- THEME is the central idea of a piece of fiction. What message are you trying to convey? This doesn't need to be stated in the story, but the micro fiction writer should have a specific, narrowly focused idea in mind while writing.
- SETTING is not just the physical location where the story takes place, but also the mood surrounding the action. In micro fiction, the writer does not have the luxury of waxing eloquent about the setting; when every word counts, many have to do double duty. Descriptions of setting need to be slipped in while advancing the plot.
- PLOT is what happens in a story. Typically, the plot of a story consists of five stages: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement or resolution. By its very nature, micro fiction requires a simple, straightforward plot.
- CHARACTER means both the individuals portrayed in a story and their characteristics. Every story needs a protagonist, the central character, and most have an antagonist, someone working against the protagonist. Don't undertake a story with multiple characters as a micro fiction piece. One or two will usually suffice.
- CONFLICT is not just fighting or butting heads, although those are examples of it, but rather anything that alters the course of the action in a story. Conflict is what drives plot.
Is it possible to fit all of those elements into a story of 100 words or less? Absolutely. I'm going to dissect my own micro fiction piece, It's Over, as an example of how it can be done.
"Honey, I'm ho-ome," Matt warbled as he entered the kitchen and tossed his keys into a bowl on the table. Loosening his tie, he made for the bedroom, where he expected to find his wife changing from her work clothes.
This establishes the setting of the piece and introduces the characters. The physical location is a couple's home, and the mood is light and cheery at the beginning. The characters are Matt, the protagonist, and his wife. We know that the couple has a dual income. Matt is in a position that requires him to wear a tie to work. His wife may be a businessperson, or her work may call for a uniform. Matt warbling his greeting implies a happy marriage.
Instead he met her in the dining room, glaring at him from behind a laptop computer through eyes red from crying. She knew. To deny or rationalize the affair would insult her intelligence and make matters worse.
"It's over, I promise," he said simply.
Rising action and conflict take place in the middle of the story. The mood also shifts dramatically, leading to the piece's climax:
"Oh? So are we."
After the climactic line, the reader must fill in the falling action. But what was said and done, and whether the couple was angry, subdued or tearful matters little, for it led to the same outcome.
The next evening, Matt swiped a card to unlock his door.
The denouement is that Matt has left their home, at least temporarily, and is staying in a hotel.
It's Over began life as a six-word story: "It's over." "Oh? So are we." However, it soon became apparent that the piece would benefit from a little fleshing out. While it didn't quite work as a six-word story, it is well-suited to longer micro fiction.
In summary, use the following guidelines when writing micro fiction:
• Stay within 100 words. Use the site character / word counter to check the length of your submission. http://www.storiesspace.com/resources/count-characters.aspx
• Keep it simple. Aim for a basic plot and few characters.
• After the writing is finished, diagram the piece as I've done above. Ask yourself if the story includes all the elements of a short story, and be truthful in your answer.
• Revise, revise, revise. It's not easy to fit a story into such a small space. Lines you love may have to be trimmed or excised.
(end of fuss)