THE ONE HUNDRED WORD STORY—EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE WANT AND WHAT WE DON'T WANT. (Aren't we the bossy ones!!!)
As always, we welcome whimsy, allegory, mystery, romance, fable, humor, love, fantasy, even horror. And it doesn’t matter whether the story is in past or present tense, in first person, third person, or even second person.
Not acceptable are non-fiction pieces, anecdotes, letters, poems, or any writing that is not a complete, fictional narrative. Any story that lacks proper English punctuation and grammar will be sent back to the author. Also unacceptable is a rewrite of any story entered into the current or past 100 Words or Fewer Writing Contest.
Important clarification: TITLES!
A TITLE for each entry is required. A title will identify your story, just as your name identifies you.
As important, a good title offers an intriguing peek inside.
As always, we welcome whimsy, allegory, mystery, romance, fable, humor, love, fantasy, even horror. And it doesn’t matter whether the story is in past or present tense, in first person, third person, or even second person.
Not acceptable are non-fiction pieces, anecdotes, letters, poems, or any writing that is not a complete, fictional narrative. Any story that lacks proper English punctuation and grammar will be sent back to the author. Also unacceptable is a rewrite of any story entered into the current or past 100 Words or Fewer Writing Contest.
Important clarification: TITLES!
A TITLE for each entry is required. A title will identify your story, just as your name identifies you.
As important, a good title offers an intriguing peek inside.
TIPS
The best 100 word story writers tend to do the following:
1. Stick to one or two characters.
2. Stick to one action.
3. Write to a story's point. Do not write beyond that point, even if you have extra words. If you do continue, your story will likely be less strong.
4. Avoid dog and cat stories. (A gorilla's or elephant's presence might work.)
5. Avoid suicide stories—They are getting old. But a killing is often fun (in a fiction story, of course!).
6. Write from imagination. This will give you more leeway for creativity than a personal story which is likely to appear as a personal anecdote.
7. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite for excessive adjectives, adverbs, and for clarity.
8. The "Show not tell" approach allows the reader to participate--to bring details and meanings to a story. (See the Hemingway story below.)
9. Read master stories!
Point of View--Hemingway
Some writers have sent in stories containing more than one point of view. In general, and particularly in a short, short story, this presents a complexity in a form which requires simplicity of characterizations and plot. We recommend first person narration (I) or third person narration (He, She, or It—Your dog can tell the story!). Here is a masterwork written from an invisible third person point of view. It is attributed to Ernest Hemingway. The six words are:
Fable--Aesop
It is popularly believed that Aesop was a slave who lived six centuries B.C. in Greece. The endurance of the following fable, along with others from that time, attests to the power of our short, short narrative. In fables, one or two animals always take prominent roles which demonstrate a human flaw and/or mental agility. (Aesop’s “The Goat and the Fox” offers the two characteristics.) There is always a moral that pulls the lesson of the story together. We Americans generally write about people in action and expect the reader to infer meanings. You may try a fable if you would like!
The best 100 word story writers tend to do the following:
1. Stick to one or two characters.
2. Stick to one action.
3. Write to a story's point. Do not write beyond that point, even if you have extra words. If you do continue, your story will likely be less strong.
4. Avoid dog and cat stories. (A gorilla's or elephant's presence might work.)
5. Avoid suicide stories—They are getting old. But a killing is often fun (in a fiction story, of course!).
6. Write from imagination. This will give you more leeway for creativity than a personal story which is likely to appear as a personal anecdote.
7. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite for excessive adjectives, adverbs, and for clarity.
8. The "Show not tell" approach allows the reader to participate--to bring details and meanings to a story. (See the Hemingway story below.)
9. Read master stories!
Point of View--Hemingway
Some writers have sent in stories containing more than one point of view. In general, and particularly in a short, short story, this presents a complexity in a form which requires simplicity of characterizations and plot. We recommend first person narration (I) or third person narration (He, She, or It—Your dog can tell the story!). Here is a masterwork written from an invisible third person point of view. It is attributed to Ernest Hemingway. The six words are:
For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never used.
You may note that Hemingway’s story contains a hallmark of story tradition: a structured beginning, middle and end. The story is complete. Inferences are open but will depend on information given in the six words. Fable--Aesop
It is popularly believed that Aesop was a slave who lived six centuries B.C. in Greece. The endurance of the following fable, along with others from that time, attests to the power of our short, short narrative. In fables, one or two animals always take prominent roles which demonstrate a human flaw and/or mental agility. (Aesop’s “The Goat and the Fox” offers the two characteristics.) There is always a moral that pulls the lesson of the story together. We Americans generally write about people in action and expect the reader to infer meanings. You may try a fable if you would like!
The Fox and the Grapes
One hot summer's day, a fox strolled through an orchard until he came to a bunch of ripe grapes on a vine trained over a lofty branch. "Just the thing to quench my thirst," he cried. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a “One, Two, Three,” he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he sought the tempting morsels, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: "I am sure they are sour."
Moral: It is easy to despise what you cannot get.
What human characteristics do you see in this story????
Moral: It is easy to despise what you cannot get.
What human characteristics do you see in this story????
FACE TIME
By Robert M. Meixner,
First Place Winner, 100 Words or Fewer Writing Contest Three
I enter the airport elevator with a lit cigarette in my mouth. Inside, a young man and his pregnant companion glower at the offense through matching rimless glasses. I imagine their backpacks crammed with Earth Day pamphlets.
“Anyone ever tell you it's illegal to smoke in an elevator?” the man says.
Two steps, and I'm in his face. He doesn't flinch.
“Anyone ever tell you to mind your own f-g business?”
Later they board my flight, dragging righteousness like a siege weapon through first class. Secretly I wish they could breach my walls, and storm the tumors in my chest.
By Robert M. Meixner,
First Place Winner, 100 Words or Fewer Writing Contest Three
I enter the airport elevator with a lit cigarette in my mouth. Inside, a young man and his pregnant companion glower at the offense through matching rimless glasses. I imagine their backpacks crammed with Earth Day pamphlets.
“Anyone ever tell you it's illegal to smoke in an elevator?” the man says.
Two steps, and I'm in his face. He doesn't flinch.
“Anyone ever tell you to mind your own f-g business?”
Later they board my flight, dragging righteousness like a siege weapon through first class. Secretly I wish they could breach my walls, and storm the tumors in my chest.