I just wanted to pull this out of an unrelated post so it's easier for others to find.
I don't have much experience with mini/micro fiction, so I just thought I'd reach out to the community at large and see what you all think, and if you do practice this, what kind of techniques do you employ?
Potential topics of discussion:
- Do you use them just as a warm up, or do you intend to find a place to publish?
- How do you keep yourself within a certain word limit?
- Do you use randomizers or wheels to get ideas? Have any you want to share?
- What length do you typically shoot for? 500 words or less? 1,000?
- Do you have any articles or other resources you want to share?
- Do you have any examples you'd feel comfortable sharing?
When I brought this up on the other post, @morgan-broadhead gave an excellent resource for this here: https://morganbroadhead.com/writing-challenge/
v42: - - - HM
Good idea!
I intend every story I write for publication at some point, though I often try to fit too much into micro and flash fiction so end up expanding some stories that start out as flash or micro. On the flipside, my first WotF entry was 9,000 words, and it's boring at that length but has enough in it to make a flash.
I'm getting better at keeping myself within a word limit, so I think that's mostly based on practice and feel for me. Sometimes when I come up with an idea, it's just too big for flash.
Many of my micros/flash come from workshops/prompts at my local writing group, and more recently, the Apex Magazine monthly themes.
I already posted in the other thread (d'oh!), but for examples, Crepuscular Magazine publishes stories of 250 words and less and pays professional rates. It was created and is edited by Rebecca E. Treasure, a WotF published finalist who eventually pro'd out of the contest.
Many markets specialise in flash fiction of 1,000 words or fewer (sometimes up to 1,500 words). Flash Fiction Online is probably my favourite, though they have a minimum wordcount of 500 words.
They're all great resources for learning the form, and I'm often amazed how flash fiction makes me feel in so few words.
I started writing drabbles recently, and fitting everything into exactly 100 words is one of the most challenging story exercises I've done. For one drabble, I spent 4-5 hours getting that word count exact, as a simile I used wasn't strong enough, and a better one I came up with was a different word count.
There are even markets that pay pro rates for drabbles e.g. 100 Foot Crow.
35: - R R R | 36: R HM R R | 37: HM HM HM SHM | 38: HM HM HM HM | 39: HM HM HM SHM | 40: HM R SHM SHM | 41: R HM SHM R | 42: HM R R HM
5 SHM / 15 HM / 11 R
You can't submit here, but "Micro SF/F by O. Westin" on Twitter (I refuse to call it X) and Bluesky are fascinating to read. A whole story in a tweet length. Main structure seems to be setting up a standard trope, then putting a twist on it.
Brandon Sanderson invited Mary Robinette Kowal to guest lecture, and she has the entire class write a flash fiction in 30 minutes. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blehVIDyuXk The structure goes:
- 3 sentences to establish Who (use an action) Where (sensory detail) and genre (specific and unique).
- Don't use more than 2 characters and 1 setting
- 2 sentences – what is character trying to do and why, what is stopping them?
- 5 sentences – try fail cycle (previous ones implied)
- 5 sentences – try succeed cycle
- 3 sentences – wrap up. Mirror beginning with who, where, and genre to show what has changed.
I've played with the idea of warming up with flash, and using randomizers to do so, but found it didn't work for me. Distracted too much from the main project I wanted to write. But its something I'd be willing to try again if I'm between projects.
SHM - 4
HM - 11
R - 11
My published works
Those writing lectures are fantastic, and Mary Robinette's short story class was super helpful.
"There are three rules to writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
— W. Somerset Maugham
Drop me a line at https://morganbroadhead.com
SFx1
HMx6
R/RWCx6
I know I mentioned Kieren Westwood in my article, but here is a link to his YouTube channel, where he discusses writing short fiction. I highly recommend his videos.
"There are three rules to writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
— W. Somerset Maugham
Drop me a line at https://morganbroadhead.com
SFx1
HMx6
R/RWCx6
Do you use them just as a warm up, or do you intend to find a place to publish?
I usually do 1-3000, so to win at this point.
How do you keep yourself within a certain word limit?
Just pick an exciting event, and don't go adding extra events to it.
Now I suspect I can just use the fabled algorithm. As it's fractal, you should be able to direct length pretty easily.
Do you use randomizers or wheels to get ideas? Have any you want to share?
The other night I was in the shower..,
Thinking of comp game, basically an existing film franchise with a twist. Made its own popular franchise. I thought of films with a shared cool eliment, then applied the twist to them. A scene from a tv show with same eliment but adds another twist. Bazinga! Completely new story I've never heard of before.
Then I just think about it and it grows.
Head/wall, also works.
Do you have any articles or other resources you want to share?
Plenty from magazines, after all, I only read them for the articles.
There was this nurse..,
Do you have any examples you'd feel comfortable sharing?
Yes.
And more going forward.
Especially being a student of our immortal master, it will be interesting to see what results I may come up with.
Can we share current submissions?
If so, let me know, it's one I have handy, but not short. I think it's 2-3000? Like I remember. But you can just read however much. Probably still more than the judges!
RxLOTS
HMx1 (somewhere in the middle)
