Content Warning: This article deals with issues of domestic violence, infant loss, death and murder as concepts in flash fiction writing.
If you’ve been at the writing game long enough then you likely realise there’s no such thing as true originality in fiction, however some story ideas pop up more frequently than others in flash fiction competitions. We call these story ideas the Flash Fiction Tropes.
Tropes and cliches exist because they deeply resonate with large numbers of people. It should therefore come as no surprise that they arise so often, and if you write flash, you’ve probably hit at least one along the way (we certainly have!)
This list is not designed to shame you out of pursuing certain story ideas because they are popular, but to provide you with insight from the other side of the judging panel. It’s our hope that – armed with this insider knowledge – you will dig deeper to find the story only you can tell. Whether this is an entirely new story idea or a fresh take on an old favourite will be entirely up to you.
The following list of Flash Fiction Tropes has been curated by the judges of the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction in consultation with judges across four other major flash fiction competitions: Furious Fiction, Twist in the Tale, Writing Battle, and Globe Soup.
| Trope | How the trope typically manifests |
|---|---|
| DV Retribution | – Irredeemably abusive man pushes innocent wife/girlfriend to the brink, and she finally leaves him, or he dies a gruesome death. Zooms-in on a bruise the woman is trying to conceal. – Irredeemably abusive dad attacks innocent mum or sibling. The son kills the dad in self-defence with a “knowing” moment at the end to show mum will take the blame. |
| Infant loss | – Mother connects with her newborn in a tender moment only to reveal that the baby is dead. Zooms-in on the baby’s flushed checks and/or perfect skin, face, hands. – Mother accidentally kills her own child in a moment of sheer exhaustion. – Toddler drowns “in the blink of an eye”. Variations on this trope: Dead Dogs Note: If you’ve experienced infant loss, your grief may be something you wish to explore in your writing. This is extremely important, and we would never seek to deter you from doing so. For other writers, be aware that judges can usually spot the difference between authors expressing their truth and those deploying infant loss for shock value. |
| Writer Blocked | – Writer experiencing writer’s block grows increasingly unhinged. Typically expressed as a debate between the writer and a supernatural or anthropomorphised muse-like entity. |
| Cats Being Arseholes | – Surprise! It was not an intruder but the pet cat who caused the chaos. Ends on a light-hearted interaction with the cat’s owner acknowledging that cats will be cats. Variations on this trope: Dogs Will Be Dogs |
| Talking Pets | – Talking cat passes judgement on the poor choices of its owner in a stereotypically supercilious or aloof manner. – Talking pets gather to vote on plans for a food heist or jailbreak. Supercilious Cat is the leader and dismissive of Dopey Dog. Variations on this trope: Talking Baby Jailbreak, Senior Citizen Jailbreak |
| Hubby’s Garden Grave | – Perpetually aggrieved wife murders her “mere male” husband over a final straw infraction and buries him in the garden. Ends on a serene moment featuring flowers. |
| Surprise Dementia | – Elderly gentleman sets off on his weekly, wistful journey to visit his wife in her nursing home, only to discover she’s been dead for some time, and he is the one with dementia. – Backstory (often a romance) crescendos and cuts to a dementia patient in care. The orderly delivers all the exposition we need. |
| Surprise Lesbians | – Young person feels a connection with another young person of their own sex and risks it all to make a move. The feeling is invariably mutual and always sealed with a kiss. – A classic romance builds to the surprise “twist” that the romantic leads are of the same sex. Note: The trope we at Not Quite Write lovingly refer to as “Surprise Lesbians” manifests across the gender and sexuality spectrums. To be clear, we welcome stories featuring queer characters. This trope only becomes problematic when queerness is used as a “twist” at the expense of meaningful character development. |
| In the Dark | – In a dystopian future, society has lived underground for generations. A rebel questions what “they” are hiding about the outside world. The answer? Natural beauty. |
| Humans are the Virus | – A catastrophic event leads aliens or a robot race to determine that humans are the virus and must die. Zoom out to nature finally at peace without humans. |
| In the Mind of a Killer | – First person point of view follows a serial killer on the prowl, revelling in their sick fantasies. – A woman arriving to meet a date appears nervous. It turns out she’s a serial killer on the hunt. |
| Bake-Off | – Drama ensues between longstanding entrants at an annual fair amid rumours of recipe and/or husband theft. Minimum 20-word title essential, e.g. The Unfortunate Incident with a Lemon Cake, as Judged Third Place at the Annual Avoca Beach Bake Off but is Under Review. |
| Grim Reaper Claims a Soul | – The Grim Reaper appears in classic attire to claim another soul. Often involves a reflection on those who are taken too soon. |
| All Talk | – Author relies heavily on the stylistic quirk of presenting a conversation as dialogue-only but fails to develop a story. |
| Democracy Manifest | – Residents of a town gather to determine a “winner”, and we discover the “prize” is death, often presented in the form of a Hunger Games-style reaping. |
| Re-ché | A slice of quintessential genre fiction which heavily leans into the cliché, especially: – Boy meets girl – Gumshoe detective chats up a dame – Hitman meets his own demise – Team pulls off a classic heist/robbery – Fae realm confronts a threat/theft of a natural resource – Fantasy character completes a quest – Horse girl gets back on the horse |
These tropes frequently feature on our own long and shortlists, proving it’s possible to succeed in retelling an old classic if you tell it well.
How many Flash Fiction Tropes have you hit?
For a deep dive into the Flash Fiction Tropes, check out our July 2024 Not Quite Write Prize Longlist announcement episode at the link below. The trope discussion features at around the 49:14 mark.
Keen to test your creative limits in the next Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction? Enter now via the link below.