When I saw this morning that @miniature-tiger was resurrecting the 50-word short story, I about squealed. I tend to be a terribly over-wordy writer. I put my pieces through workshopping mostly expecting to get a lot of "Unnecessary" and "You could lose this" sorts of comments.
The best thing I've ever found to help me improve my word economy are these 50 word exercises. They are not easy. It's so hard to tell a whole story in so few words, but of course you only need to tell a whole part of a story. Yes, it needs to actually convey something complete to the reader, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be much, much more going on.
So I was doubly excited when I saw that @authorofthings had used @miniature-tiger's post as a springboard to carry on some aspect of the story she saw in his wonderful piece, End of the Line?. She flawlessly moved the narrative along with her own piece, Their Beach, and I simply cannot resist snaring the baton.
So with many thanks to these fantastic authors, I give you my own contribution:
Regret
Gulls swoop, their castigating shrieks slicing the air. Insistent clarity cuts heart-deep; she can never forget.
That day words left her tongue, lashed at her beloved, and lodged in her mind.
Two hearts. One breath. No stopping to think.
Now five syllables: drifting corpses in the ocean of memory.
I know, it's weird, but that's because you haven't read Tiger and Author's first. Go do that now, then come back. I'll wait...
What? Still...weird? Oh. I see...
Well thanks for checking them out anyway, and I hope this entertained at least a little bit. May you have much joy and little regret in your life, and may you find my next piece less...weird. As for this one, if you feel it's merited, please upvote. If you think others might enjoy this, kindly resteem. And if you want to know just how weird I can get, you definitely want to follow, or at least check out my most recent fiction pieces.
Hair o' the Dog
Annie's Surprise
Toothache
Image courtesy of Nagageni44 on Pixabay
Interested in a relaxed place to kick back and chill with other writers and creative types? Check out The Isle of Write by clicking below!
Nice work. Im trying myself and know its not east to create something withing such tight confines.
Thanks! Keep at it though. I usually start out with far more words and cut down. I check sentence by sentence to see what I can pare without losing what I want to convey. It's a great exercise!
I'm the same. I write the story that I want first and then try to condense it down. Normally I was the opposite when i was trying to write full stories.
I used to tell the story and then expand it out with detail and background. It's great practice either way.
Great story @jrhughes your economy of words is awesome. I'm not sure I could manage it but I may give it a go. Super short flash fiction like this is a real art :)
It’s so much fun though! I read your poem today and I have every confidence you could deliver a stellar piece!
Word count stories I can handle more than time limit ones. Which probably shows where my weaknesses lie, but still I do like this idea. I may look into joining in on this if it is regular occurrence.
And I liked your effort too, by the way :)
Thanks 😊
I’m sure you will make a great addition whether on this or another topic! Make sure you ping me in the Isle and post s link in the Fiction room when you do 😉
Well done Jess! Can I tell a story in only fifty words? I hope so :-)
Thanks Jeff! I have every confidence you can. Your attention to detail in your wording is already fantastic.
And I thought 100-word stories were hard!
Great work. Enjoyed it!
Thanks Jon! A 50 word story was my first foray into fiction on the Steemit platform. Before that I hadn’t written any fiction in years. They have a special place in my heart ❤️
A lovely addition Jess! I like your style, lots of structure but also poetic.
And thanks for spreading the news on the resurrection!
Thank you so much. For the kind words and for the inspiration. I’m so glad you brought these back! As for the poetry I’ll have to credit @geke’s poetry workshop and the great poets it draws to the Isle. They’re rubbing off on me 😉
You're so damn good, it's scary @jrhughes
Blushes and has no response
Great! I read @authorofthings story first and this is an excellent continuation. It makes perfect sense.
Thank you! I really enjoy the sort of feeding on each other's stories thing. It's fun! Now I know why Authors do collaborations lol.
"The best thing I've ever found to help me improve my word economy are these 50 word exercises."
I'm a convert! My handicap is wanting to include too many details. Too much information. Poetry is the hardest thing ever for me to write.
You're spinning out stunning 50-worders. Bravo!!
Regret is a word that’s haunted me lately! Awesome post! Great picture at top too good choice! It goes with theme very well
Thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed it. Maybe you'll join in the fun as well ;)