Flash Fiction: What Does It Ask of Writers and Readers?
As a writer, flash is asking me to find that one instant that changes everything for a specific character in a specific situation. Specificity is required for urgent revelations to occur in such a concentrated space.
As a reader, I think flash is asking me to come to the story without preconceived notions or expectations. I want to observe the magic show in awe and not bother with wondering how the magician pulled it off or which illusion will be next.
Author’s Note
Chelsea Covington Maass has lived in Kansas, San Francisco, and now Philadelphia, where she is an MFA candidate at Rosemont College. Her recent fiction can be found at HOOT Literary Review.