THE FROGS WHO WISHED FOR A KING

The Frogs were tired of governing themselves.

They had so much freedom that it had spoiled them,
and they did nothing but sit around croaking in a
bored manner and wishing for a government that
could entertain them with the pomp and display of
royalty, and rule them in a way to make them know
they were being ruled. No milk and water
government for them, they declared. So they sent a
petition to Jupiter asking for a king.
Jupiter saw what simple and foolish creatures they
were, but to keep them quiet and make them think
they had a king he threw down a huge log, which fell into
the water with a great splash. The Frogs hid themselves
among the reeds and grasses, thinking the new king to
be some fearful giant. But they soon discovered how
tame and peaceable King Log was. In a short time the
younger Frogs were using him for a diving platform, while
the older Frogs made him a meeting place, where they
complained loudly to Jupiter about the government.
To teach the Frogs a lesson the ruler of the
gods now sent a Crane to be king of Frogland.
The Crane proved to be a very different sort of
king from old King Log. He gobbled up the
poor Frogs right and left and they soon saw
what fools they had been. In mournful croaks t
hey begged Jupiter to take away the cruel
tyrant before they should all be destroyed.
“How now!” cried Jupiter
“Are you not yet content? You have what you
asked for and so you have only yourselves to
blame for your misfortunes.”
Elements of Fiction
01 Characters
02 Setting
03 Plot
04 Conflict
05 Point of View
06 Theme
 Elements of Plot
Climax

Exposition Denouement
“For sale: baby shoes,
never worn.”
-Ernest Hemingway
Flash Fiction
“Short “Micro
“Micro
short Fiction”
story” narrative”

“Nano “Nano Postcard

Fiction” Narrative” Fiction
“Sudden “Quick
Fiction” Fiction”

“Sudden “smoke-
Narrative” long story”
 What is Flash Fiction?

A unique type of story that has been

whittled down to its essence, a fragment of
a story which leaves a great deal to the ima
gination of the reader.
 What is Flash Fiction?

If a novel is a mammal, and short story

is a bird, then a Flash Fiction is an
iridescent insect.
 Advantages

Indeterminateness and evocativeness

[invites the reader to infer back story and
conclusion]; ambiguity [like memory, can be
innovative or refreshing]; impression
[suggestive and unconventional]
 Function

Like poetry, each line has a symbolic weight

moving the story forward
Length

Maximum of 1 000 words

Length

Maximum of 1 000 words

 Origin
Fable/
Internet/
Parable
website

Ernest
Social media
Hemmingway
&
Italo Calvino
Philippines
(Reseached by Rolando Tolentino)
Dagli Writers
 Contemporary Dagli

2007 2011 2012

• “Mga • “Wag Lang Di • "Ang

Kwentong Makaraos Autobiografia
Paspasan” • Eros Atalia ng Ibang
• Vicente Lady Gaga"
Garcia • Jack Alvarez
Groyon
Tips on how to write Flash Fiction

Focus on one: character, plot,

1
conflict, dialogue, description of
emotion or setting

2
Always start with action
 Tips on how to write Flash Fiction

3 End with a twist or puchline

4 Show the story, don’t tell the story

4 Make a double blade title

 Wala ‘Yan sa Tatay ko
Eros Atalia

“Wala ‘yan sa tatay ko. Ikaw, tatay mo

kundoktor? Sa iyo, drayber? ‘Kaw, vendor, sa
kanya barker… tatay ko, pulis, huhulihin ng
tatay ko mga tatay nyo,” ang pagmamalaki nya
habang pinupunasan ang tumutulong sipon
gamit ang braso.
“Ano, nag-aaway na naman ba kayo?
Pare-parehas lang naman mga tatay nyo, puro
walang silbi, walang iniwan sa akin kundi kayo.
Hala, pasok, kakain na… mga anak kayo ng
tatay nyo.”
 Short Story Flash Fiction

may take a couple of punchy and to the point

sittings to read
more flexible have one or a few characters
and one or a few settings
(limited in place and time,
such as a day or a couple of
weeks) and express a single
theme, or message.
 Short Story Flash Fiction

is more space to shouldn’t be more

develop ideas, plot, than one plot and one
character and theme; theme
there is at most, one
plot and a small
subplot or a plot and a
half
 Short Story Flash Fiction

Begin with a crisis or conflict right away and

avoid describing the origin of the conflict or
setting up long character histories

tells a complete story with a beginning, middle

and end with the elements of storytelling in place.
To get that tightness, cut unnecessary
descriptions, get rid of adjectives and
adverbs, remove the word “that” and other
empty words, and eliminate details that
don’t matter.
What may start as a short story can
become flash fiction, or a short short,
through the slashing of the unnecessary.
 Closing
Flash fiction helps understand the nature of
stories (elements of fiction) and it can help
us become better writers by being concise
and clear (especially in communicating with
others through our word choice and impress
ion we hope to leave on their minds).