How I Learned to Write Flash Fiction from Editing Admissions Essays

When Every Word Counts

Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

People know me as a flash fiction writer, and, yes, most of my published pieces are, indeed, flash. So it sometimes surprises people when I tell them that, although I’ve been writing for decades, I didn’t really start writing flash until late 2020 (thanks, pandemic!).

Not only that, but I was, in many respects, an editor long before I ever became a serious writer. Specifically, an academic and technical editor, as that’s the kind of editing that, for almost twenty years, I’ve gotten paid to do!

But I’ve long been interested in flash. I first tried to write it around 2006 or 2007. I didn’t know enough about the genre, though, and I also didn’t yet know how to truly study the craft of writing. My early flash attempts were not good, and the only piece of guidance I remember being given was about how essential it was to carefully consider word choice in flash. Because, I was told, in flash, every word counts.

Not bad advice.

But it’s not just true for flash!! Every word counts in anything one writes. Any length, any genre.

In 2019, I left my teaching job to become self-employed. Because I already had a foot in the door of academic editing, having already done it for years, this is what I initially focused on. And around 2020, I became utterly enrapt with editing admissions essays (and other similar essays, e.g., statements of purpose/personal statements). They quickly became my favorite kinds of editing projects.

Because I started writing flash around the same time, more or less, that I started editing admissions essay, I didn’t immediately recognize all the similarities (and there are quite a few!). Because one was creative and the other academic, they seemed initially very separate. I can’t even tell you which one I became enamored with first! Did one influence the other? Probably!

Either way, it’s clear that editing admissions essays made me a better flash writer; in turn, improving as a flash writer made me more skilled at editing admissions essays. Win-win!

Every Word Counts

If you’re familiar with admissions essays, personal statements, and the like, you know that there is usually a word or page constraint. And while you must abide by that constraint, it’s also important not to be too sparse. That is to say, if the maximum word count is 650 words, the ideal length is 647 to 649 words. An essay of 630 words would be too short.

It’s not uncommon for these types of essays to come to me very well-written and full of substance, but also way over the maximum length. These are the easiest—and most fun!—to edit. (On the other end of the spectrum are the essays that are too short and say virtually nothing of substance.)

Because these essays are not my own, I can view them more objectively, so it’s easier to see what information is most relevant. But it can still take quite a while to pare 200, 100, or even 50 words from an essay that can’t go over 650 words. The fact is that it’s often much more challenging to write short than long. Please note: I am not (by any means!) saying that it’s easier to write a full-length manuscript, e.g., a memoir or a novel, than a 600-word prose piece! It’s not a reasonable comparison. Apples and oranges.

What I’m really talking about here is process. Specifically, the process of “paring.” (Or editing, if you will!) There is a certain challenge to writing short because of the constraints. But, at the same time, it is these constraints that can also strengthen your work, sometimes substantially.

As an aside, I chuckled a bit as I was writing and editing this post. I told a friend this afternoon that my Substack posts are often on the long side (especially compared to my fiction!), and I said that it’s simply because I don’t have the time (or the inclination) to make them shorter. I could pare this post down—cut it in half perhaps—and it would possibly be a stronger post. But it would take me a lot longer!

Because my process—for virtually anything I write—is this: write/get my thoughts down—with minimal attention paid to organization, structure, and length. In fact, I can generate first drafts of my Substack posts quickly, easily writing 1500 words or so in less than an hour. And often these drafts don’t even need too much reorganization. I could reasonably publish them with only minor editing. But what I ultimately end up publishing is something considerably shorter—and hopefully cleaner!—than my initial drafts of the posts; there have been times, in fact, when I’ve cut upwards of 1000 words from a Substack draft.

That paring is what takes the most time in my process. And the reason that it takes the most time is because it’s analytical work. I have to think critically about what I really want to say. And I have to analyze the prose to see if it’s saying what I actually want it to say. This kind of paring/editing takes a different kind of skillset than “simply” writing.

It’s the same with editing admissions essays.

And with flash. Some of my flash pieces do come out quickly in nearly their final form. But many don’t. It’s not just that every word (or piece of punctuation) counts; with flash, it’s just as much what’s not on the page as what is.

I recently submitted an application for a writing residency. The application required responses to several questions, and the responses were not to exceed 300 words. I knew that my answers needed to have substance; they needed to include certain details about me, much the way admissions essays do, because these responses were the only information the reviewers would have about me.

The first drafts of almost all my responses were around 500 words each, give or take. That was the easy part. I had to laugh when I finally got all the responses to under 300 words; every single one of my responses was exactly 298 words! And, in my view, all of the responses were cohesive and substantive narratives that relayed different pieces of necessary information. Hints of who I am. Hints. Just like in flash.

Short- or Long-Form Writers: What Is the Story Really About?

I believe that long-form writers can learn from this paring process. More specifically, it’s a skillset that all writers can benefit from learning! No, you don’t need to make your novel into a 1000-word story! But this process of paring—especially when you have certain constraints—tends to create stronger writing. Giving yourself some constraints, no matter your genre or intended length of the prose, is a great way to self-edit.

Last year, I took a 20-page story I had written in 2018 and made it into a 3-page story. The 20-page story was good; in fact, my writing group at the time couldn’t find anything “wrong” with it! But it lacked—in my view—energy. Pizzazz. What was the story really about? What did I want my readers to get from it? To answer those questions, I had to do more than just remove words. In fact, I had to do more than just consider my word choices (as in “every word counts”).

I had to figure out what needed to be on the page. And, just as importantly, what didn’t.

The 3-page version is substantially stronger (and is currently out for submission).

Less, as they say, really can be more.

I talk more about this in my latest video:

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Literary News

Hot Flash Literary

I am thrilled to share that last week, we (my co-editor Tina Carlson and I) launched the first issue of Hot Flash Literary. It’s a magnificent line-up of flash writers—I hope you’ll check it out!

Hot Flash Literary is currently open for submissions for Issue 2. The theme: “Hot off the press.” Feel free to interpret the theme creatively!

Submissions are limited to women-identifying writers. We accept flash (both fiction and creative nonfiction) and flash-like prose poetry of 500 words or fewer. Submissions for Issue 2 will remain open through October 31, 2025.

Writing and Intuition Workshop—October 9th!

Registration is open for my workshop, Hitting the Trail: Using Your Intuition for Writing and Self-Editing. If you've ever struggled with consistency of quality in your writing, this is the workshop for you!! (Use coupon code LostInWoods to save 15% on your registration.)

This workshop is an opportunity to tap into what you (your subconscious) already knows and to learn how honing your intuition can help you improve as a writer. It is for writers of all skill levels, and will be particularly helpful for writers who struggle with self-doubt and/or have difficulty assessing their work.

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