Wed 1 Jul 2009
Flash As A Whole: The Other Side Of The Story
Posted by Robert Swartwood under advice, craft, elements of story
[6] Comments
Last week DJ Barber talked about how flash fiction, like all other fiction, must always be a complete story: a beginning, middle, and end. I felt the essay was a bit one-sided and asked Gay if I could write a rebuttal to try to balance things out …
I always find it a slippery slope when writers think they can’t do certain things with their stories. What’s more, I always find it an even slipperier slope when writers tell other writers that they can’t do certain things with their stories. Every person is entitled to their own opinion, of course, but I think it’s important to try to remain open-minded in almost everything, especially in terms of writing.
As I discussed in my first essay for FFC, writers are split up into two groups: traditionalists and non-traditionalists.
Traditionalists are those that believe a story must always be a whole story, with a protagonist and conflict and a beginning, middle, end.
Non-traditionalists are those who are more lax on those points, that believe just as a rose is a rose is a rose, a story is a story is a story.
What’s frightening — at least to me — is that traditionalists are usually the ones who create limitations on writing. They make rules that say what you as a writer can or cannot do with your work.
But rules, as everybody knows, are meant to be broken.
Personally, I don’t think there should be any limitations on writing. Writers should feel free to try anything they want. Granted, it probably won’t work half the time (or most of the time) but without taking the risk they won’t ever know.
If I had to label myself, I’d say I’m a non-traditionalist. I like to try different things with my storytelling, see which way becomes the most effective. Keep in mind, I have nothing against traditional storytelling. Oftentimes my work has a beginning, middle, and end … or at least a beginning, middle, and end as much as life does.
Flash fiction, though, has always come across (to me at least) more as a scene in a much larger story. We as readers don’t necessarily get the beginning or the middle or the end, but one scene in very long story, a scene that, if done properly, allows us to work out the missing parts ourselves.
Yes — because I know you’re thinking it — just like Hint Fiction.
Speaking of which, for those who aren’t aware, I’ve been contracted by W.W. Norton to put together an anthology of Hint Fiction.
Hint Fiction is a story of 25 words or less that suggests a much larger, more complex story.
These are not just stories of 25 words or less. Again, with what DJ had said, some writers are able to create a complete story — beginning, middle, end — in just 25 words. Which is impressive, but it’s not Hint Fiction.
The thesis of the anthology is to try to prove that a story 25 words or less can have as much impact as a story 2,500 words or longer.
As you can imagine, there has been some resistance. Some people wrinkling their noses and saying, “A story 25 words or less can’t possibly have as much impact as a story 2,500 words or longer.”
To which I say, Oh really?
For me a story is made up of four basic principles: Obviously it has to tell a story. It has to be entertaining. It should be thought-provoking. And, if done effectively, it should evoke some kind of emotional response.
Now I ask you — if a story 2,500 words or longer can do all four of those things, why can’t a story 25 words or less?
______________
Robert Swartwood, author of The Silver Ring, has just posted the guidelines for the Hint Fiction anthology, which will open to submissions on August 1.
Interesting and a good point! 25 words…wow maybe I will try this as an exercise. If it doesn’t work out, I will at least have a draft for a longer story.
Thanks Rob for both the post and for letting us be the first place you are announcing the “Call for Submissions” for this excellent opportunity to be in a NORTON ANTHOLOGY. I hope the submitters realize by being accepted they will find their names in a table of contents with the likes of Joyce Carole Oates!!! wait…I can’t remember everyone. Can you let us know????
Robert,
This is good advice for writers, and it isn’t that I’m against writing scenes, or even Hint–which is fascinating,BTW. However, if one wants to get published most of the Markets seems to request a whole story. My self, I’ve written more than a few that came back rejected for that very reason, EDF included. So it isn’t for the writing that I say write a whole story, it’s for the Markets.
I guess I’d fall into the non-traditionalist camp since I think writing ultimately should only be limited by the author’s imagination, empathy and desire to share his or view of the world BUT I think that a writer must learn and understand traditionalist methods of storytelling before they go off and break the rules. Take a good look at any of the complex Salvador Dalí paintings and it will be clear he had complete and utter control of the realistic bits, otherwise he’d not be able to twist the images with such impact.
Editor’s tastes* vary greatly — so if your story is well written despite its camp, you’ll probably eventually find a market that will feature it.
* I prefer editors slow BBQed. :O
DJ – I’ll agree that there are markets which require complete stories. But it seems those aren’t as common as those who like more unconventional stuff. A half dozen markets off the top of my head would be elimae, Wigleaf, Dogzplot, Hobart, Pequin, and Lamination Colony. You’ll almost never see a complete story in any of those publications. Plus, the mountain of all magazines, The New Yorker has NEVER published a complete story, at least as far as I know. Now on the other hand, there are a number of markets out there looking for complete stories, though I can’t think of many off the top of my head other than EDF …
Bosley – I agree that yes, writers starting out should learn the basics. Then, once they’ve mastered that, they should be encouraged to go wild
Thanks for the interesting post and the potential market. I’m intrigued by the concept of hint fiction. Just to throw my hat into the debate, I feel that there’s a difference between story and narrative in all lengths of fiction. Narrative is what’s been written down; story can start well before, and end far after the narrative. This doesn’t have much to do with beginnings, middles and ends. That’s far too simplistic. The distinction between narrative and story is about achieving resonance with the reader. If a clear introduction adds to the story FOR THE READER, it should have one. If not, it shouldn’t. Many writers who are often labelled traditionalists write fiction that often consists entirely of middle, leaving beginning and end up to the reader’s imagination. Elmore Leonard is the primary example I have in mind. Joe R. Lansdale is another fine one.
On rules, I think there are some, but the best ones are about helping the writer understand what the reader is doing. Readers, for instance, tend to follow the character, not the story. Readers usually like to meet the writer halfway, which is, therefor, where a good narrative usually happens. I think the best one is that the reader, ultimately, gets to decide what’s good, evocative and/or intellectually compelling. I know it’s just an opinion, but I think when writers forget about readers, they become nothing more than typists with big egos.
The young Picasso could paint you a damn good Pre-Raphaelite portrait if he wanted to. Why? Because he took his craft, and therefor his art, seriously. In writing, craft is about readers. What’s art about? There’s a more interesting question.
On a related note, markets with wide readerships are chiefly concerned with how much a story gives to the readers. Editors ask the question, “Will my readers like this?” That is, much of the time, the only question they ask. Personally I think that’s wonderful. But then again, I also think art is, in part and profoundly, about empathy with the perceiver.