Ladychipmunk's third? assignment

[Nikita]

Lady Chipmunk,

I've stumbled onto an exercise that might stimulate you. It's short and fun. I used it to break through a small writer's block. It's called flash fiction or sudden fiction.

Mike Kimera describes how he uses flash fiction and gives an example in his blog.

Anyone can try it. You do not have to commit yourself to the story as you would when writing longer pieces. Although it may sound very difficult, some people have a natural knack for telling a tale in a very short space, and basically anything goes.

The definition in quotes is taken from this link. The page has links to other flash fiction sites and even more examples.

What is Flash Fiction? In it's simplest term, it is a story that's somewhere between 300 and 1000 words (there is of course micro-fiction which is between 10 and 300 words). Some describe Flash Fiction as a story of one act, or the culmination of several unwritten events. In truth Flash Fiction is a genre in which every word used by the author counts, and not just towards an end word target. For those who write in this style it is an art form. Even literary giants have tested their talents, Ernest Hemingway took flash to the ultimate conclusion and produced this masterpiece of just six words.

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."