So I belong to a writing group which meets once a week at a local library. We show up, share some small talk, then the leader provides several writing prompts. We choose from among the prompts and then write for 20 minutes. Each of us then reads aloud what we’ve written. The group members give a bit of positive feedback. Then we repeat the process, but only write for 10 minutes the second time around. The prompts could be single words, a single sentence, or physical objects or images.

Many writing groups and writing classes follow a similar format. What we end up with usually is 200 to 500 words of a short story. This is the average length of a ‘Flash Fiction’ short story. Though some people say a flash fiction story can extend up to 1,000 words. (Whereas normal short stories might run all the way up to 25,000 words in length).

I have been attending basic writing groups and creative writing classes off and on for some time now. What I do, as well as many other writers, is to let the prompt stir up a memory from our own lives. Then we either write out our experience as an autobiographical piece, or we use the memory to create a new fictional story. Usually about a single experience, place, or person. (more…)