation for the next one.
Experienced writers may find much of the information basic, but if you are new to writing or new to flash fiction, this is a great primer in condensed format. It comes complete with a list of online resources and a few sample flash stories from the author’s collection as examples. It is also helpful to see what methods and tools the author uses herself to generate ideas, write, and publish. Best of all, by following the instructions, you are practically guaranteed to come out of the experience with completed flash stories under your belt as well as tips on how to edit and publish them.
srogan88's review
3.0
This is a very short book on flash fiction. It includes both reading and writing recommendations, basic information on how to write FF, and info on editing and publishing. Much of the book is quite basic and some of it is much more widely applicable than just FF. Still, it was nice to have it all in one place.
My only issue after reading it is that there didn't seem to be a lot of detail about what differentiates FF beyond word count. Either all the rules preached in the writing workshop I went are wrong or this book just didn't get into them.
My only issue after reading it is that there didn't seem to be a lot of detail about what differentiates FF beyond word count. Either all the rules preached in the writing workshop I went are wrong or this book just didn't get into them.
xira's review against another edition
4.0
If you're interested in flash fiction, or just trying to improve your writing, this is the book for you. It's a very quick read, with lots of information and references packed into it, which makes it easy to learn the basics and get started on writing.
There is many quick to-do lists after each chapter that range from beginner friendly to getting your work published, and you can easily skip between them depending on your writing experience. The reference pages were also very helpful in getting started easily and efficiently.
There is many quick to-do lists after each chapter that range from beginner friendly to getting your work published, and you can easily skip between them depending on your writing experience. The reference pages were also very helpful in getting started easily and efficiently.
emmajaye's review
4.0
The practicalities of writing flash fiction, and by that the author means stories under 1000 words. There is some very useful advice here, for me, particularly some of the editing advice about how to tighten up writing. Although I don’t write flash fiction, this book includes many of the pitfalls in style that writers suffer when they are starting. The style of writing flash fiction is quite different to writing longer works, each word counts and the author often has to rely on a single word to set a scene. Unfortunately, for me at least, the need for brevity detracted from the example stories, but I admire the ability of the author to write coherently within such tight constraints.
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