Short Short Stories Competition: Write and Publish Very Short StoriesThe winner of our short short stories competition is David M. Harris for his story, "Love". Although the competition is over, we are still publishing short stories of under 300 words. Below are writing tips for very short fiction and a form to submit your story for publication on this page. Can you write a story in less than 300 words? Writing very short stories has special challenges. You have only a few words to introduce your characters and situation and make something happen. Pulling off this form can be like performing a magic trick of the kind where a tiny box seems to contain much more than could possibly fit inside. Tips on writing short short stories These are not rules -- only some suggestions that might help you. 1) Start late in the story. Let's say you're writing a 300-word horror story about a guy who dies in an alligator attack during his honeymoon. There's probably not time to show the wedding ceremony, the reception, the plane ride to Florida with his new wife snuggling sleepily against his shoulder... Instead, you might want to open with the man walking hand-in-hand into the swamp with his new wife, an avid bird-watcher, who is hoping for snapshots of a rare Florida egret. Considering starting just before the story climax, the most exciting point in the story (the alligator attack, in this case), so that you'll have time to do it justice. 2) Stay focused. In 300 words, there is no space for anything that isn't essential to the story you're telling. If our alligator attack story were a novel instead, you might take some time out to tell the reader some interesting history of Everglades National Park, to give some background about the birds the soon-to-be-widow is trying to capture with her camera -- or about the species of alligator that's trying to capture her unfortunate husband on its teeth. When you're writing very short stories, you can't afford scenic detours -- you have to stick to the path (as our unfortunate hero should have done). 3) Choose the right details. If you want to create the effect of a detailed picture but don't have room for a lot of details, the trick is to choose the right ones. Choose details that suggest the rest. The fact that our doomed hero's hotel room has a king-sized bed, two dressers, a desk, and a desk chair doesn't paint a mental picture of any specific place. A burnt-out fluorescent ceiling light does -- this is not the Ritz. An ugly hotel hotel room and an alligator attack -- our poor hero! The best way to learn about writing very short stories is by reading them. You'll find large collection of examples and resources on Jim Harrington's Flash Fiction website. Publish your very short stories
Use the form below to submit a very short story of under 300 words. Stories by other writersClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page... Noise I know that I'm alone in my room. I know that I am alone in the world. Being alone I am not afraid of. But being alone doesnt mean that I don't know what'...
Fowl Play
A. J. Meier was eighty when he shot his last goose. By then his eyesight was indistinct, and his aim susceptible to inadvertent dips. The Encounter I'm walking through a forest. The only sound is the crackling of dry branches and leaves beneath my feet. It hasn't rained for days. The wildlife around ... Helping Out Amy was miked, so I could hear every word of the conversation through the headphones. In spite of her bravado earlier the tremor in her voice was apparent.... Lightning The little child looked up, a sudden blast of lightning hit his face so hard, and painful that he screamed in terror, as it nearly tore his head to the ...
Julianne
"Hello, Julianne?" It's a familiar voice on my phone. A Story About- Rummaging through the pockets of his coat for a cigarette as he stepped onto the now deserted streets of Uncertainville, his brows pulled together in annoyance ... Young Merit She stood there at the age of ten, staring at this feeble old man. He was leaning on a cane,looking for something. He was very old,and needed her help....
The Attack
The craft hovered low over Earth for a time as its occupants completed the needed data and atmospheric testings. A Man in Need It was the Christmas of 1939 and I had just been let go. I carried myself down O'Connell street but I succumbed to the pressure. There I lay, outside the ...
The Dark
The fear was all he felt. He cringed from the sting of the slap, and the swing of the alcohol.
A Ship to Nowhere
They woke at dawn from their sleep. When Love Takes Hold of You When you are in a relationship with someone, you think that it's going to last forever, that nothing can get in the way between you and your partner. One ... Day at the Beach I was sitting on the beach soaking up the sun. As I was sitting in my beach chair reading my favorite novel “The Great Gatsby,” I noticed something in ... Serving the Notice I knock on the door; my heartbeat is racing. Sweat pouring from my face down to my drawers. This is the first time coming to this residence. I'm waiting ...
Elephant's Breath
There was an elephant breathing in her bedroom.
Stranger
It is a dark, foggy night. I can hear the sound of instruments playing far away in the Tea House. She would be there now, singing. A Dream Land of Passion Jeffrey Don Cabos is the only son of Don Cabos the owner of Simony oil wells. Handsome is so little a word to describe this magnificent, outrageous and ... The Soldier's Widow She was alone in the solarium of The Resthaven Nursing Home, a warehouse for abandoned souls. Her two youngest sons came in to the room and sat on chairs ... Just Another Client Sitting in the back of a yellow cab, Julie looked at the address on the crumpled piece of paper. She knew it by heart. She’d known it her whole life. Everyone ... Walking Shoes The soap was oval and translucent, the type her grandparents had her use and the smell alone made her feel pure. Well, maybe not pure but at least clean.... Orange Juice It happened almost a month ago, but it still feels like ten minutes ago. Is that too cliché? We were sitting across from each other in a dirty diner with ... The New Client After an exhausting flight the last thing Carol was in the mood for was finding out the midsize coupe she reserved was not to be. Carol was miserable by ... Love One of the things I hate about this town is the VFW hall. It's where there is to go, and everyone goes there. The same damn people all the time, with the ... Sittin' In the Window Sitting in the large, second story window was the best vantage point on the whole campus. From there everyone could be seen driving in and out—not to mention ... Stolen Honk! “Crap!” I curse, swerving to miss the thoughtless pedestrian. I left in such a hurry. I am so ticked at that jerk! How dare he! After all I ...
