The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field
Product Description
With its unprecedented gathering of 25 brief essays by experts in the field, The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction meets the growing need for a concise yet creative exploration of the re-emerging genre popularly known as flash fiction. The book’s introduction provides, for the first time, a comprehensive history of the short short story, from its early roots and hitherto unknown early publications and appearances, to its current state and practice. This guide is a must for anyone in the field of short fiction who teaches, writes, and is interested in its genesis and practice.
Featuring essays by: Steve Almond, Rusty Barnes, Randall Brown, Mark Budman, Stace Budzko, Robert Olen Butler, Ron Carlson, Pamelyn Casto, Kim Chinquee, Stuart Dybek, Pia Z. Ehrhardt, Sherrie Flick, Vanessa Gebbie, Tom Hazuka, Nathan Leslie, Michael Martone, Julio Ortega, Pamela Painter, Jayne Anne Phillips, Jennifer Pieroni, Shouhua Qi, Bruce Holland Rogers, Robert Shapard, Deb Olin Unferth, Lex Williford
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Tags: Editors, Fiction, Field, Flash, from, Guide, Metal, Press, Rose, Teachers, Tips, Writers, writing
April 4th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
This one was a big disappointment. Flash fiction is such a vibrant edgy body of lit….this book reads like someone just wanted to be in the game without really having much that’s useful or insightful to say about it. The writing exercises are wack too. A reader’s time would be better spent reading good flash fiction. There are now quite a few great anthologies and a few excellent journals to sink your teeth into.
Rating: 1 / 5
April 4th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Flash and Masturbation: Reading the Field Guide
Back when I was a romance writer, I received a strange review. It started by saying something like, “I give a story a star for every time I have to stop reading to masturbate.” The stupid bitch gave me five stars, and I was outraged. She praised the story, despite having to abandon her previous criteria, and all I wanted to do was light up her hair with a flame-thrower.
So I got the new Field Guide to Flash Fiction in the mail, and I waited all week until Friday night to read, when I could stretch out on the couch in my nightgown with a cat on my lap. But I didn’t make it all the way through- I had to stop and run into the bedroom and write flash- once for Pam’s essay on Myth, once for Randall’s, and one that yearned for Mr. Butler, and now this one. Is that four? Oh, what the hell, I’ll give it five stars.
The kid has a strange way with language. He should be a poet. I heard him tell the cat: “Joe, it hurts me when you protrude your claws into my flesh.” He wants to hang with him, but Joe is easily startled by bursts of laughter like a hyena pack feeding, sudden flailing of overgrown arms and legs when the kid rolls over in bed.
Joe prefers my lap, especially when it’s Friday night and we have a new book to read. I can sometimes not move for four hours. Not tonight. It was a flash night and Joe became disgruntled by my leaping up and rushing to the computer. I had to speak firmly- “I don’t like it when you protrude your claws into my flesh.”
Rating: 5 / 5
April 4th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
I admit I still haven’t finished reading the lengthy introduction, but I’ve read the rest. I picked this up because I admire several writers in this book and now admire more. The essays are quotable, helpful, terrific. I wasn’t as impressed with the examples of flash fiction and wanted more – say 3-4 samples per essay rather than one. There is alot of great flash fiction out there and I think as a whole, the collective excerpts don’t get close to the beauty of say Rose Metal Press “Brevity and Echo – so I’d advocate reading both together as then, I believe the combo unveils a more complete picture of flash. I’ve picked up this book many many times and underlined and scribbled notes. Great text. Lots to say from a variety of voices.
Rating: 5 / 5
April 4th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
I bought this book as soon as I read a review about it in “The Writer” Magazine (Dec 09, pg 44, by Amy Wallen).
In an irony to the subject, flash fiction, the introduction of this field guide is the longest chapter in the entire book, weighing-in at 26 pages. Despite its length, Ms. Misah provides the reader with an interesting history of flash fiction.
I found the essays within this guidebook to be useful and informative. Each essay ranged from 3-9 pages, which included a writing prompt and an example of flash fiction. As you could expect, the authors had some differences of opinion on what makes an effective short-short story. What they did agree on, was that each story should be thought-provoking and leave the reader with an indelible image.
I found most of the story examples, “thought provoking” alright. My usual responses were, “huh?” or even, “What was that all about?”
I guess I’m not the literary type. I’m not into deciphering an author’s meaning and images in his or her story.
My favorite was “Inside Job” by Pamela Painter. In this flash–(warning! Plot spoiler ahead!)–a university couple are attending a party. After noticing her husband hit on another one of his graduate students, Marla goes into the kitchen to grab a drink, but accidently douses her blouse with seltzer water. One of Marla’s graduate students tries to help dab off the water and she guides his hand–underneath her blouse.
Whew!
Talk about an “indelible image!”
I rate this book a solid four stars. This is more out of personal bias. With the exception of “Inside Job,” it’s hard for me to get excited over a how-to book. However, for anyone interested in writing flash fiction, or improving their craft in this niche-genre, this is an invaluable guide.
Rating: 4 / 5
April 4th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
This book is fabdabulous. I highly recommend it. I am in a university creative writing program. This book stands up well against this benchmark.
Rating: 5 / 5