Controlling the clock-how showing and telling impact time in short-short fiction

'Show, don't tell' is a common axiom in creative writing classes but the short-short story form complicates this idea. Often, in micro- and flash fiction it is through telling and implication that showing occurs. Taking that into account, I will argue that in the micro- and flash context, where brevity defines the narrative parameters, the relationship between showing and telling is one connected to pacing and the narrative construction of time. That is, what the author chooses to show and tell often impacts on the representation of temporality. This will be explored critically and creatively via case studies 'Insect Wisdom' and 'Note to Self'.