Some storytellers like epics and sagas. Their stories span generations, dynasties, entire civilisations, nations, continents and galaxies. Not to speak of multiple volumes. Others prefer to keep their stories short. Some, very, very short. Stories told in a flash. A.K.A. Flash Fiction. Also called micro-fiction, short-shorts, smoke-long tales, and other names, Flash Fic challenges the writer to tell a story with all the classical elements — a beginning, middle and end, a conflict and resolution, a credible protagonist — but in a very limited number of words, which may mean that these elements are implied rather than made explicit. (-: A sentence like that one would be, um, inadvisable in a flash story. :-)

Flash Fiction is not a genre that was invented on the web (Aesop told flash fables!), but it might very well have been designed specifically for it. We live in attention deficit times, and anything that’s short has greater chances of being read. Flash Fiction, with its sub-genres like nano-fiction, 55ers and others, has acquired a major following online, with many sites and zines devoted solely to flash stories. Feed your favourite search engine with the words “flash fiction” and you’ll have page upon page of description, hints and tips, and wonderful examples of the genre. To get you started, check out these Wikipedia and Wiktionary pages, each of which will give you many more links.