I am not a fan of short stories. They usually leave me wanting more information about the characters even if the plot has reached a satisfactory conclusion. For that reason, I never thought I would want to write them. It seemed to me the plot line for a short story had to be, due to time restrictions, rather simplistic. I couldn’t imagine being able to complete my thoughts in just a few pages.
Then I ran across the Friday Fictioneers. Madison Woods had created a wonderfully creative and supportive community on her website with a picture prompt once a week and an invitation for each reader to submit 100 words about the photo. I was playing around with one of my WIP novels and the photo that week lent itself to the setting, so I decided to give it a try. Reaching a stopping point in 100 words was a challenge and I didn’t always succeed, but I played around with it for several weeks. I learned to appreciate the delicacy of choosing words and actions that could define a story in a limited space.
I still don’t choose short stories much, I really like more room to expand whether I am reading or writing. However, I have learned to write them adequately and appreciate them more when I read them.
This section displays some of my efforts. I hope you enjoy them. If so, feel free to comment. Constructive criticism is welcome.
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