Read
And by read, we mean read every kind of micro fiction, flash, short fiction, you can find.
See what works, what falls short.
What receives accolades, what gets overlooked.
By reading what we intend to write, we subconsciously become better focused at what it is we want to achieve.
Write
Just what it says, begin writing.
Write crap. Write some more crap. But just write. A lot.
Then write better crap.
Keep writing. Rejections do not mean quit, they mean learn and keep writing.
Title
Get the reader’s attention right out of the gate.
Find the subtle theme of the story, then wordplay until something clicks.
Don’t always go for the obvious.
Get to the point. Brevity often has a role in catchy titles (but not always).
Every day our stories get emailed to thousands of readers. The title is the first thing a reader will see. Make it mysterious and intriguing, so readers can’t help but want to read the first line.
Opening
I don’t think it’s any mystery that people have short attention spans these days. You have to capture their attention now or else something else will.
Killer opening lines grab the reader and say, “read me!”
Use imagery to instantly immerse the reader in your story.
Body
Once you’ve gotten the reader’s attention, now your aim is to keep it.
There are many ways to do this:
- Insert imagery, use metaphors, allusion, and a whole host of other literary devices (you can find a fantastic resource here) sprinkled throughout your piece.
- Craft well developed characters. Typically a few words can do this expertly.
- Move the story along. Give the reader a beginning (which can start in the middle, another trick) middle, and end.
- Dialogue should add to the overall story—Keep it interesting. Witty. Humorous—not detract, or spoon-feed the reader. If it’s boring, take it out.
- Vary sentence length and content. Long, descriptive. Short, choppy fragments. Short descriptive sentences. Short, plain. Long. Long. Short. Use different techniques (literary devices) mentioned in the link above to keep these interesting and cohesive. Juxtaposition, assonance, caesura, etc. Seriously, look these up.
- Don’t rush the story. Each part of your story is important. You don’t want to rush the narrative by crowding in action after action at the onset because you’ll run out of steam and the end will fizzle out. You want readers to finish your story in awe, not confusion.
- Too much description can be a just as off-putting. You only have 101 words, so make each word count. Keep descriptions tightly worded but magical, with enough detail to tickle the brain. It’s all a balancing act.
“SHOW” vs. “TELL”
One of my favorite quotes:
Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.
—Anton Chekhov
You don’t want your story to read like a synopsis. If so-and-so went here, and then did this, and then found this, it removes the artistic element from your story. You want to help readers see the action, not just read about the action. Use rich words and varied sentence structure, and bring the action to life.
Tell: He walked excitedly to the store in the dark to purchase beer.
Show: A blanket of black surrounded him without stars, but his feet as if on the Walk of Fame tangoed him toward his liquid relief. Beer. The refrigerated section of the gas station was just within sight.
Closing
Give the reader a note of lasting pregnancy to fill their minds.
Just like the opening line, make this as unforgettable.
Tie the beginning into the end.
Give your story a full resolution.
Nothing deflates a story more than a narrative that just cuts off mid— See?
Remember how we said, you don’t want to rush the narrative? You also don’t want your story to lack a real ending. A full resolution offers a sense of satisfaction, regardless of whether you’ve scared the pants off your audience or brought them to tears.
Read (This header again? Yup!)
Seriously. Read your story aloud to yourself.
Read it several times for overall content, flow, and consistency.
A trick to remember, read straight down the margin. The opening of each paragraph, if they all start with: He said, he did, she went, she saw, etc. Then this is ‘Telling.’ Stop here and rework. Go back to the BODY.
Simmer
Let it be for a few days.
Walk away from the story. Ya know they say, “A watched pot never boils…”
Literally, (not a misused literary device) but literally take a walk, or do something else to get your mind off the story and recharge your creative juices.
When you return, you will see your story with new eyes. Or disgust. Which is exactly what you want. Now fix the weak points. Character flaws. Flow. Pacing. Etc.
Become best friends with a thesaurus. Attack those boring words, or repetitive phrases, and replace them with jewels that shimmer and pop right off the page.
But don’t overdo the word-power. Is there such a thing as ‘word flashiness’? You bet, and it isn’t pretty. Don’t make the mistake of trying too hard to impress your reader with random words that don’t feel natural within the greater text. You want your story to stand out for a good reason.
Share
Send it to a friend or confidant to read. Wait.
Bite your nails. Drink coffee. Read some other flash. Wait. Write some more crap.
Take what your friend says and don’t try to justify or explain. If you have to explain to your friend, chances are your readers will not understand what you’ve written either, and you can’t ‘explain’ to the readers.
Your job is to write it as clear and concise as possible so that the reader won’t need clarification. But you have to keep it entertaining and interesting.
>Easy reading is damn hard writing.
—Nathaniel Hawthorne
So tweak it now and make it clearer. Then repeat READ, SIMMER, SHARE. Like shampoo directions, no one follows. But seriously, follow these.
Submit
If you submit to 101 Words, we are here to help everyone that wants it. You will receive helpful feedback and useful tips.
Unfortunately, though, rejection is part of the game. Writers get rejected. Good news: it means keep writing!
Just because one site or journal or lit mag rejects you, doesn’t mean another will.
It’s all subjective at best. So send the same story out to at least 3–5 sources first before you consider making changes.
And most importantly if an editor gives you any feedback, listen to them. They are not your enemy. They want to print good stories, and if they take the time to provide you with feedback, they see something in your work of promise. So celebrate! You’ve achieved success.