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One thousand words???

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Findy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Findy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 6:49pm
It's my first time writing for this competition.
I' ve recently done a creative writing course which encouraged us to write flash fiction every week - and that was 500 words.  Compared to that, 1000 seems like a luxury.
A single snapshot of an event can be a whole story, if you are a person who likes writing lots of description.  If you are someone who likes to tell a more complex story, then you can do it in just the most simple of terms.  By clever use of nouns and verbs you can almost manage without adjectives and adverbs, but the few that slip through the net will be all the more powerful for being there.  It's often easier to edit out a whole paragraph than a few words, and it can make the story much faster paced.  It's about how you engage the reader - even 500 words can be boring if they are badly chosen.
My children's English teacher used to challenge them to write a whole story in 50 words...it's amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LyndaD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 8:36pm
Originally posted by MattrickBT MattrickBT wrote:

Originally posted by ASharedNarrative ASharedNarrative wrote:

Originally posted by MattrickBT MattrickBT wrote:

Why would a creek ever need a backstory? It's a creek.


You need to read more French lit.

Hugo alone will bury you in geography and architecture that have backstories long enough to be their own novels.

And you will either find it very rich and rewarding, like one of those sundaes that are made from six kinds of chocolate that you can only take a few bites at a time from, because of its richness...

...or you're absolutely going to hate it.


Different times, different styles. I am sure a lot of that was fairly historically accurate as well. To me there is a difference between exploring actual history and locations, and creating arbitrary history.

History is arbitrary. It is our frame of reference for the present, and changes to suit the needs of the current present...much like our fiction.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote stephenmatlock Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jul 2017 at 10:50pm
My first FF entry (way back in 2012) was 4000 words because I misread the instructions. I thought it was at least 1000 words.

Cutting that was hard! But I got something like 13 points, to get to the next round.

So for me the 1000 word limit is an awful straightjacket.

Pithy sayings are for the apt. For a longer message, you need a condo.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Katwriter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 12:32am
Originally posted by Zblugg Zblugg wrote:



Self-delusion is such ancomfy couch to lie on...


That is a story prompt right there! Love it!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote eswan27 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 12:37am
I love the boundaries imposed by the word limit. I tend to have the oposite problem of only really wanting to say what's essential. Being introduced to the flash fiction genre was incredibly freeing from a sense of obligation to "filler." I'm really looking forward to reading some submissions and seeing how everyone achieves their stories.

Edited by eswan27 - 18 Jul 2017 at 12:45am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Katwriter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 12:56am
I hated my prompt. I think that helped keep my story on track. I wanted to get it over with. I wrote 300ish words. Saw where I was in the story. Took a nap. Thought about another story I wanted to write. Came back at 9:30pm on Sunday night and wrote the rest of it. At 11:40pm I reviewed the 983 word story and fixed grammar and added a couple of explanation details and landed on exactly 1000 words. Quickly came up with a title and synopsis and saved the document. Submitted it with 2 minutes to spare. Not proud of the story, but I got it done. Not sure it will be easy to keep to the word count in the next prompt if it is something I actually like. Good luck everyone!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Shuddy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 5:03am
Second and third revisions? Adding details? What kind of magic wonderland is this? I started writing two hours before deadline, scanned for spelling and grammar, and hit submit at 11:59.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Tonatale Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 8:43am
Originally posted by MattrickBT MattrickBT wrote:


Different times, different styles. I am sure a lot of that was fairly historically accurate as well. To me there is a difference between exploring actual history and locations, and creating arbitrary history.

Yes, the former is called nonfiction. The latter is called fiction.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zblugg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 12:19pm
Originally posted by Shuddy Shuddy wrote:

Second and third revisions? Adding details? What kind of magic wonderland is this? I started writing two hours before deadline, scanned for spelling and grammar, and hit submit at 11:59.

Cue Aerosmith's "Livin' on the Edge"!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sparklehannah Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jul 2017 at 1:51pm
Originally posted by BenFJackson BenFJackson wrote:

I love it. For the first draft, I tend to write until I'm done.

Then I cut. A LOT. Then I rewrite and cut A LOT more. Then I pray to the wordcount gods.


Same. I ended up writing 2753 and initially I was intending to write something longer. I was down to an hour and half to cut so I was definitely praying to those wordcount gods.
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