Dave Owens - Micro Writing Part 2

Hey there! It's your favorite smuggler again, handing over the reins to Despicable Dave for another round of his zaniness. Read along as he elucidates the mysteries of manufacturing Micro Fiction. Enjoy.

Part 2 - How to Write Micro Fiction

Micro Fiction is all about One Moment in Time. A trigger event happens, and the main character either learns from the event, or fails in some manner. The micro contains a few basic elements:

1.      Economy of language. Use sharp concise sentences, active verbs. Don’t dally with long verb forms such as “was going.” Use active verbs like “raced, leaped,” etc.

2.      Write lean descriptions. Omit the person’s hair color unless the story is about hair color.

3.      Setting. Use minimal settings. “Beneath the pine tree, something happened.” No more description is required.

4.      Crisis. A crisis must occur in some form.

5.      Think “who, what, when, where, why, and how.”

6.      Be wary of back-story.

7.      Irony is useful – especially to form the end of the story.

8.      Start as close to the end as possible.

When you write, focus upon story, but make sure you watch the language. When you complete the story, be sure to read it aloud. Sometimes the read will show quirks in language or a word that just doesn’t quite “fit.” Cut the fat. Revise to strengthen the story. Read aloud one more time.

Capture that one moment in time...

Here are several shorts for you to read. Discover how clear the writing is, and how the entire story of the one moment in time evolves with few words.

The first story is a Micro is by Catherine Shields. In the story, she explores irony. Enjoy.

Blessed Curse
-Catherine Shields

“I couldn’t save her. Mary bled to death,” the midwife said.

John smashed his fist on the table. Plates and shards of broken glass clattered to the floor.

He heard the cries of a baby from the other room. “God, why did you take her?” he cursed.

The midwife came from the other room and placed the tiny child into his arms.

John rubbed his eyes and prayed the baby would die. He couldn’t live without Mary.

Damn the child.

Catherine is a retired educator from Miami, Florida. She is a member of the Florida Writers Association and her works appear in 45 Magazine Women’s Literary Journal, Levitate Magazine, Ariel Chart, and other publications. Her completed memoir, “Another Side Of Normal.” is in revision.

The second story is a Drabble – written with exactly 100 words.

Morning Glory
-Alice Cook

“Ah, Sonya, how beautiful your skin looks in the morning light.” Michael’s eyes drifted to the windows, and the lush green forest beyond. “I don’t want to leave. I feel as if this moment will be forever burned into my memory.”

Michael’s hand traced across her stomach and along the curve of her breast. “Yet, I can’t bear to see you like this.” He grasped the cold steel handle of the knife and jerked it from her chest.

Sonya’s head rolled to the side. His lips touched hers and he whispered, “It’s a shame for it to end this way.”

Alice is a psychologist from Geelong. Australia. Her works appear internationally.

In Part 3, we will examine Flash Fiction, and how to write powerful stories with 750 to 1000 words. And one of Frank's pieces will go under the Micro knife.

Good Writing,
Dave

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Thanks again for sharing Dave, and your writers as well.

Dave Owens - Micro Writing Part 1

For the next several days, Dave Owens will be guest blogging a series on Micro Writing, one of his many specialties. I am honored to have him share his knowledge. Besides being an author, editor and writing mentor, he is an absolute genius at getting the most bang out of every word. Here is Part 1 of his long piece on Micro writing. Enjoy.

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Micro Fiction Part – 1

Think Big, Start Small

Micro Fiction is a great way for new writers to “break into” fiction writing, an enjoyable process, and a wonderful way to build your writing credits. Writing credits are important and a part of your resume for you to proudly display when someone reads your work. Over time, you develop your resume, and weed the weaker entries, until your resume reflects who you are: a well-published writer.

What is Micro Fiction? Depending on whom you ask, the answers will be “all over the place,” but a few basics remain constant. You will enjoy a wide range of possibilities to excite your storytelling wonders.

Definitions (sort of)

Twits are stories written with exactly 140 characters (do you see it coming?), yes – for Twitter fans. 53 word stories, for the sci-fi crowd (53 is a prime number), consist of exactly 53 words. Next, come the Drabbles - exactly 100 words, no more no less. The next group consists of 125, 150, 300, 750 word stories, and as far as I know, this group has no title, but it’s a fine market for writers.

Finally, Flash Fiction enters the picture, but even there the 750-1500 word categories cross over. In general, Flash fiction contains 1000 words or less – I guess that means all the other groups are also Flashes. Do you get the picture? These are terrific markets for your shorts and many of the publishers pay professional rates. You won’t earn the “big bucks,” but you’ll be published and build your credits.

Don’t become distracted by the apparent ease of entry. Micro Fiction requires serious thought, focus, and a tight writing style. How do you write Micro Fiction?  

In Part 2, I’ll discuss Micro writing technique, and offer an example of one of my student’s stories (a drabble), and perhaps one of my own shorts.

Part 3 should be fun. I’ll tear, I mean edit, a piece Frank has donated for review. An exercise in short revisions. I invite you to send your work to me for critique and advice. Stay tuned, and tell Frank you’re interested in this series.

Part 4 will include market listings for your shorts.

I leave you with a micro (32 words) I wrote last week.

New Sun
The brilliant flash from the new sun burned Jane’s face, but she did not feel the shockwave.

Her blind eyes saw not the elegant beauty of the mushroom cloud’s ascent into Heaven.

David Alan Owens is an internationally published writer, teacher, mentor, and editor.

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Thank you Dave for your insights!

On a somewhat related tangent, in that cartoons are an excellent example of micro writing, I want to highlight a wonderful cartoonist named Joshua. He has a strip called False Knees. His work tickles my science teacher funny bone and my art teacher's love of beauty. Enjoy.