Embedded Files
Microfiction is a category of very short fiction. There are many different types.
Six-word Story
55 Fiction (55-word story)
Drabble (100-word story)
Twitterature (280-character story)
Six-word Story
Six-word Story
For sale: baby shoes, never worn
The above is the most famous six-word story. Some people say that it was written by Ernest Hemingway, but he never claimed so, and the story predates him. What is the plot of the story? Because someone is selling baby shoes that haven't been used, we understand that they were expecting to have a child, went shopping, and some kind of tragedy struck. Now they're selling off the things they no longer need. All of that is expressed in a mere six words.
Here are some other examples.
Honey, which one is the brake?
Hey! No smoking at the gas –
You finally apologized, through iron bars.
“Damned Nazi.” “No, idiot, cancer.” “Sorry.”
Traffic jam. Ambulance delayed. Departed silently.
55 Fiction
55 Fiction
The rules are as follows:
55 words
some setting
1+ characters
conflict & resolution
the title doesn’t count
the title is 7 words or less
Several newspapers have annual contests; for example, the New Times SLO and the Santa Maria Sun.
Minecraft
I went to the store, bought Minecraft, and headed home.
I stole some money from an old man and ran from a pack of wolves. I killed a few sheep that got in my way. I burned a village and smiled as the smoke drifted into the sky.
Eventually I got home. And installed Minecraft.
DP (2025)
Childhood Friend
After school I walk home with my best friend. I’ve been in love with him since we were seven, but he only sees me as a friend.
“I have a crush on someone,” he says.
“Oh.” I look down. It hurts too much to hear.
“I’m thinking of telling them soon.”
“When?”
“Right about now.”
DP (2025)
Sand and Foam
Once I said to a poet, “We shall not know your worth until you die.”
And he answered saying, “Yes, death is always the revealer. And if indeed you would know my worth it is that I have more in my heart than upon my tongue, and more in my desire than in my hand.”
Kahlil Gibran (1926)
Drabble
Drabble
A drabble is a 100-word story. Here are a few examples.
The Love of My Life
Carmen lives in the apartment downstairs, and I fell in love with her the second I saw her. We started dating a month ago, and I thought everything was going great, but there’s a disaster. It seems she has another man. His name is Frank.
She goes on long walks with Frank every day, and Saturday morning I saw them cuddling together on the bench outside. My heart aches in pain, but still I love her.
“Carmen, this two-timing is killing me. Who do you want more? Me or Frank?”
“Oh dear, don’t be so jealous. He’s just a dog.”
DP (2025)
Rubble
Look. Some time ago there was an elementary school here.
They built it a hundred years ago. Kids studied in the classrooms, and in the winter the snow would slide off the roof and form a giant mountain in the courtyard where, during break time, the fifth graders played King of the Hill until the lunch bell rang.
Now it’s just a gravel pit. The population declined, they said. It wasn’t economical, they said. But I remember the people and the place as it once was, the heart of the village.
Can you imagine it? Maybe not. But please, try.
DP (2025)
Microfiction Writing Tips
Microfiction Writing Tips
Show the setting in the first sentence.
If you want a dramatic ending, the last sentence is key. Reveal information that goes against what the reader was expecting. This information could be, for example, a change in the setting, the relationship between the characters, or an unexpected action.
Use contractions. The phrase "do not" is two words, whereas "don't" is only one word.
Don't write out numbers. As written, "two hundred and one" is four words, whereas "201" is only one word.
Write first, edit later. If you sit down and write a story draft that's 93 words long, add a few words to create a drabble. Or, if it's 62 words long, cut it down to 55 Fiction.
Write more. If you're having trouble writing one good story, try writing ten OK stories and then choose your favorite.
Read more. There are thousands of great examples online, and each story takes thirty seconds to read.
Brainstorm plot ideas with a friend. Sometimes finding an idea is hard, but writing it is easy.
References
References
55 Fiction 2022. (2022, July 28). New Times San Luis Obispo.
Flash fiction. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved Nov. 2024.
Gibran, K. (1926). Sand and Foam. Wikisource.
Haglund, D. (2013, January 31). Did Hemingway Really Write His Famous Six-Word Story? Slate.
Joshi, S. (2015, December 26). 40 Six-Word-Stories That Express So Much In So Less. Storypick.
Very Short Stories. (2006, November). Wired, Issue 14.11. Archive.org.
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