Prom
Everyone looks forward to prom. Even I did, the tomboy who all the guys knew and all the girls looked down upon. One Last Fight Blood dripping from my nose. I faintly hear the voice of my screaming coach, "Come on Johny, you gotta keep 'em hands up! You gotta keep 'em up! And watch ...
Day Trip To Heaven
Full of trepidation and excitement, the day has finally arrived in which I am going on a day trip to heaven. Bounty Slowly the coyote crept along the brush trying to stay hidden from his prey just feet away. Each step calculated carefully not to make a sound. Each paw ... The Busy Life of Mark Whopeburg It was raining heavily when Mark called Nikita . He had to tell Nikita not to walk the ramp for Anushka Mitra. After two days there was the meeting of ... The Never Ending Vampires Vampires are everywhere and there is no escape at all. So we get together and try to come up with a way out. All the while they are circling us all bloody ... The Parasites Saga Part 1 John stopped at the wall panting like a dog, he knew that he couldn't double back or the parasites would get him. John remembered when the leeches first ... Mysteries Are Not Always Solved Arnold walked through the door. Despite the building's apparent age this door (unlike all the others) opened without the expected creak or the "old cobweb ... Expletive Your life is meaningless; you are a slave to currency, and everything you own will burn. This world is temporary and every day you spend in it is one more ... Boxer He was the best. The fastest, strongest, and smartest in the ring. When he stepped between the ropes and into the center of the ring, he owned it. It was ... Follow the Rules The noise of all the slot machines was music to the ears of Theo Ray. Theo could be seen four to five days a week at the Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo,... Fate Coy clutched the Little Lotto ticket tight in his right hand as he said a silent prayer to the God up in the heavens. Coy had reached almost total despair.... Veteran Cop Sgt. Mickey Kady had worked for the Boxertown police department for 29 years and now he was seriously contemplating retirement. Sgt. Kady had intended ...
My Grandmother's Key
Part One: Product of Neglect Lying here next to you, all I can think is that I can't wait for you to leave. I press myself against the warmth of your back and lay a gentle kiss on ... The Edges of Things The painted lake stretches before us as the sun sinks, slow and heavy. A thick violet sky quivers at the seam where Heaven and Earth meet. This gentle ... See You There She lay on her bed, the pictures taken out of their albums spread out around her. His shirt in her arms, It just wasn’t the same. She needed to feel his ... The Wolf Shadow The shadows never frightened Livy, but now she was unsure. They had a sinister sway to them, like they were aiming for the death blow. One night, when ... Her Flight Was Brief and Other Short Stories Read short short stories by our visitors and contribute your own! Neurotic Wrath Lydia stared into the mirror. "It is done." She smiled an evil smile. "I have taken her place". The plastic surgeon had said for her not to do this as ... The Pencil It was firmly stuck to his fingers. He opened his hand and spread his fingers until only it contacted a single finger. But it was still holding fast. He ... Colleague He met her while commuting home from the job hunt. His white shirt was pulled out loose from the pants to let in some cool air while he watched the fast ... Unexpected She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. She was about to drift off to sleep when he suddenly jolted awake beside her. She didn’t react. Instead she ... Innocence Lost His hands are on my breasts, the ones I got last year. His fingers unbuttoning my blouse. His lips on my skin, sucking, kissing. Passionately, no room ... Sammy the Lost Bunny (a Children's Story) Sammy the bunny was a very friendly little animal, who liked to play with special friends. He had one particular friend,named Nicholas. One day Sammy was ... Old Friends In an annual gathering of old friends, the seven continents laughed and reminisced happily about the days of Pangaea; a time where they were the closest ... Minnie's Summer Adventure Minnie was coming back from her pal Dee's house when she found kittens in grandpa and grandma's barn. She'd been here a whole week with nothing but bike ... Our Parents Their Parents 'Get out of my house,' shouted Rahul's mother. Rahul was so tired from swimming that he slept and did not have his lunch. When he woke up it was quite ... A Friendly Affair Rahul had been going to the swimming pool since March 2011. Everyday he used to swim and search for someone with whom he could talk. His major problem ...
Statistics
He couldn’t stand it when she cried. It was too painful. All he could do was hold her.
The Fish Out of the Water
“What’s that?” Tommy asked, jabbing his little pointer finger at something silver on the shore.
