Writer’s Inspiration: Behind the Making of “The Flash Project.”

Fabyanic, Todd, 2025. Graduation picture upon completion of the course and the book.

College was fun, inspiring, and educational; I enjoyed every class. With each course, I delved deeper into writing, storytelling, and format structure. I also learned about the various writing careers and how they connect and work together. Each assignment came with its expectations and criteria, and I discovered many aspects of writing in hopes of becoming a screenwriter.

However, halfway through my program, I began questioning whether I had chosen the right path. It’s understandable to feel that way when pursuing one industry but immersing yourself in another. Ultimately, I concluded that I had made the right choice. The education I received goes beyond just screenwriting; it has equipped me to be a great writer overall.

I never considered myself a writer; I'm more of a storyteller who went to school to learn how to write my stories correctly. As mentioned earlier, I attended Full Sail University to pursue my dream of becoming a film writer, creating and writing movies. My ambitious goals were realistic: to write my films and work on projects such as TV shows or as a staff writer. That's why I enrolled in college. It's only natural that I would title my first book, a collection of short stories based on my study curriculum, "The Flash Project: A Film Writer's Journey into Literary Flash Fiction."

The book was a compilation of short stories that reflected various imaginative films spinning through my mind of creation. Each narrative told a tale I could envision in my mind, projected onto an imaginary screen. I once told my professors, “I don’t create stories; I capture them.” In other words, once I begin a story and it takes shape, the characters and plot play out in my head. As this imaginary film unfolds, I capture the visual thought and write it down.

My classes were instrumental in this process. Instead of trying to record every word of the story playing in my mind, I learned how to create ‘beat sheets’ and story premise treatments—brief notes to guide me when it’s time to write out a complete story. This is one of the best things I learned in school. While I might be able to pull off a short story, as I did in this book, that approach doesn’t work as well for larger projects such as novels and full-length feature films.

In 2025, I graduated from Full Sail University with a BFA in Creative Writing. Although this book was initially intended as a portfolio piece to showcase my skills to employers, via my resume, I felt it would be a valuable addition to my collection—a way to share my beginnings. It represents my first steps on the writer’s journey, without a specific niche or clear vision. This path led me away from film and into the vast world of literature, where I learned that stories are universal and come in many forms.

Some key takeaways from this book include: no AI involvement and no editorial input. These original, proofed pieces capture the writer’s authentic mindset without the polish typically provided by editing. My favorite aspect of this book is that each story feels like a film to me, even though they are not my films. Each story was crafted on the fly based on specific criteria, and I had to complete them by a deadline.

However, since each story is inherently original, I take pride in presenting this book as the first in my collection. I hope that appreciation for this work grows over time. My aspiration to become a film writer inspired this book, while my education, expanding beyond a limited perspective, ultimately brought it to fruition. I hope you all, “Enjoy the show!”