Short stories have been around as an art form for a long time. Famous authors penned (and still pen) short stories between larger projects–Edgar Allen Poe, Steven King, Jim Butcher, J.D. Salinger, Chuck Palahniuk, and Joyce Carol Oates, to name a few–and some specialize in this genre altogether.
Flash fiction, on the other hand, is a fairly new genre. Many people still view it as a way to “warm up” their writing muscles, often writing these bite-sized stories (generally 1000 words or shorter) as throwaway snippets of a larger tale never to be told. Others view it as a way to tell almost riddle-like stories: How can they turn so few words into a surprise ending that really packs a punch? Truth be told, this takes a lot of skill–different than the skills it takes to write a longer piece of work.
But let’s take a step back for a moment. When was the last time you read a short story? It seems like many modern writers push for novels as a goal, often overlooking the richness that shorter works can bring to the literary landscape.
There’s nothing wrong with this, of course. Authors are free to pursue whatever they like.
But at SSFFS, we believe that short stories deserve more recognition. Flash fiction should be promoted, and indeed admired, as a legitimate literary genre. Here, we seek to bring you our own works, as well as feature the works of other authors who love short stories and flash fiction as much as we do. Short stories and flash fiction pieces are great for people who take public transportation to work and want to read something short and sweet; they’re for those workout addicts who want to read while running; they’re for the student who doesn’t have much time to read for fun between studying and homework.
They’re also for you–for anyone who enjoys the uniqueness of these genres.
We hope you find something you like at SSFFS, and if you’re interested in submitting, please contact one of the admins!