This Will Only Take a Minute

Receiving physical copy as my Kindle cannot accept PDFs. Editor has been extremely responsive and kind. If you have an ereader than can accept PDFs, I encourage you to read this and support Canadian authors.

Full disclosure: I have a piece in the book, however I am in excellent company with a group of amazing Canadian writers and the incomparable Bruce Meyer and Michael Mirolla editing. Fantastic as an introduction to those uninitiated in the world of flash fiction.

I am fairly new to Flash or Micro-Fiction, having come across examples over the last couple of years, but never having read a significant collection. As a writer, I’m intrigued by the contained space, the small window of time in which you have to tell a story and how imposing limits can often bring about incredible ideas and writing. I recently came across “This Will Only Take a Minute: 100 Canadian Flashes,” edited by Bruce Meyer and Michael Mirolla and dove right in. What I have found in reading these flashes is how objects and setting often end up taking the starring role. In that small space, from the first few words, you are transported into these mini worlds. Paradoxically, there is often a lot of description encompassed in these short works, more than I would have expected. People are often nebulous and unidentified, at least in a more tangible sense. Flashes are aptly named, giving you a window onto a particular moment in time, a particular sentiment or memory that is disclosed.

While I found the writing engaging, I did find it difficult to read more than 2-3 flashes in a sitting. The switch between worlds and authors sometimes felt jarring to someone used to reading longer works. I found myself often wishing for more of the story, the characters, and the denouement. Overall, I enjoyed the works, but maybe needed to take a little more time to savour them more fully.