RE: The Hard Way Home - Scifi Short Story
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Hi Raj
I checked out that link.
In flash fiction, the reader should immediately be thrown to the wolves, so to speak. You hardly get a paragraph to explain (in some context) the setting and characters in your story.
This is my operating principle, even when I write an essay. Sometimes I write a piece--story, essay, whatever--and then look throughout to select the one line or incident that grabs the reader, that tells the reader to stay because this will be good.
As for the structure, it's like a classical play. What's good about the link you provided is, it reminds us that writing is logical. It is logical in it's structure and in it's content.
I did enjoy your story. It was so obvious you were in control. You had an idea but didn't just write by the seat of your pants. It's always clear to me when a writer knows the craft and uses tools nimbly.
Write more! Six months is too long :))
Absolutely. I used to write really long environmental descriptions at the beginning of stories, but during my uni course, and through writing fiction regularly, I learned that it is much better to jump into a story at a point of action. Even if you are describing the environment (setting), it should be in some type of movement to draw the reader right in. Character can be shown through how the protagonist reacts to conflict for example.
The craft is the final piece of the puzzle I think. It took me ages to realize that I have to be a planner rather than a pantser to find that craft.