The secret to flash fiction | How to find story ideas

If you’re looking to write flash fiction (or any kind of story) that has an impact on your reader, this is the secret to how I try to do that.
CORRECTION: At 4:50 the word should be 'Saudade' not 'Suadade' I got that wrong!
It’s not always possible or appropriate to have plot twists that are clever enough to shock or to move a reader, but speaking to them in this language of indefinable but universal moments is how I try to leave them feeling slightly different than when they found my story and that’s what I love most about writing flash fiction.
0:00 - Defining the secret
1:00 - My top piece of advice
2:30 - Examples of the secret
4:29 - Definitions from around the world
5:23 - A moment-led story
9:20 - If you want to move a reader
10:02 - More details
TODD HIDO PHOTOGRAPHY:
www.toddhido.com/interiors.html
MY STORY:
vocal.media/fiction/red-light...
MY WEBSITE:
www.kierenwestwood.com/
***
Writing is my passion, and I love to support other writers and help them develop their writing along with me. I want to help you tell your best stories.
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[@julianmirano5001]

We all feel these moments. The trick is that when you feel that moment you have to note it and turn it into a story. Love that.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

I love to try to catch them in story form. It’s my favourite thing to write.

[@AlexRider589]

It reminds me of the writing equivalent of a photograph. Or maybe a small collection of photographs. Captured moments in time.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

That's a great way of putting it. I very much agree.

[@KingAdeft]

I've only thought about flash fiction recently and I'm realizing how beautiful it is. I always that it was too hard and not worth it, but now I see how beautiful words can be even though there are very few. Great video and thanks for giving honest advice.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

I’m so glad ☺️ flash fiction is my favourite form of writing and I think learning it or even just trying it can be beneficial for any writer. Thank you so much for watching.

[@j.gverse6344]

Dude. I love it when you talked about atmosphere. It's so true!!

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Thank you! I’m glad you get what I mean ☺️ it’s important to a story for sure.

[@lookbeneaththesurface4376]

Thanks for the advice, and I'll definitely be finishing that story! I'm intrigued!

[@AwakeArise]

Love this Kieren. Always thought I should use failed novel ideas for flash but I think they are better for short stories, and this approach is the way forward for flash

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Thanks mate! I’m all for repurposing stuff that has potential, I find coming at stuff from a different angle can definitely work for me personally. I do love short stories as well, I just find ideas for them a bit rarer than FF ideas ☺️ This approach does work for me and hopefully for readers! But of course it’s always a matter of taste and stuff, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see us very much aligned on our opinions 😁

[@opollitico]

you have this innate worldliness to your writing style, it's so inspiring to listen to. it's like, you can just paint a picture in what, like a few sentences?! crazy. I also get what you mean with the presence feeling, that just intangible thing, yeah, like a presence. it is a language thing too. this is easily the most nuanced video you've made, and I'm here for it! as an attempting novelist, this is definitely something that I will keep going back to for reference. I'm not the only one who's felt this way when you drop the keys on the worktop before moving out, only to find the cold air outside somehow feels more uncertain in the time between moving to your new home and travelling there. btw, uitwaaein = is a direct translation of dutch which means in English 'to blow out', but to you, me and your subscribers, in more painterly and writer-ish terms, is the act of going out for a walk in the fresh air, almost for emotional relief or something like that. I love untranslatable words!

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Ah thank you! That's exactly what I try to do with stories, though of course this is the filtered, edited, re-edited version that I've also cut down to specifically back up my point haha! :D I also gave myself a bit of a hand by creating some of the atmosphere with the sound design in this one! I CHEATED! Yes, I love those moments, those 'this feels different' instances in life that we don't really acknowledge at the time, sometimes even to ourselves. Ahh Uitwaaien! Exactly the type of word I was looking to learn! Thank you. I love those. I'm sure there are some in English too, but everything's so vague and functional that I can't think of one!

[@opollitico]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting nah, it was great mate!

[@MeredithPhillipsWrites]

I clicked over to read the rest of that story so fast 😂 *You are such a good writer!!!* This is a great video (both the content AND the freaking editing). I know exactly what you mean about those seemingly small "moments" that end up being the things that really stick with you through life.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Ah thank you so much ☺️☺️☺️ I really set myself up for a lot of editing in this video...oh who am I kidding? I love editing 😂 Yes, definitely, and the nice thing is that while these ‘moments’ are great for flash, they can be used for any kind of story of any length ☺️

[@kimnmtime]

i appreciate this very much ❤️ my flash fictions are missing something and what you 'conveyed' - feeling, and the extracting of the depths of seemingly simple moments, is a guide for me to improve, if that makes sense. TY

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Thank you! I love hearing I've helped in whatever way I can. Hope you can give your stories that little bit extra 🙂

[@kimnmtime]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting 🙏🏾🥰

[@jeffdavidson6146]

What a great video! I sometimes struggle in my stories with too much exposition, too much "narrative" as you say. I do (at last) interject dialogue, but I know I need to get to the point, sooner. I have to remember the audience. We are all suffering from a short attention span. What's interesting to me might not be interesting to the audience. I am amazed you could tell a whole story in 1,000 words. I would take double that, just for one chapter. I used to write short stories. Now, I'm more of a novel guy. I wonder if I have lost my touch, to write short stories. But look, I appreciate this video, very much, it's something of a reality check for me to remember the audience and get to the point, quickly. All writers should want their audience to be completely captivated, rapt, and hanging on every word, anxious and excited for what comes next. I know we are all our own worst critic, but you video has awakened me to the truth that I need to get to the point, sooner. Thank you for that. I needed that. Thank you, Kieren. Nicely done!

