How to Write Flash Fiction in Your Sleep

When I started participating in writing competitions, I needed a way to squeeze more quality words out of less time.

The flash fiction competitions were especially trying because I only had 24 hours to write a story good enough to get me to the next round. This was made even more challenging because I received my assignments just as I was going to bed.

When I started the next morning, I was already eight hours behind.

But then I noticed something interesting. When I sat down to write the next day, the story sort of wrote itself. I just put my fingers to the keyboard and out it came.

How did that happen?

Strange as it seems, I had written the story in my sleep. Since the story assignment was the last thing I thought about when I went to bed, my subconscious stayed up late and wrote the story for me.

But would it work without the pressure of a competition deadline? One way to find out. I gave myself a story assignment similar to what a competition would have given me, slept on it, and …

Voila!

I’ve been using this process for a few years, and it always works. The method I’m outlining here is for flash fiction, but I’ve learned it can work just as well for longer pieces.

Here are my four keys to writing flash fiction in your sleep.

1. Think of three things

1. First, decide on your genre. Sci-fi, western, crime … whatever it is, make this decision first.

2. Now think of a character that belongs in that genre. If it’s sci-fi, maybe you conjure up an image of a janitor on a space station. For crime, maybe it’s a grizzled private eye with a gambling problem. You don’t need a long backstory. Just get a decent picture of the character in your head, then move on to …

3. A location. Your space station janitor may be in the station rec hall. Maybe the private eye is in a bar, watching a baseball game he has a lot of money riding on. Whatever you pick is fine, just pick it and commit.

2. Focus on them as you fall asleep

As you fall asleep, let these three story elements twist around in your mind.

Don’t make any story decisions at this point. Just drift off to sleep thinking about the genre, character, and location you gave yourself. Some plot possibilities may suggest themselves, and that’s fine. But don’t settle on any of them yet.

3. Don’t think about the story

When you wake up, try not to think about the story. If the story starts forming itself in your head, that’s great. As it does, just go through your normal morning routine. Coffee, breakfast, shower … whatever you usually do, just do that. Let whatever is in your head continue to percolate.

Then, when it’s time to write …

4. Let it out!

Sit down and write. At this point, the story should pretty much write itself. That doesn’t mean it will be perfect. It will still be a first draft, and you will still need revisions.

For example, I recently participated in a 24-hour flash fiction competition. I used this technique. The next morning the story was there. It was a solid story, it had a satisfying arc, and I was proud to have written it.

It was also 1,134 words. So yeah, it took a few more passes to get it down to 1,000. But after several revisions, not only was it down to 1,000 words, it was also a better story.

I had plenty of time to make as many revisions as I needed, without the pressure of a looming deadline. The deadline was still there, of course, but since I wrote the first draft in my sleep, time was on my side.

Sleep on it

That’s my system for writing flash fiction your sleep. It seems simple, and it is. But don’t let the simplicity keep you from trying it. Choose your three elements, roll them around in your mind, and get a good night’s sleep.

Then write your story.

I’ve shared this process with other writers, and all of them have had similar results. Try it out for yourself and let me know how it goes.