*GATOR SPRINGS GAZETTE
a literary journal of the fictional persuasion
LIFE SENTENCES(page three)

ALL MY CHARACTERS ARE NAKED
by Gary Cadwallader

All my characters are naked. I noticed the other day when I finally sold a flash fiction in which the narrator wears gloves. Prior to that my POV characters have never worn clothes and very few of the secondary characters have either. Notable exceptions are the murder victim in "She Guessed They Called it Justice" (Gator Springs Gazette) and the zebra girl in "South Africa" (the-phone-book.com).

These nude characterizations have nothing to do with spare writing. There was no attempt to imitate Hemingway. The simple fact is I have cut descriptions in favor of story line, dialogue or action.

The short story has been so defined and codified over the years that any given set of published stories is more likely than not to include the traditional virtues of plot, theme, characterization and so forth that are taught in any introduction to writing class.

Not so with flash fiction. One flash writer recently advised against using dialogue. That seems silly to me, but if it works for one writer, I suppose it would work for another. Rather than add to a list of flash rules, however, I'd prefer to mention a few techniques that have worked for me.

- Use a title that intrigues the reader.

Titles are the headlines of fiction. Few of us would bother reading a newspaper article with the headline, President Visits Dog Show. Flash fiction is a competition. Everybody writes flash and why not? Folks think, "Hey, it's so short. Must be easy." How are those of us who believe flash is an art form of its own ever going to get noticed? Here are a few favorites from my own pub list:

Nero Lollygagging With the Lepers
We Walked In Strong Boots Up Round Treeless Hills
Alternate Elvis

- Use a stand out first line.

I shouldn't even have to mention that. First lines are the connection between our title and the story.

You've gotten the reader's attention, now reel him in. This one seemed to work for me:

    Celia Minor was a forty-year-old spinster when she was hit by lightning the first time.

Or try this:

    A moth flew in my ear.

- Use back-story in place of a beginning, middle, and end.

Not standard technique, I know, but one that works. With a 55-word fiction I don't have room for details; I have to suggest possibilities. Some editors will insist on a beginning middle and end. If they do, start as close to the emotional high point as possible.

    I HIDE THE THING
    by Gary Cadwallader

    I hide the thing where no one can see because they're coming.

    They tear up the bed and throw matches in the sheets. They tie thin wires around my ankles, but I won't tell.

    "Where?"

    I shake my head. I lose a thumbthumb THUMB!

    "Give."

    I spit in his eye.

- Rely on the reader's assumptions.

Every reader comes with a basic set of assumptions that we can use to our advantage. If I write, "Mr. Mays went to church," the reader assumes Mr. Mays has on clothes appropriate to the situation. In the earlier torture story, the reader automatically assumes an ugly environment and even uglier bad guy. The smaller I write, the more those assumptions come into play.

- Get creative.

Flash is an evolving art form. What have you got to lose? I've been known to hyphenate words, make words up, or tie them together in strange ways, anything to get in under the word limit.

And lastly,

- Get quirky.

So, you've written the perfect flash. All you need is some way to stand out from the crowd. Whatcha gonna do? Get Quirky. Who can resist an odd story? Go ahead, tell us about the cowboy who rides with a cairn (Toto dog) across his saddle horn... We'll listen.

© Gary Cadwallader 2004

EDITORIAL NOTE: We regret to inform potential contributors that the fandango rules governing quirkiness prohibit the use of ‘cairn’ and ‘saddle horn’ in the same work more than once in any publication year.

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