Brevity: A Flash Fiction Handbook

Flash fiction is over in the blink of an eye yet lingers with the reader. In Brevity, David Galef guides creative writing students through this timely literary genre, detailing best techniques, key examples, and provocative prompts that will help aspiring writers pack the most punch in the fewest words.

Flash fiction, or the “short-short,” which encompasses vignettes, prose poems, character sketches, fables, lists, twist stories, surrealism, metafiction, and other forms, has taken off over the past decade in both print and digital publications. Galef traces the genre back to such writers as Colette, Donald Barthelme, and Borges, demonstrating the compression and concision of character, plot, and dialogue that make the perfect miniature. Galef, a writer and longtime creative writing instructor, shows how developing one’s skills in the short-short form can translate to other forms of writing. His diverse selection of stories and engaging exercises and prompts make Brevity a valuable resource for creative writing students and others who want to try their hands at this increasingly popular form.