How do you write 100 word stories? #75

Many folk with matching tie and handkerchief have asked how do you tom write a 100 word

I read somewhere there are only 32 original plotlines. I hear of a professor in New England who expanded it up to 112. The basic structure goes something like this blah vs. blah or blah meets blah, blah loses blah., blah goes on a Campbellques quest encounters blahkeepers who blahs them to blah. They conquer a real or metaphorical demon and are REWARDED and get the girl/boy, but if you want to be one of the great ones come up with a new plot convention. How about benevolent villain and a destructive hero vs unconscious capricious universe filled with zombies.

How do you write 100 word stories? #74

Many folk with matching socks have asked how do you tom write a 100 word

Here’s a bad idea. Show your writing to your friends. They will say glowing stuff and you will be lulled into a false sense of security. Thank goodness the indifferent masses will drop you by the roadside of the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Here’s a good idea. Show your writing to people who hate you. They will rip everything to teeny tiny pieces. This is good. It’s how they eviscerate your work which will aid in the editing process. If it is dismissive and tainted with envy keep it. If there is even a hint of backhand praise remove that.

How do you write 100 word stories? #73

Many folk Whiffenpoof from here to Eternity have asked how do you tom write a 100 word

The glue that holds a good story, nay, holds an entire body of literate work is a definable narrative voice. Early in your career you should chose from just where in the mulit-spectrum of emotions your voice speaks. It doesn’t have to reflect your world view. For instance I am a happy and non-violent person, but my narrative voice is an anger pistol waving goon. He bits off sentences and spits out contempt for silly characters. He does not suffer fools lightly. My narrative voice shows no quarter takes no prisoners. Fortunately it’s flawed with a heart of gold.

Stoic

“I’m not crying,” said Rudy. “I just got smoke in my eyes.” Everyone on Planet Camel had smoke in their eyes. RJ Reynolds tera-formed this rock as part of their adverstiment budget in 3010. They populated the place with genetically altered folk who loved breathing in tobacco. Only drawback was this genetic pool was deeply melancholy. Anything could set them off into fits of crying. Rudy had lost his cat, in 24 hours it had become a day of worldwide mourning. Luckily for RJR the people of planet Camel are stoic they just say they got smoke in their eyes.

How do you write 100 word stories? #72

Many folk with or without you have asked how do you tom write a 100 word story

I saw this ad in the newspaper looking for writers who could write in the style of Hemingway, Heller, and Joyce. I thought how hard could that be? So I sent in my resume and three examples. I got an interview on Monday. I get a call back on Thursday asking if I can start work next week. That’s my desk over there under the piles of greeting cards. I work for subsidiary of Hallmark. I write 100 word greeting cards. A Hemingway valentine, a Heller mother’s day card, a Joyce birthday card. I’m working on a Steinbeck Christmas card.

How do you write 100 word stories? #71

Many folk with or without you have asked how do you tom write a 100 word story

I saw this ad in the newspaper looking for writers who could write in the style of Hemingway, Heller, and Joyce. I thought how hard could that be? So I sent in my resume and three examples. I got an interview on Monday. I get a call back on Thursday asking if I can start work next week. That’s my desk over there under the piles of greeting cards. I work for subsidiary of Hallmark. I write 100 word greeting cards. A Hemingway valentine, a Heller mother’s day card, a Joyce birthday card. I’m working on a Steinbeck Christmas card.

How do you write 100 word stories? #70

Many folk with a song in their heart have asked how do you tom write a 100 word story

When you only have 100 word its useful to utilize cultural icon that carry with their introduction vase amount of back story. It’s sort of a reverse personification process. We offer symbols in the place of running narrative. We place symbols to capture an instance hook into a common gestalt. Descript the land as dantesque all the loathsome descriptions of hell pours out. Descript someone as a superman or being like Tarzan we are able to conger up larger than life figures. 100 word stories are littered with archetypes. The symbolic pillars of the challenge are monkeys, midgets, and zombies.

How do you write 100 word stories? #69

Many folk without any visible means of support have asked how do you Tom write a 100 word story

Anthropomorphizing is good. What better way to get your hero on his hero quest then a talking rock. Or sing sword, magic mirror. Even low level attributes work well. The River rises up or lowers down as needed. A hyper living world is the writes friend gets you out the damnest plot dead ends. It softens up the skeptical monkey mind so you can lay in some major improbable plot lines. Take Lord of the Rings if it hadn’t been for talking eagles you would have had one downer of a story. Come follow the white rabbit down the hole.

How do you write 100 word stories? #68

Many folk with way too much spare time have asked how do you Tom write a 100 word story

If I can I real real want to write a time travel story. I can already hear the ghost of Scott Sigler “Same old crap, you go back in time, become your grandfather, blah blah ” A good time story shows the futility of change events, yet at the same time your protagonist is doomed to try and beat the steam of destiny. Nine times out of ten it’s over a girl. A good time story lays all the cards on the table and at the end of the tale you never saw it coming, what ever the it was.

How do you write 100 word stories? #67

Many folk with stars in their eyes have asked how do you Tom write a 100 word story

It’s kind of cheesy, but it is profitable in a packaging/marketing sense: Write your story as a movie script. Late in his career Michael Crichton followed this model and damn he made Forbes listed of “Top-Earning Dead Celebrities” Tenth place he was in its list of 2009. So you can’t argue with that. Of course the difference between 60000 words and 100 does demand a fare amount of scoping. Here’s how it works: ten times in row type the phrase: And Then What Happens? Answer each question with as string of semi-realist events. Remember to end with a happy ending