Reading is relaxing, fulfilling and should be enjoyed daily. Yet I know there are times when we get so bogged down by life and commitments that we just can't take that plunge into a new book. I don't know about you, but I have no self control and would rather skip the laundry and other household chores to read a new book.
My suggestion? Don't read a book, try flash fiction. Also sometimes called nano fiction these little tidbits are not shortened or condensed works. They are true, stand alone stories with characters, plot, conflict and resolution.
This genre can run anywhere from a few words to a thousand but generally runs 55 to 300 words. Flash fiction is readily available as anthologies in e-book format or individual stories online. Choose the size and format that fits your time frame.
As with any anthology, most of us will not enjoy 100% of the content. These are the books I have enjoyed: Dancing on Fly Ash: One Hundred Word Stories by Matt Bell and Josh Maday; Nano Flash Fiction for Kindle and Nano Flash Fiction for Kindle Vol. 2 by James Dillingham; and Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer by Robert Swartwood.
Check online for free reads. Many web sites offer contests for budding authors around a weekly or monthly theme or writing prompt. A site I go back to frequently even includes some older examples from a 1916 Life Magazine writing competition. NPR also sponsors three minute story competitions throughout the year.
Warning! I have found reading flash fiction to be very addictive.
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