Chapter 1

I have to admit from the moment I picked up my first anthology, Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Storiesby James Thomas, Tom Hazuka, and Denise Thomas, I was hooked, and thoroughly amazed that a writer could tell a full story with such a limited number of words. How was it possible? Thus began my short fiction-writing career. I cut my writing teeth on pieces of 55, 100, 250, 750, and 1,500 words. I took classes in flash fiction, and for four years participated in an online flash fiction workshop where we read, analyzed, and critiqued each other’s work. (A huge thank you here to our wonderful writing instructor Pamelyn Casto, who taught us how to write short and accumulate publishing credits along the way. You’re the greatest!)

If you’re a writer like myself, someone who learned to write short and still does, and who shivers at the thought of attempting anything longer than flash fiction or stories that curl up and end at 2,000 words, then this book is for you. In the beginning, as I forced myself to write longer work, I saw my life pass before me. My epitaph, short and succinct: He died trying to increase his word count. I was paralyzed with fear. I kept telling myself I couldn’t do it. Nope. Never gonna happen

I was a slow writer to begin with—still am, in fact. While my writer friends merrily wrote and published novels faster than speeding bullets, I was trapped in the short forms. But with the advent of the e-age something happened. While reviewing some of my older work with an eye to reprinting it, I realized many of these earlier pieces might provide blueprints for longer stories. Most had definable beginnings, middles, and ends, and a plotline I could expand upon. Like The Little Engine That Could, my mantra became: I think I can. I think I can.And you know what?

I found out I could.

And so can you.

That’s what this little book is all about.

As you read through the book’s sections and practice the exercises at the end of each , The Short and Long of Itwill help you stretch your fiction—and your brain—but I also hope you’ll have as much fun in the process as I did in writing this book. So let’s get on with it, shall we?Part 1: The Short Forms

Your original idea starts your creative process.

—Bob Mayer

There’s an old Ethiopian proverb that goes something like this: “Little by little the egg will walk.” If you think about it a moment, the saying makes quite a bit of sense. Take one step at a time and you’ll reach your goal. So that’s what we’ll do in this book. We’ll begin slowly and work our way up to writing longer, fuller, and more satisfying work.

The s in this section present examples of the short fiction forms beginning with 55 Fiction, or 55ers, and moving through flash fiction to short-shorts and short stories. I’ll provide some examples of exemplary pieces from my colleagues for you to analyze, and add a few stories of my own. I’ll also share some writing wisdom, invaluable tips, and words of encouragement gleaned from my workshop notes at the Central Coast Writer’s Conference. There will also be plenty of exercises at the end of the s to help you bridge the gap between the short and the long forms.

So like the egg, little by little, let’s begin our walk. 1: 55 Fiction

How short can a story be and still be considered a story?

Steve Moss, editor and co-publisher of New Timesin San Luis Obispo, posed this question in his introduction to The World’s Shortest Stories, and it wasn’t long before these very short pieces of 55 words became a local, national, and international phenomenon. Each year New Timesholds a 55 Fiction contest. I fell in love with the genre and over the years I’ve been fortunate to have several of my 55ers featured among the winners. For a fiction writer these very tiny pieces can be a huge challenge, but I guarantee you’ll have tons of fun creating them, and in the process learn to shape and hone your writing skills for much longer work. Did anyone say warm-up exercises?

Let’s take a look at some excellent examples of 55 Fiction.

* * * *

December 8, 1980, 5:59 P.M. by David Congalton

She closed the history book and sighed. “That General Custer. He should never have left the safety of the Dakota territory.”

He was in too much of a hurry to listen. He picked up his guitar and headed for the door. “Bloody hell, Yoko. Let’s go. We’re going to be late.” (51 words)

* * * *

Did you have almost a visceral reaction to reading this piece? I sure did. Like most horrendous events in history—the assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy—we remember where we were, often even what we were doing at the time. John Lennon’s assassination is no exception. My partner, Bob, now my husband, and I were sitting in our living room reading the evening paper when our next door neighbor burst in with the news.