Introduction

Flashed is a collection of "Flash" stories, presented here on SOL as one multi-part posting.

Whenever someone asks me, "So what are 'flash' stories, exactly?", I always give the same response. I tell them that flash stories are self-contained, full, but very short stories.

"How short?" they ask and I respond that they are never more than a thousand words long, and typically less than 500. I try to write 300 word flash simply because Ruthie's Club, the website I used to sell them to before it closed, imposed that limit.

"But what do you mean by full story?" Full stories are just that—they have a beginning, a middle and an end. They aren't just 'scenes' they are proper, if very short, stories.

"How do you manage that in so few words?" Ahh, therein lies the challenge. Flash is often called a writers indulgence—that they get more out of it than the readers. I don't think that's true. I enjoy reading them as much as I do writing them. And I hope you enjoy reading them too.

So I present, FLAHSED!, very short stories for your reading pleasure.