Hi friends!
Great discussion yesterday as we played around with titles! Going forward, maybe try to give everything you post a working title.
Today, I’d like to look at a flash that KM Elkes mentioned as one of his favorites a while back when we were talking about beloved flash fictions: “Yours” by Mary Robison. We’ll analyze the story and write to a prompt aimed at emulating its subtle emotional power.
I love Mary Robison’s writing. She’s funny, direct, searing, and wise.
Her collection, “Tell Me: Thirty Stories” is well worth your time, as is her novel, “Why Did I Ever.”
I was so glad to see this story mentioned as a favorite! It’s one of my favorites, too. It’s not quite 800 words, so it’s definitely a flash fiction. Robison was in her prime in the 1980s. Along with Raymond Carver, she was considered a Minimalist, a style that was popular at the time. She was one of the first short story writers I read and loved.
So much of how flash fiction is written and taught now emphasizes the BIG opening paragraph, poetic language, and the mind-blowing ending, but Robison’s style is quiet and natural. The images are subtle. Even the ending is minimalist. No fanfare. Nothing is fancy here or overblown. The emotion is understated, but felt by the reader, because it’s not manipulative or overcooked.