The phrase "Brevity is the soul of wit" comes from Hamlet and it is spoken by Polonius. He is one of the most long-winded and tedious characters so there is an element of irony in his use of this phrase.
However, the phrase is a good summary of the value of flash fiction. In some definitions, flash fiction can be anything up to 1000 words.
If you take two of the best loved poems in the English language, "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and "If" by Rudyard Kipling they do not total 1000 words between them. In poetry, as in flash fiction, every word has to count.
I would add to Polonius's stricture that if you can't be witty you could at least be brief!
A woman wrote a letter to a magazine in which she recounted the fact that her father used to respond to the electricity bill by quoting "The Charge of the Light Brigade". He would say, "Oh the brave charge they made, all the world wondered."
She finished the letter with three words which recontextualise the story. She said, "Every single time."
Suddenly it is not about an exasperated consumer protesting the cost of living. It is about a child's response to the repetitive discourse of a parent.
If you want to try your hand at flash fiction (anything from 85 to a 1000 words) please email it to worthingflash@gmail.com because we can always use one more story.
No comments:
Post a Comment