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

We really are suffering from a short attention span, I think you're right there. It's lovely to imagine that every reader will love our style and be happy to float along enjoying our prose, and some will, but the majority I think would rather the story grab them a bit faster. I'm really glad this was useful for you! I love hearing that.

[@writeitdown2013]

Fantastic. I love the idea of foregoing narrative, at least initially. Trying to make a story feel like a moment in time I think is one of the greatest things fiction can accomplish. I love flash fiction too just because of how focused and condensed it has to be. I think it's that focus and compression that makes the initial feeling you're trying to convey actually feel like something to the reader.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Absolutely! That's a great way of putting it. Even when people read for entertainment only, that's still the pursuit of feeling something, so that's what I always want to try to create if I can. I just discovered your videos by the way, glad to see another like-minded writer making content!

[@writeitdown2013]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting that's great! Yeah I started the channel just before Christmas and so far I'm really enjoying it. I echo your words on finding like-minded individuals--one of the great benefits of doing this. While it makes my schedule busier, it also makes me a better, more responsible writer, I think. And it's pretty satisfying on a creative level too.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

It does scratch a creative itch for sure. I was worried at first that it would eat into my writing time, but in fact it gives me yet another reason to keep writing, do you find the two pursuits feed into each other?

[@writeitdown2013]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting I think they do feed into each other. If I keep writing I keep learning and finding new things about the craft that I can then share on the videos. The videos also just help me to formulate in a more coherent way what I think and know about writing. I also surprise myself sometimes when forced to come up with a video topic. I'll discover new things/perspectives about writing that I hadn't really thought of before

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

The same happens with me, reflecting on why I do things comes in very handy!

[@julianmirano5001]

Going through all your videos, sorry man. Too good.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Hey don’t apologise! Appreciate you watching them ☺️ thank you!

[@Voice.of.the.Fire.Ministries]

Another brilliant piece of work, great job! Is there anyway you can take us through the process of your writing? Like step by step?

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Thank you! A little while ago I made a video about how I write flash fiction which is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIXWamaDjc2jpdE But I'll definitely try to do a more in depth step-by-step if it'll be useful to people! ☺

[@nancyanyaaida]

Thank you for the video

[@nancyanyaaida]

Only got to know about flash fiction after my creatice writing coach told me I had just written one. I googled you up. So the vid has been helpful

[@mightandmercy]

Love this approach. It works for me too. A good ideas and then just write. Edit later!

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Yes, edit later....definitely...maybe 😂 I’m bad at making sure I edit! I agree with you though, I’m all about the moment and discovering the story as I’m writing it.

[@mightandmercy]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting :) I've a manuscript - with really good notes - that I'm building the courage to edit. There is just something about the flow of sitting down and writing (when will we start calling this typing?) that is inherently energizing. Thanks for the great videos, they are very helpful in learning more about flash!

[@jodo3k]

As a planner, this concept sends me into a panic. But I'm experimenting with a balance between the two. And, significantly, what order of going between the two gets the best of both worlds. Maybe this works better for really short works?

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Oh absolutely. I've never been much of a planner, so this approach works for me, but I can definitely see how it wouldn't fit a planner. I try to make a point of mentioning that stuff like this is purely my opinion and that there's no 'right' way to do things with writing, that definitely applies to this video! I do think that this would probably work better for very short stuff yeah, that's very much my preference with writing over longer work, they're definitely different skills in a lot of ways.

[@kb2vca]

Flash fiction is a version of poetry. It's where the words carry the reader and not the character or the plot.

[@nunooliveira5307]

Hi Kieren. Great content. New subscriber here. But... in Portuguese, the correct word is "SAUDADE" and not "suadade". Keep up the good work.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Hi Nuno, oh no! I'm so sorry, I've obviously gone wrong somewhere. I'll put something in the description to confirm the correct work, thanks for letting me know!

[@nunooliveira5307]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting No problem. Just an info. Keep up the good work. And if you need some kind of help translating to Portuguese, please, let me know. Be safe. Take care.

[@bruceevans2719]

I'm still wondering what was in those envelopes in the glove box.

[@ListaGamesLP]

The storylink leads to an error. Could you update the link, please? I would love to read it :)

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Apologies! It used to be on my website, now it's over on vocal, here's the link. vocal.media/fiction/red-light-and-heat-and-rush Thanks for letting me know!

[@ListaGamesLP]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting thank you for the update link! I loooove the story :)

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you reading it!

[@Voice.of.the.Fire.Ministries]

How do I write say a micro flash fiction with 50 words?

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Just jump in and do it, focus on a moment, that still (most importantly) tells a story. Write it as short as you can on the first go around, then edit it down, cut what isn't absolutely necessary and reword until you hit 50. That's what I've been doing lately with my 100 word stories.

[@sakarilacross9853]

Can flash fiction be serialized?

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Definitely! Last year I wrote a 'Novella in flash' which was essentially a novella-length collection of connected flash fiction stories, all 1000 words or less. It can definitely be done, and in my case I found it really fun to write!

[@sakarilacross9853]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting thank u so much for the response. Also, is the novella published? Is there any way to get a copy of your book?

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

@@sakarilacross9853 It may be coming in the next few months or so, but not quite there yet. There are a few more stories of mine on the website though ☺️

[@sakarilacross9853]

Ok :)