Monday 26 November 2012

First of the month fiction

Now I have an idea, which some of you may be interested in - but as I've only noticed fly by fiction, maybe none of you will be...but I'm not one to let popularity get in the way of an idea...

Awhile back, I entered a competition where you had to write a story in exactly 100 words - not one more, nor less. I enjoyed the challenge so much, I wrote another one, even though I couldn't submit it. I found it quite therapeutic, like sudoku ( and Heaven knows I need the therapy!) James Patterson wrote a brilliant one for Half Minute Horrors (every one should own this book, it's brilliant to see what writers do with the challenge of writing horror stories that can be read in 30 seconds) called Grand Entrance. Track that down, it's excellent.

Then  Random House put out the challenge to write short stories in 30 words or less. Hemingway's six word 'novel' being the most famous.

Or the  world's shortest horror story, by Frederic Brown, called Knock.






18 comments:

  1. I remember doing the 100 word story at school in Year 11. It sounded easy but I do remember it being very challenging and from memory mine was very cliched and not very good! May be interesting to try again!

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    1. Tread carefully...mine are quite cliched but I get too attached to the idea or character to alter it...as you will see on Saturday.

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  2. Gorgeous idea! I love Hemingway's less than 30 words. I had goosebumps.

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  3. Hemingays Natural History of the Dead has amazing images, like photographs in my mind still, yet created with his sparse use of words...genius

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  4. I do this activity with my creative writing class every year (except it's always a 99 word story). Yes, it's harder than it looks but it's always worthwhile :)

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    1. And you have one whole extra word this time! Run riot with an adjective!

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  5. Love this idea! I'm in - if i remember …. ;) And yes i think in the comments is probably best.

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    1. I'll put it up early (tomorrow) as I'm not finding the linky thing as simple as they tell me it is....HTML is out of my comfort zone....

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    2. But expect a bit of deleting and reposting, so don't add your story for a day or so...(too stupid for words!!)

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  6. I wonder how hard they had to work to come up with an entire story in so few words. True genius.

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  7. Sometimes the simple things are the hardest....in that half minute horrors, some of the writers you think would be good aren't (and vice versa) it's quite a different skill.

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  8. Ooh I want to try this. Count me in.

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  9. I love this idea. I am in. Will be back Saturday to post. That Hemingway short story ha sme in tears! So moving :(

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    1. Great writer...and glad you like the idea! Now if only I can get the linky working...

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  10. I love the idea, I didn't see it sooner

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