A YOUNG author is celebrating as his first collection of short stories is due to be published later this month.

Swindon-born Santino Prinzi’s debut anthology of flash fiction stories, entitled Dots and Other Flashes of Perception, is made up of 46 different tales, each one a maximum of 1,000 words in length.

The genre is called flash fiction and the aim is to paint as vivid a picture as possible by using as few words as you can.

Santino, 25, of Lower Stratton, first discovered the style while studying for an English Literature degree at Bath Spa University in 2013, and immediately became hooked.

“I loved how you could do so much with so few words,” said Santino. “For me, it gives credit to the reader by not assuming they need to know everything. It relies heavily on implication and subtext.

“I love how you can reveal something about a character by giving away so little. It is more about what you don’t say rather than what you do.”

The title for the collection was influenced by the author’s interest in people’s perceptions of the world and the way different people can interpret the same event.

He said: “All the stories focus on a character’s particular point of view, regardless of what it is. It is about their perceptions of the world and how they interact with it. Each story reveals what it is like for that character in that setting.

“There is a mixture of quite serious stories and some funny ones. I don’t consider myself a funny writer but some people have said they are quite amusing. But again, that gets back to people’s perceptions.

“The great thing about flash fiction is that because the stories are so short you can get a first draft done really quickly.”

Talking about his writing process, he said: “I don’t feel there is a set method to writing. Sometimes an idea comes into my head and I just need to get it down on paper.”

Some of the flash fiction authors that have inspired Santino include Tania Hershman, Etgar Keret, David Gaffney, Calum Kerr, Lydia Davis and Franz Kafka.

Looking to the future, Santino said: “It would be nice to be able to make money from writing but it’s not the reason I write. I want to tell these stories and share them with people.”

He starts an MA in English Literature at the University of Bristol in September and has hopes to complete a doctorate and one day a lecturer at a top university.

Dots and Other Flashes of Perception is due to be published on September 26 by the Nottingham Review Press. It can be bought for £5 from Amazon or downloaded straight to your Kindle.

For more information, log on to Santino’s website: www.tinoprinzi.wordpress.com.