What is flash fiction?

Question

Is it simply defined by its short word count? Or are there other accepted conventions in flash fiction? If it's just the word count, how short is too short? How long is too long?

Answer 1

Yes, flash fiction is typically defined by its short word count (in my former creative writing professor's words, it's "written in a flash!"). The standard accepted length for flash is usually 1,000 words. However, I've seen some literary journals and magazines put the cap at 1,200, some even at 1,500, and anything that exceeds those lengths would be considered a short story. Some writers also pose that flash fiction must be at least 300 words and anything fewer is considered microfiction.