Microfiction

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

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

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

One long-running annual contest is held by the New Times SLO. Look at current or past selections for inspiration.

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)

The Case of an Itchy Summer

Today I committed murder.

What else could I have done? He was the one who came at me with the sharp end pointed toward my body. There was no choice. I had to defend myself with all my power.

Now look at my hand. It’s completely smeared with blood… Oh no, looks like it’s mine.

RO (2024)

Ending a Life

Sam has been dissatisfied with his life. He hated school because it was boring and also despised his parents since they were strict with him. He was very stressed out. He bought a rope and made a knot to end his life, which he hated. Sam is ready to move out and become a cowboy.

RH (2024)

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

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? Don’t you sigh. Please, try.

DP (2025)

A Possessive Journey

Knees hurt, toes blistered. We're thirsty and sunburned. We ran out of food hours ago. Here we are, miles from nowhere. Somehow David agreed to the walk, a grueling 2000-foot ascent up Sentinel Pass. Why go there? Why not. Reasons don’t matter.

The crowd down by the lake will never understand. They’ll never experience this splendor, the scenery, the way that, right in the middle of the cliff, a glacier turns into a waterfall. Perfection.

You know what? Good. This place is for wanderers. David and I walk down, joints aching, knowing that it’s ours, it all belongs to us.

DP (2025)

Microfiction Writing Tips

Show the setting in the first sentence.
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.
Many microfiction stories end with a surprising plot twist or punch line, but this is not required. Write the story you want to write.
Brainstorm plot ideas with a friend. Sometimes finding an idea is hard, but writing it is easy.

References

55 Fiction 2022. (2022, July 28). New Times San Luis Obispo.
55 Fiction: How to Enter. (n.d.). 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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