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Notes on Hemingway vs. Microfiction

By Keiron | Posted: 28 March 2010

Views: 275
Today, micro or flash fiction is very much a part of the modern literary scene, with countless of on-line or otherwise, competitions, journals & magazines, making explicitly clear that the criteria for each received entry or submission is that it falls strictly within anything from say 5 to 300 or so word limit.
I have not really had, at least, a determined go at this form of fiction or story writing and , if engaged in trying to write something worthy while using a minimum number of words, would set my mind along more traditional lines and towards writing a poem. 
Yet as many of you will already be aware, this delimiting to a few words only, has a far longer even illustrious history. Two of the most famous examples are Ernest Hemingway's 6 word story (reportedly adding he believed it his greatest work): 'For Sale: Baby shoes never worn'.
Maybe less well known, but my personal favourite is Augusto Monterroso's masterpiece which simply goes thus:  'When he woke up the dinosaur was still there'.  
Top that!
All articles on this website by Keiron are copyright ©Keiron and should not be reproduced without the author's prior written consent. All opinions are the opinions of their respective authors and are not necessarily the opinions of The Writers' Circle.
Comments 
Teresa
29 March 2010
Perhaps "With grim satisfaction, she flushed her wedding ring down the toilet." ?

You raise an interesting topic. I am inspired to try playing with these spare stories in an effort to write the tightest prose I can. 

Thanks for the post!
m n m n I
11 September 2011

Keiron

<< 'When he woke up the dinosaur was still there'. 
Top that!                                                                                                                                  . . .  . . .

How about

“Somebody next to you may have a gun…”

 :0}D

 

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