TaleHunt: Flash Fiction on the Go

talehuntlogoIf you’re looking to get a little writing practice in while on the go, but tweets are too short for you, maybe TaleHunt will fit the bill.

TaleHunt is a smartphone app available for Apple and Android devices. (The developers are working on a version for Windows phones.) It’s free to download and install. I didn’t see any ads or in-app purchase options – although I presume one or the other, or both, will be coming eventually.

The app allows you to write and post 250-character stories – not words, characters – which other users can then read and vote on. The developers are billing it as the first dedicated flash fiction app. It debuted in January and has about 10,000 users right now.

TaleHunt1
Click to enlarge

When you first open the app, you see this screen.

The options at the top of the screen say Trending, Followed, and Live. Trending shows you which stories people have liked best; Followed lets you see the work of users you’re following; and Live is a newsfeed-like list of the newest stories.

Clicking on the icon on the left side of the home screen gives you access to your control panel. TaleHunt2You’ll need to set up a new account before you can do anything but read others’ posts. The signup process is straightforward and requires only a username, password, and your email address.

Once you’re registered, you can start writing. Clicking “Post a Tale” on the control panel brings up a box where you can write your tiny story. TaleHunt3(There’s also a button at the bottom of the home page that takes you to the same box.) See the place for a hashtag? Unlike with Twitter, hashtags at TaleHunt don’t count against your character limit. But users don’t seem to have a clear idea of what hashtags are for. Presumably, you would want to pick a hashtag that would allow readers to find your story in a search for specific topics – but the tags I saw didn’t appear to be particularly useful.

Anyway, once you’ve written your story and hit Post, you get an attaboy screen like this one. TaleHunt4You can share your story on Facebook or Twitter, and invite your friends to vote for it. Stories with the largest number of votes are marked as Top Stories on the home page.

The only wrinkle in the process is that your friends have to download the app in order to vote for you. That might not be the worst thing ever. The app is free, and people with very little time to read – or those with really short attention spans – might appreciate having a place where they can read story nuggets on their phones.

One of the developers has been quoted as saying they’re allowing some verified authors to post links to their books on Amazon with their TaleHunt stories. I didn’t see a dedicated place for requesting verification, but I’m going to keep looking and will report back.

At the very least, the app gives you a place to practice writing on the go, as well as a new place to showcase your work and maybe pick up some new fans.

Author: Lynne Cantwell

Lynne Cantwell grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan. She worked as a broadcast journalist for many years; she has written for CNN, the late lamented Mutual/NBC Radio News, and a bunch of radio and TV news outlets you have probably never heard of, including a defunct wire service called Zapnews. But she began as a fantasy writer (in the second grade), and is back at it today. She currently lives near Washington, DC. Learn more about Lynne at her blog and at her Amazon author page.

16 thoughts on “TaleHunt: Flash Fiction on the Go”

    2. You have only 250 characters, so you are supposed to choose your words really smart and carefully. And that’s the real fun part of TaleHunt. I hope TaleHunt will help you to make some fans through your Very Short Stories.

    2. Hello Candace,

      Start writing your interesting Very Short Stories on TaleHunt mobile app. TaleHunt is available for both iPhone and Android.

  4. A wonderful opportunity to introduce readers to our flash fiction and to promote our books. It is a second chance to promote our fiction. I will definitely sign up today and recycle the entries that did not win there. Being a new flash fiction and short story author it will help me promote my first short story book I am coming out with soon. Indies Unlimited should post the weekly winner there to promote this site, too.

    Thank you,
    JB (Joe) Wocoski

    1. I think there is one small problem, it appears to be only for iPhones and Smart phones and soon MS phone. BUT I COULD NOT FIND anyway to post or read a story from my google browser or safari browser on my laptop or PC. So I guess I am out of luck not having one of these phones. I sent them an email to see if they offer any browser access, and if I just missed the link to it.

      Major Bummer,
      JB Wocoski

      2. We are a small team and right now we are concentrating on smartphones. Because that’s what most people keep with them than a computer. Since there is only 250 characters, we are looking for spontaneous stories, when an idea popup into your mind. Soon we will work on the web version, once we expand our team. Hope you can understand the situation of a small team.

    2. You’ll have to trim your IU flash pirces substantially for TaleHunt, Joe – but yes, it’s a cool idea. :)Let us know how it works for you.

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