There's something wonderful about the word "bloom." It feels great in your mouth when you say it and it suggests not just growth, but the specific moment when potential becomes tangible – when the bud unfurls into something beautiful and purposeful. In fiction, especially flash fiction, capturing that moment of blooming can create some of the most satisfying and resonant stories.
But blooms don't happen overnight, even when they seem to. That daffodil pushing through March soil has been preparing underground all winter. The teenager who suddenly finds their voice has been listening and learning for years. The grieving widow who laughs for the first time in months has been slowly, imperceptibly healing.
Your bloom-themed stories have the chance to explore this contradiction — the sudden revelation that was actually a long time coming.
The Difference Between Growing and Blooming
Growth can be gradual, almost invisible. A child getting taller, a relationship slowly deepening, skills developing through practice. Blooming is the moment when that growth becomes manifest – visible, undeniable, transformed into something new.
In your stories, this might be:
The Night Shift Cleaner who's living in a new country and been quietly learning the language by reading the post-it notes left on office desks, finally understands the joke her colleague has been trying to tell her for months.
The Chronic Pain Sufferer who realises they've walked three blocks without thinking about their body – the first time in years their identity has expanded beyond their illness.
The Hoarder's Adult Child who finds themselves able to throw away a broken mug without the usual anxiety spiral, not realising this small act represents years of healing finally taking root.
Yes, spring is the obvious season for bloom stories, but don't limit yourself. What about the late summer bloom of a second career? The unexpected winter flowering of a friendship that seemed to have died? The bloom of inner growth that comes from finally understanding something about your past?
The key is to let the season serve your story's emotional landscape rather than driving it. Your character's internal weather might be completely at odds with what's happening outside their window – and that tension can create compelling subtext.
The Moment of Recognition
The most powerful bloom stories often centre on a moment of recognition – when the character (or reader) suddenly sees what's been developing all along. This is where your short fiction skills really shine. You can build to that moment of revelation in just a few hundred words, letting every detail serve that final blooming. In short stories you can give the bloom time to unfurl with a slower pace.
Think about what your character notices when they're ready to see it. Small recognitions can carry enormous emotional weight when they represent the blooming of acceptance, courage, or understanding that's been growing quietly beneath the surface.
Exercises to Seed Your Story
Before and After: Write two scenes – a character in the same place, doing the same thing, but separated by months or years. What bloomed between the first scene and the second?
The Unnoticed Detail: Think of something in a character's daily environment that changes so slowly they don't notice – until suddenly they do. What does that moment of noticing reveal about their inner growth?
Against the Season: Write a character experiencing an internal spring while everything around them suggests winter (or vice versa). How do you show their blooming when the world seems to be doing the opposite?
The Roots Matter Too
Remember that the most convincing blooms have strong root systems. Even in flash it’s important to hint at what's been feeding this growth. The classes your character has been taking. The small kindnesses they've been practising. The daily walks that have gradually become longer.
You don't need to spell out the entire growth process, but a few carefully chosen details can suggest the preparation that makes the blooming moment feel earned rather than arbitrary.
The submission window for our "Bloom" edition, which publishes in March, opens in October, with a deadline of January 31st. I'm excited to read your stories that capture those moments when hidden growth finally reveals itself – whether it's gentle as morning light or dramatic as a thunderstorm breaking.
What's been quietly growing in your own work, waiting for the right moment to bloom?
Happy writing, and remember – sometimes the most beautiful flowers grow in the most unexpected places.
With love,
Want to come write with me?
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Amanda! Gosh! You gave me my word of 2026...and it hit me like a freight truck! Bloom! Damn!
As I was reading the whole post, it suddenly felt like I was the main character, noticing, observing, and coming to realisations. What a beautiful experience! Thank you!
This is making me realize that it's been so long since I've consciously worked on improving my writing. Falling in love with observing the story, noticing all my 5 senses to the fullest and finding words for them! I'm going to devour all your newsletters for the next few days lol. Even your archives:)