Michael A. Kechula - Micro Fiction: Writing 100-Word Stories (Drabbles) for Magazines and Contests

MICRO FICTION

Writing 100-WordStories

(Drabbles)

For Magazines andContests

A Self StudyTutorial

Michael A.Kechula

Published by BooksForABuck.com atSmashwords

Copyright 2014 by Michael A. Kechula

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoymentonly. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.If you would like to share this book with another person, pleasepurchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Ifyoure reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was notpurchased for your use only, then you should return toSmashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respectingthe hard work of this author.

Getting published and winning contests are based on anumber of unpredictable factors which are out of the authors andpublishers control and are associated with the vagaries of thepublishing industry. The author and publisher cant guarantee thatreaders of this book will ever get a drabble published, or win adrabble-writing contest even after learning and applying all thetechniques in this book. Further, because of individual learningdifferences, the author and publisher cant guarantee that readerswill be able to comprehend and implement everything contained inthis book.

This book is dedicated to my life-longguide and illuminator, THG, and to the late Dr. B. F. Skinner,Psychologist and Harvard Professor. Dr. Skinners extraordinarybook, The Technology of Teaching, profoundly changed the authorslife.

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: Drabble Basics

Definition of Drabble

Characteristics of Literary Drabbles

Characteristics of Genre Drabbles

Characteristics of Anecdotal Drabbles

CHAPTER 2: Drabble Development Process

Step 1: Decide What to Write

Step 2: Use Minimalist Approach

Step 3: Create First Draft

Step 4: Count Words

Step 5: Read Drabble

Step 6: Edit Drabble

Step 7: Repeat Steps 4 through 6

Step 8: Check Spelling

Step 9: Count Words in Final Draft

CHAPTER 3: Before You Begin

Be a Storyteller

Tell, Not Show

Make Stories Event-Driven

Avoid Mundane Plots

Write Clear Sentences

Include Dialogue

CHAPTER 4: Minimalist Openers

Hooks

Quick Setup

Changing the Subject

Weather Reports

Trivial Details

Cryptic Sentences

Inflated Prose

CHAPTER 5: Minimalist Characters

Last Names

Complicated Names

Repetition of Titles

Clothing

Facial Expressions

Watching, Glancing, Glaring

Turning

Body Movements

Sighs

Smiles

Nods

Head Shakes

Shrugs

Cookbook Procedures

Impossible Mannerisms

Pauses

Entrances and Exits

Flashbacks

CHAPTER 6: Developing Minimalist Dialogue

Concise Dialogue

Contractions

Substandard English

Unclear Dialogue

Action Tags

Repetition

Interruptions

Slang

Foreign Words

Regional Dialects

Idiomatic Expressions

Said Bookisms

Speaking Descriptions

CHAPTER 7: Developing Minimalist Narrative Part1

Inflated Prose

Trivial Details

Ornate Prose

Similes

Repetition

Facts of Existence

What Isnt

And

The and That

Numbers

CHAPTER 8: Developing Minimalist Narrative Part2

Beginning To

Logic Errors

Transitions

Telling Then Correcting

Passive to Active

There or It

Character Motives

Cryptic Sentences

Obscure Words

CHAPTER 9: Anatomy of a Prize Winning Drabble

Contest Guidelines

What We Developed

The Drabble that Won

Questions on Structure and Content

Minimalist Techniques in the Story

Scenes and Events

Twist

Word Economy Exercise

Answers for Word Economy Exercise

Books by Michael A. Kechula

Are you eager to get published in magazines as quicklyand often as possible? One way to do that is to learn how to write100-word micro-fiction stories called drabbles. Theres acontinuing demand for them by editors of online and printmagazines. Besides that, writing contests that specialize indrabbles are held regularly. Why not exploit the demand bydeveloping and submitting some drabbles?

Perhaps youve never tried to write such tinytales, and dont know how to craft them. One way to learn is toreview all the topics in this book and complete all theexercises.

Here are some things to know about thisbook:

• Its a self-study tutorial designed to teachyou how to write genre fiction drabbles that tell completestories.

• It was written by an author who developedself-study books and online distance-learning courses for the IBMCorporation and other Fortune 500 companies.

• It was written after the author analyzed andcritiqued hundreds of drabbles written by his students and others.The contents are based on a minimalist approach the authordeveloped to transform dozens of novelists and short story writersinto drabble authors.

• It contains 9 chapters consisting of 76topics, 425 examples, and 165 drill and practice questions.

• It includes a Word Economy Exerciseconsisting of 125 questions

• It presents examples of drabbles that woncontests and were published in magazines.

Chapters and topics vary in size, dependingon their level of complexity. We suggest you repeat any topic anynumber of times until you feel youve mastered the contents.

As you proceed through the chapters, wellpresent some information, show examples, then ask questions aboutwhat you just read. All questions begin with Q followed by anumber. If you have the eBook version, have a pencil and plenty ofpaper available to answer the questions. If you have the paperbackversion, write your answers in this book.

Answers for all questions within eachchapter are available at the end of the chapter. Answers for theWord Reduction Exercise are at the end of that exercise.

Most questions are drill-and-practiceexercises to reinforce what you just learned. They allow you tomonitor your progress in absorbing the tutorials and putting theminto practice. The ultimate goal is to prepare you to developdrabbles that will attract the attention of magazine and contesteditors.

If youre ready to learn how to write drabbles theminimalist way, lets get started

This chapter covers the followingtopics:

• Definition of Drabble

• Characteristics of Literary Drabbles

• Characteristics of Genre Drabbles

• Characteristics of Anecdotal Drabbles

A drabble is a complete story thats told inexactly 100 words, not counting the title. A drabble is the onlyform of fictional story-telling prose that has such an exact,rigid, and enforced word requirement.

Q1: What is the allowable word count for adrabble? _____

Q2: A story containing exactly 100-words iscalled a ______________.

Some authors erroneously think the word drabbleis just a new name for a vignette. However, three notabledifferences distinguish drabbles from vignettes:

• Drabbles tell complete stories, but vignettesdont.

• Drabbles are restricted to precisely 100 words,but vignettes can have as many words as an author wishes.

• Drabbles take several hours to develop, butvignettes can be developed as fast as you can enter words into aword processor.

Q3: Name one of the differences between drabblesand vignettes. ________________________________________