The Old Oak | Dirty business
Microfiction. Fantasy
What is microfiction
I recently found microfiction very attractive, both in reading and writing.
This short form is a great exercise for writers. It is like doing chess puzzles for chess players.
As a reader, each piece feels like unpacking a gift. I can sense the excitement of exploring and discovering.
The concept is dead simple: try to write an engaging piece of fiction while keeping an eye on your word count. Traditionally, it is 50 words (dribble) or 100 words (drabble), but there are also other forms.
You probably know that I absolutely love handwriting, but on the occasion of microfiction, word processing software is necessary.
Here are two pieces I wrote recently. I hope you like them and I have an even greater hope that you will start writing your own. Especially if you don't write fiction at all!
I want to dedicate this article to
The fiction dealer. He is currently running a Spooktober. It is an event with everyday prompt for microfiction.The Old Oak
The hunter moved swiftly through the dense forest, each step calculated, silent. His prey was close. It was just a matter of time. She had led him deep into the woods, always just out of reach. But now, as he broke through the last thicket, she stood before him, eyes wide, her back to an ancient oak. Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting a pale glow on her face.
"It's over," he said, raising his blade. But she smiled, a strange, knowing smile, and whispered, "Not for me." His eyes opened wide when ancient tree moved with heavy crackling sound.
100 words.
Dirty business
New youngster was truly promising. Strong shoulders allowed him to dig swiftly but his greatest advantage was his silence. They had torn out his tongue when he said something he shouldn't. Now, as we dug out the grave and an undead grabbed his ankle, he didn't make a sound. With a single strike of my spade, I ensured the undead was dead for good. I said to the youngster we needed to hurry. The light of a lantern on the path foreshadowed cemetery guards. I hated them more than the undead. Being a body snatcher is not an easy job.
100 words
Interesting, and attractive becasue of short time needed for writing. What do you think, what are the main benefits of that kind of exercise? From my perspective it is good for creativity and style, but it doesn’t teach you how to tell a story, how to construct, even a short fiction. Maybe it’s a good introduction to longer forms?
I, too, have developed a loving and happy relationship with the microfiction genre! My readers (if not all readers) are pressed for time, and to be able to deliver them a satisfying nugget in a few hundred words has, like a trail of breadcrumbs, primed them for future pieces. These were fun and I'm looking forward to reading more.