Character Essence

Impressions and profiles

Feb 03, 2025

For me, story starts with character. Flash word count/space limits put pressure on the writer to create and or/reveal characters quickly, but specifically and uniquely if they want to form dynamic and affecting stories. The character is often our vehicle for the camera and the point of view. Their very essence can create a sense of possibility, and it's our job to use their actions on the stage of the story to create tension and conflict and to build resonance and satisfaction while reading. One way to do all of this is to reveal characters through their relationships with other characters, to show the fissures in relationships, and the tension in counterpointed or opposite characters.

Hot Spots:

When writing flash fiction, think of the "Hot Spot" in that character's life. Think of that one moment that illuminates that character's entire struggle with life. Think about a scene that will reveal that character’s life in a way that no other moment would. Unlike the short story or the novel, the writer of flash fiction does not have a full canvas, but rather a spot in the corner. The flash is much like looking at a single picture and making assumptions about who these people are and what they've gone through to get to this point in their lives.

Essence only:

“In Flash Fiction, we see characters only in “fleeting profile,” according to Irving Howe.” Grant Faulkner

“It takes effort to unveil a hidden truth, to bring a reader face-to-face with an arresting or even dangerous encounter. A writer of brevity has to paint characters in deft brushstrokes, with the keenest of images in such limited space, in order to capture their essence. You're not mirroring life so much as showing life. Your character's background, all that makes them who they are, matters less than their immediate impact on the reader in that dash of words on the page. If story is character and character is story, ask yourself what is the most vital character trait to tell the story?” Grant Faulkner in The Art of Brevity

"Because our imaginations tend to run wild when we read, a large amount of information can be implied by a small amount of text" (4). William Boast "The Heimlich and Unheimlich in Short-Short Fiction.

I love when we can “see” a character in as few words as possible. Sarah Freligh is a master at this kind of inferred writing!Let’s take a look at her micro, “Ghost Grapes,” which creates characters through extreme brevity.

The night Mamaw got sick, the rain fell and froze. I heard my father get out of bed and head to the vineyard to try and save the grapes. I heard the worry in his voice, frayed as old flannel. By morning the vines were trapped in ice. When the sun came out, our world looked like a bowl full of diamonds. My mother slipped Mamaw’s ring from her finger and tucked it in a scrap of velvet left over from a dress she’d made me. The grapes were buried under coffins of ice, as perfect as pearls.

I love how the setting, especially the weather, pressures these characters to act. Notice the lack of stated abstract feelings and how the narrator filters everything through the sensory details! Our narrator becomes more than an observer because she creates her character by how she sees and describes the world. The grandmother is getting sick, and the weather is the antagonist. The father must choose who to tend to, and he picks the grapes. For me, this instantly reveals his character and his priorities. Notice this quick action of the mother taking off the ring and hiding it, or is she just keeping it safe? And this metaphor of the grapes in coffins lets us infer not only about the fate of the grandmother but also the fate of the father and mother and, therefore, the narrator!

Prompt: Consider using this four character structure. Notice that the grandmother, father, and mother only get one action, almost one line of the story. Notice how specifically and uniquely they act. Use the observer narrator and their sense of filtering to give us great sensory details, but also stay away from abstract feelings. Let us infer the narrator’s feelings from how they see/describe the world around them. How does the setting or the weather play a role or put pressure on these characters to act? What are they trying to save? Themselves, their livelihood, or another character in the scene?

Or consider putting a character or characters directly into peril. No backstory, no explanation. Force them to each take one action or make one reaction. How can we “see” these characters, how can we know them from one action? Challenge yourself to not use any feeling words!

Writing Flash Fiction with Raymond Carver

March 9-23, 2025

Asynchronous using Canvas (free learning platform)

Cost: $140

9/12 spots left!

In this 2 week asynchronous workshop, we’ll use the work of Raymond Carver to investigate how to create tone and mood in our flash and micros. The way Carver’s characters long for and fight against isolation in an alienating world. We’ll focus on how Carver balances character, setting, and conflict while deploying his famous minimalism. How can we apply his craft moves to our own writing in 2025? Let’s find out together!

Participants will receive craft analysis of six Carver stories, have the opportunity to write to six Carver-inspired prompts, and receive positive feedback from their peers and the instructor. Prompts will be launched on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for two weeks.

Good Trouble: The Art of Storytelling

Discussion about this post