On Writing: Drabbles (also known as flashfiction)
Posted: under Productive Behaviours to Spark and Enhance Creativity.
Tags: Creative Block, Flashfiction, Inspiration, On Writing Comments (3)
There’s something wonderfully satisfying about creating a complete story while only using 100 words. When well executed, they can be beautiful in their simplicity.
I frequently have an image in my head and I’ve found that limiting myself to 100 words is a good way to get that image onto paper (especially since I don’t draw well). It’s also a way of disciplining myself to stick to the image – the description, the senses, and the point of the interaction itself – without going off on a tangent. By sticking to 100 words (no more and no less) I’m forced to edit out unnecessary words or add more descriptors, and I find this makes my writing much more crisp and precise than other forms of writing. It also means that I’m focusing on the writing itself, rather than worrying about how its going to come out.
A variation of this is completed stories using the 140 character limit on twitter. There are several twitter-based e-zines such as “Thaumatrope” (scifi/fantasy/horror) and “Tweet the Meat” (horror). I haven’t tried this out yet myself, but I’m planning on trying it out some time this month.
Do you write drabbles? Do you write tweet-fic? Do you follow a blog or website that posts well written short fiction? Leave a link!
EDIT: I was pretty pleased with myself for making the post exactly 200 words, but then I found a great blog that uses a similar concept. “Six Sentences” publishes short stories composed of, you guessed it, six sentences. Looks like all genres are welcome.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Tags: Creative Block, Flashfiction, Inspiration, On Writing
I find trying to make it exactly 100 words is just too limiting, but it’s an interesting exercise at least. However, once I’m rolling, it’s all I can do to stop it before 500 words.
[Reply]
[...] professional level, then you’re much better off using the first method. Maybe that means writing flashfiction every week or month, or taking the time to go for a walk every Sunday and taking photos of the [...]