Past Packages and Now
Why must it always come back to this? Every morning I wake up, make coffee, and get the paper. But when I step outside, I see no paper, but a package. The Mystery of a Bride's Murder There was no dearth of happiness in the Yashbardhan family as the eldest daughter of the family Nita was going to be married to business tycoon Yashbindar ...
Fantasy in a mirror
"When I looked in the mirror, I didn't expect..." The Historical Woods ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A WOODCUTTER NAMED SANJAY. HE USED TO CUT TREES AT A PLACE NAMED HISTORICAL WOODS. HISTORICAL WOODS WAS A REMOTE PLACE, SITUATED ... A Saturday Morning The pen taps on the desk, waiting for my answer as the blank paper looms before me. The clock faintly ticks as I scramble to read over the next paragraph.... One More Time Years, angry yelling, the blame game, carve parenthesis around her mouth, an angry N between her eyes, marring a once youthful face. Male heads turn, whistles ... The Last Scene My sister, brother, and I are Filipinos. My father had died of lung cancer and my mother was left alone to take care of us. Sure, she got help from her ... In the Dark The thundering rain showered itself on the car. It glided at a great speed but a rhythmic pace on the empty road. I looked at him, my mind full of thoughts.... Roses in the Hospital With shaking hands, I placed the needle back in its sheath, feeling my body temperature decrease as the chills of what I had just done caught up with me.... The Man Who Has Seen Past Rahul was coming back from office. Today an interesting thing happened as he met his old school friend Shibani who was his sweetheart when he was in class ... Crisis in Japan Some boys were playing near the seashore in Tokyo. Suddenly some people who went fishing in the seashore came back. Their trawlers were missing from the ... The Wedding My cousin Rahul got married last Sunday. He married a Marwari girl and the ceremony was held in the largest hall of the town. Rahul's aunt i.e. my mother ... Monkey Dream We were helping my dad and uncle with something in the back of the truck in the backyard. The yard was full of weeds and grass. So you could not see what ... The Lord of 64 Squares Tamit was leading in the State Chess Championship and was on the verge of winning the Championship when his uncle called him from Secundrabad and said ... Unreadable The Legend read: "Here lived humankind. She was born as an angel, shone like wildfire and burned herself". And in the endless wilderness of that silent ...
Love in Deathbed
Samantha,Nikita and Farhan were staying near the hospital in Kabul. They had come to Afganistan as reporters of CNBC. The Tsunami Effect It was during the Tsunami of 2004 that Latifa and Harshad met each other. They were doing a project work in Port Blair under the auspices of Dr.Rangarajan ... The Ritual On nights like this, when the calm hangs over the city like a broken promise, and the deep silence has fenced our lives with its inescapable routine, I ... Elephant War *Beep Beep* goes off the alarm exactly at 4 a.m. every morning. The usual routine consists of brushing teeth, brushing hair, brushing dog, get dressed ...
Drinks, Dunks and Sticks
Duncan is a rock. Well, he seems like a rock; but when you get to know him, you may decide he's a rock-shaped lump of Blutack. The Verdant Proposal Picking it from a nearby bush, Tyrese handed her a white rose. “I want you to know that this white rose symbolizes the purity of love I’ve had for you.... Good Whiskey The Wintu people lived around the site of the town of Redding for thousands of years. When the white men came, the Wintu tried to co-exist, but it was ... Sign In Please My wife and I are at a party as guests of the President of the United States and The First Lady. They are standing at one end of a massive ballroom, in ... One Frightening New Orleans Night The evening was so blissful; we never expected that this would be the most frightening and harrowing night of our lives. It was the spring of 2004, a ... One Last Time I can smell the wood. Those remarkable pine trees that separate us from the rest of the world, the ones that hide my bitter torment, masquerade my lies ... A True Wifey Affair Rajat an assistant commissioner of income -tax used to drink heavily. Whe talks of his marriage was going on there was no mention of his drinking problem.... The Art of Living Rashid was very upset.His company has terminated him and his 6 year long beau Sujata dumped him for a rich Marwari tycoon. In the cold night in Bangalore ...
love
love is some feeling at times one cannot express..Though he was with me my mind would say."this man doesn't know to love.."Time will show its meaning.. The Invisible Me It was Halloween, and my Methodist Youth Fellowship group was having a party, and I had a great idea for a costume. I would go as The Invisible Man. I ...
Here Comes Butchie
Here comes Butchie. The Last Time I Saw Charlie "You know when was the last time I really felt good? It was when I was drinking hard, and smoking two packs a day, and running around with loose women,... Tonight Regina's breathing returned to normal as she felt her body slowly melt out of the trance. She wiped the sweat off her forehead, pen still clutched in ... Two Monsters Down "One to go," I muttered, kicking the foul demonic corpse as I pulled my blade free from its eye. I frowned at the extra-dimensional experimental physicists ...
A Morning With Callie
Callie the Calico sleeps peacefully and purrs softly as she dreams of chasing mice until the alarm clock rudely awakes her. More Resources
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