Summarize the following:
Since flash fiction is too short to get into the entire life of your character, you need to choose 1 moment to write about. Consider the theme you chose to write your piece around and chose an event related to it. It could be part of an everyday routine or something large that changes your character’s life. For example, if your theme is about loss, you may write your flash fiction piece about how someone’s daily routine changes the day after someone they loved passed away. Exposition and backstory take up a lot of words when you’re writing a flash fiction piece. Instead of explaining how your character got into a situation, start right when the event occurs. That way, you hook the reader to your story and don’t include boring or unnecessary information.  For example, you may write something like, “Jess walked out into the rain after midnight, thinking of ways she could win back all of the money she had lost at the poker table that night.” If you need to include exposition about your character, work it into their dialogue. The conflict is what causes tension and creates your story. Use your antagonist to challenge your main character so they have something to overcome. That way, your reader will feel satisfied as your character finishes their arc.  For example, if you were writing a story about a boxing match, you may have your antagonist wound your main character so it’s more challenging for your protagonist to win the fight. Don’t use multiple conflicts in a flash fiction piece since it can get confusing and wordy. Many flash fiction pieces end with a surprise ending that the reader doesn’t expect. Make the ending is a resolution to the conflict you told throughout your writing but done in a surprising way. That way, your readers will feel satisfied with the story and want to read it again.  Make sure the surprise fits with the rest of the story. For example, readers would be unsatisfied if a meteor fell out of the sky and stopped a monster from attacking. Do your best to avoid jokey twist endings since they’re overused.
Pick a single moment in your character’s life to focus on. Start your story with an interesting hook in the middle of the action. Make your protagonist deal with a single conflict throughout the story. Create a surprise ending.