Win Cash Prizes & Get Professional Feedback @ Flash Fiction Magazine
Learn More
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

101 Words

101 Word Short Stories

  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Volunteer

The Dramatist and the Prima Donna

July 5, 2024 12 Comments

By Donald A. Ranard

They met onstage. He was the playwright, and she was the star. She played a beautiful doomed woman with wild mood swings.

When they moved in together, he discovered that her mood swings offstage were just as extreme. She was either in a rapture or in a rage, deliriously happy or borderline suicidal. There was nothing in between.

“You know she’ll never change,” his friend said.

“Yes,” he said, “I know.”

“So then, why do you stay?”

“The drama,” he said.

Later, after he ended it, his friend asked, “So, what made you finally break it off?”

“The drama,” he said.

Share this:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

The Power of Imagery with Nina Schuyler

September 12 & 13 on Zoom
Enrollment closes Thursday, September 3 at 7:00 PM Pacific

If your descriptions are vivid but your stories still feel thin, this workshop is for you.

Join award-winning author Nina Schuyler to learn the difference between description, which tells a reader what things look like, and imagery, which carries plot, character, and meaning at the same time.

In just two days, you'll learn to choose images that hold emotion without naming it, pair them so each one deepens the other, and build patterns that gather meaning as the story moves.

Learn More and Enroll

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stella says

    July 5, 2024 at 6:50 am

    Excellent 101 words ? well done

    Reply
    • Stella says

      July 5, 2024 at 6:51 am

      Sorry that ? was a clapping emoji

      Reply
    • Don says

      July 5, 2024 at 9:52 am

      Thank you, Stella–much appreciated!

      Reply
  2. Dundiswa says

    July 5, 2024 at 9:46 am

    You managed to fit an important life lesson into just 101 words!
    Well done.

    Reply
  3. Don says

    July 5, 2024 at 9:57 am

    Thank you for your comment, Dundiswa.

    Reply
  4. Don says

    July 5, 2024 at 4:44 pm

    Thanks, Lou–much appreciated.

    Reply
  5. Cathryn says

    July 6, 2024 at 3:40 pm

    Hello Donald,
    Great ?. Lyrical writing; love, loved, “Sbe was. . .either…or… suicidal”.

    Reply
  6. Cathryn says

    July 6, 2024 at 3:41 pm

    Sorry the question mark should have been !!!

    Reply
  7. Toni Brayer says

    July 10, 2024 at 1:03 pm

    Perfect 100 words!!!

    Reply
  8. Ed Kratz says

    July 12, 2024 at 5:14 pm

    Great 101 words. Humorous and real.

    Reply
  9. Geraint Williams says

    July 14, 2024 at 7:10 am

    Imagine too it would make a fine drama.

    Reply
    • Don says

      August 6, 2024 at 2:53 pm

      A longer version might. Thank you for your comment.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.