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A well written short short or very short story has nothing to hide.

Most of us don’t have perfect bodies.  Most of us don’t need perfect bodies.  Obviously, with billions of people covering the earth we’re attractive enough; but flash fiction is like being naked in public.  There’s no place to hide.

Every inch of protective clothing will be stripped away from your story.  As a writer you want your flash fiction to look good naked in public.

There can be no fat on the story which means no unnecessary words.  All of the words must be the right words in the right order.  No unnecessary words is the main thing.  This will make your story look good in the mind of the reader.

If the story looks good in the mind of the reader it can be about anything.  It can be about love, family, men, women, relationships, sex, war or peace.  It can be about writing.

Other things also stand out that take away from the beautiful body of the flash fiction form.  Poor grammar, misuse of words, faulty punctuation, flat characters and a story in which nothing happens.  All of these flaws must be worked out before the story steps out into the brilliant sunshine of public scrutiny.

Don’t worry.  Several workouts, several revisions will have your story’s muscles tight and able to sustain the public view.

Flash fiction has to look good naked in public.