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Micro Fiction Is a Tiger of a Form, But Wonderful When Tamed
Stories that contain only 50–100 words sound impossible to write, but once you develop the skill, there’s a rhythm that can’t be beaten.
Discovering how to write micro fiction, those small stories that are 50 to 100 words in length, is like going out on a field trip without initially having a map in hand. You’re not sure what you will find or how you will make your way, but you know that you want to try it because it seems so enticing a form.
I’ve been writing flash fiction that is, by its very nature, around 1000 words and short stories that are primarily in the 1500 word range, for about eight months now. It’s been a wonderful, interesting journey and it suits me fine because I have a need for immediacy. By that I mean I want the story to tell what it’s going to tell and I want it done quickly.
Sure, I love short stories or even longer, really well-written novels. However, you and I live in a time where the luxury of sitting back and slowly delighting in the incredible writing abilities of writers in their novels somehow doesn’t fit our mindset.
Have we been corrupted by the go-go-go media that is all around us buzzing every few seconds with something new that we must attend to? I think we have.
