Flash me that fiction – Friday 22 June

National Flash Fiction Day is on Friday 22 June.

Here are the details for the Christchurch event Flash in the Pan:

Come along and celebrate the smallest fictions on the shortest day. National Flash Fiction Day! Flash in the Pan is a FREE event to celebrate all things flash and brings together Canterbury's best flash fiction writers for an unexpected literary evening and award presentations.

• When: 6pm to 8pm Friday 22 June 2018
• Where: Space Academy, 371 St Asaph Street
• What: Flash fiction readings, competition announcements, beer on tap and spot prizes from Scorpio Books and the University Bookshop
• Subscribe to the Flash in the Pan Facebook event.

What is flash fiction? Well, as defined by the Collins English online dictionary, flash fiction is "a genre of fiction in which stories are characterized by extreme brevity."

So in short; a short, short story. 

I refused to read short stories growing up. I felt cheated. They didn't count. Could only be explained through sheer laziness on the author's part. I now understand the unique challenge they pose: how each word must be weighed with the gravest importance, each sentence propelling the narrative forward. No easy feat does it present. When words are scarce, each one must prove its value, must hint at something beyond what appears on the surface.

For the past seven years, New Zealand has celebrated flash fiction through an annual competition, culminating in New Zealand Flash Fiction Day (NZFFD). There are three categories you can enter: adult, youth and Te Reo Māori. If you were hoping to throw your writing skills in the ring this year you're out of luck as competition entries ran February through April...but despair not, for that leaves nine months to motivate yourself for next year's competition. In 2017 there were 404 adult competition entries - sounds migraine inducing for those on the judging panel - though entries for the NZFFD competition are limited to a rather manageable 300 words. Tempted? You can read winning entries from previous years online, or even attend the Christchurch Flash Fiction event next week.

My research into flash fiction has, if anything, further muddied the waters as nobody can seem to agree upon the preferred word count (or indeed the very name) of flash fiction. Varying wildly dependent on who is asked, word counts range from the modest six word variety made famous by Ernest Hemingway to the decidedly more generous 1500 limit. Last year, 25-word flash fiction was publicised by The New Yorker, appearing in the "Summer of Flash Fiction" series. The term of Flash Fiction has adopted many different guises also: there is, for instance, the intriguing sounding "twitterature," and of course the commonly referred to "short story."

But at the end of the day, short and sweet is what Flash Fiction day (incidentally, held on the shortest day of the year) is all about. 

Here I have gathered together some of Christchurch City Libraries' short story/flash fiction collection - or whatever you want to call it - for your perusal.

View Full List

Check out more stories of the short variety on our catalogue.

If you are looking to develop your own skills as a writer- or if, like me, you have zero visual art skills and simply find writing to be a nice alternative, therapeutic and creative endeavour - Linwood Library host a Creative Writing group weekly on a Wednesday. You'll also find guides and inspiration on our catalogue, and check out our page on writing for tips, competitions and courses.

There are many more classes and programmes in your community, some of them free, some with a cost. For further information, see CINCH: Community Information Christchurch for programming in your wider community.