Flash Fiction Experiment

[LightningSeed]

I tried to interweave a bunch of 50-word stories into one narrative. Sometimes forcing an economy of words is a good thing for me.

Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated. It’s a fast read, essentially 750 words.

Thunderbird Motel: 15 Stories

 

[ElectricBlue]

For me, flash fiction works when it's just the single flash of fifty words on the page, but when there are fifteen one after the other, something gets lost - the readings become too saturated with the speed of them all, and it becomes a jumble. Literotica doesn't quite suit the presentation style you need for flash to work best.

You could try a platform that better suits the presentation format you need. I have a Tumblr drawing blog, and from time to time I'll drop in "Urban Vignettes'" - very short stories, quick observational stuff. I don't bother with the fifty word thing though, that to me is an artificial constraint - what if you need only 45 words, or desperately need 55? The discipline (and difficulty) of a haiku is a better challenge, I reckon, if you want a constraint.

 

[LightningSeed]

Appreciate the thoughts. It may not have worked.
Agree on the 50 word constraint, but wanted to see what could be done. A couple I really like. But do get the point of a stream of FFs defeating the point.

 

[LightningSeed]

Dammit I still love the Thunderbird stories!

 

[ElectricBlue]

Dammit I still love the Thunderbird stories!

I went back and read them. They still don't quite work for me because each one is a fragment, and internally fragmented with the short staccato sentences. They seem to me to be notes for a story, but the story's not been written yet.

I'd like to see what happens if you took each one and said, what would this look like with 100, 200 words? Keep with the spirit of the flash, but flesh them out just that little bit more.

 

[AlinaX]

Also, 50 + 100 + 200 + 400 = 750 so that would be cool.

 

[LightningSeed]

Trailer #7 is a story about a newlywed couple’s trip to their first swingers function. What can happen in 750 words, right?

 

[TheRedChamber]

Agree with what others have said. There are lots of good little details in these, but the impact of the first is muted when.you read fifteen in a row and the extreme terseness starts to work against you.

I did a bunch of 250 word stories on a theme a while back. Not sure I'd go lower than that.

 

[LightningSeed]

It was an exercise, but I really enjoyed doing it. I’m thinking about letting the stories breath in a broader work…

 

[LightningSeed]

I'd like to see what happens if you took each one and said, what would this look like with 100, 200 words? Keep with the spirit of the flash, but flesh them out just that little bit more.

I agree. They may deserve more room to breathe.

 

[LightningSeed]

My third entry of the 750 Word challenge is out this morning:

House Game

 

[AlinaX]

Okay, but that’s begging for a sequel, lol.

 

[Hugo_Agogo_UK]

Okay, but that’s begging for a sequel, lol.

Begging for a squirrel

 

[AlinaX]

Okay, but that’s begging for a sequel, lol.

Mind if I write one?

 

[AlinaX]

Mind if I write one?

Or, update, I have one and would love to publish it.

 

[ZinJ]

I just wrote something for the 750 word challenge and still waiting for it to be published