Wednesday, November 07, 2007

55 Words = Micro-Burst Fiction

Okay, you've heard of short stories (generally less than 7,500 words) and possibly flash fiction (stories from 500 to 1500 words). Well, the trend to write shorter and shorter stories continues with what many are calling micro-fiction. The word count for micro-fiction usually hovers around 150 - now that's a short story!

Of course, at this point, the definition of "story" (basically, something with a plot that has a beginning, middle, and end) gets stretched a bit thin. In fact, a lot of micro-fiction stories are simply short descriptions, scenes, scenarios, vignettes, etc. Still, they can be a lot of fun.

All that to say that an even shorter format for stories is catching on - Micro-Bursts! Fiction at exactly 55 words. There are even a couple of zines dedicated to publishing this newish type of lit. One is 55 Words and another is Pen Pricks - for which I just submitted the following story.

I offer it here as a Storyblogging Carnival submission as well. Let me know what you think of my piece and this latest trend in storytelling!

Grand Prix Auto
by Lyn Perry

He was going too fast.
She screamed for him to slow down.
The alcohol told him it wasn’t that sharp a turn.
The radar confirmed it: He was going to crash.
As he accelerated, the machine . . . ran out of time.
“Quick! Drop another quarter, I gotta see if I make this curve!”

4 comments:

  1. Now, that is what I call telling the plain facts! Don't think I could have told that story in only 55 words. You did good!

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  2. I liked the way the story seems for real at the beginning but then turns out to be a game.

    Good work

    Rob

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  3. Thanks Barbara and Rob. It's a fun type of experimental writing - not sure if I can truly get behind the idea that it's a full "story" venue, but had potential for unleashing creativity. Glad you enjoyed it. Lyn (aka GarthTrekker)

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  4. I enjoyed it.

    BUT

    Did the machine get the quarter in time? Did he make the curve?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

    Now you have to write the next chapter...

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Keep it clean and positive. (And sorry about the word verification, but the spmb*ts are out in full force!)