Short Story Challenge - 55 words only
I got this from a site called umbrellastories.com and thought it would be pretty interesting. So here it is:
That's right, the story has to be EXACTLY 55 words long and it has to be an actual story (i.e it has to have all the basic essentials of story: setting, character(s), conflict, resolution). No poems or essays.
Some tips:
Hyphenated words are considered single words only if the two parts are not free-standing words once the hyphen is removed (e.g. re-entry = one word, free-standing = two words)
Contractions count as single words. Therefore, using "I'll" instead of "I will" would be a smart move if you're running out of words.
Numbers also count as single words, so using "35" (single word) instead of thirty-five (two words) would also be a good idea in the interest of word economy.
Initials count as single words since they're abbreviations of full words. Acronyms (like IBM) are an exception
Ok, you guys up for it? I've been trying to come up with one for the past couple of weeks, but its more difficult than I expected!!
Here's an example which I thought was excellent. It was written by my best buddy in the world, Rashouna. (I hope she doesn't mind me putting this here but I couldn't resist!!!)
They took her house. Apparently the terminally ill needn't expire on a sprawling estate. Her ungrateful offspring were shipping her off tomorrow. Already, they were breaking ground for the new swimming pool.
"I'll never leave." She vowed.
They found her face-down in the fresh cement, a guilty reminder forever encased in the pool floor.
.Parched, suffering, desperate with hunger, the Masai elder gained the oasis.
High in the sparse treetops grew fruits, beyond reach of voracious beasts.
The Masai climbed the thorns to shake the precious berries, and, scratched, bleeding, descended once more.
Waiting, mad with it’s own hunger, was the Leopard.
Re: .
They were swinging nearly counter cyclically. With each reverse motion they drew their legs underneath them and with each forward motion they stretched them out straight. With each cycle, they flew even higher and the unanchored leg of the swing set pulled out of the ground even more.
The trill only existed with the danger.
----- Other than THAT, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?
Re: .
It happened again. Poised for certain victory, at the last moment he threw the game. It did not matter to him if he won, for he knew he could and proving it to others was uninteresting. "You could be a great tennis player," they always said.
"Not when the price is the loss by another."
----- Other than THAT, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?
Re: no poems? :P
Umm, sorry DeShaz, strictly no poetry. And that includes you too Falderal!! As for DamnitJim and Fluttersby, pretty damn good effort! Better than anything I could come up with...
Re: no poems? :P
blisslessly cursed at the infractions. Fifty five words, no poetry...not that hard, yet Falderal insists on going his own way. Knucklehead, she thought. And Deshaz should know better than trying poetry, too. This thread is supposed to be MY rules. I want everyone to use my rules.
She trumbled snootily to the white freezer door.
----
Ok class. The last sentence is how one makes a story end up with exactly 55 words. See how it smoothly fits the rest of the theme? A true masterpiece. The transition is very important in any story (ducks are quite cute).
Oh...this part (under the little line dealy) is also fifty five words...me funny.
----- Other than THAT, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?
Re: no poems? :P
Damnit Jim struggled over the concept of a segue. He tried and tried, but was simply unable to come up with a proper transition. Finally, in desperation, he decided on a strange non-sequitur.
"If I can't do it right, at least I'll confuse the hell out of them!" he thought, with an odd, disturbing laugh.
----------
p.s.
I will just have you people know, I wrote that thing as is, without counting, and when I did count, I was exactly 55 words. Hah!
p.p.s.
The little victories are what keep me sane.
fluttersby
"The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck."- Ralph Waldo Emerson
fluttersby's struggle to maintain sanity, while a noble effort, was fraught with peril. How; amidst this ragged bunch of artists, musicians, poets and fools; could she believe it possible?
She found herself counting the words she spoke to friends and fellow workers...unable to stop speaking until reaching the magic number.
The end result? Insanity.
Edited by: manniac at: 4/2/03 8:00:44 pm
Re: .
She stared at the screen thinking, 'no poetry?' An obvious attempt to keep her out of this fray. All who knew her, knew that prose was her weakness.
She pondered. She stewed. She then....gave up.
A few words, a concept, drawing with thought - these were the things she loved.
To hell with this challenge.
Better your own truth, however weak, than the truth of another, however noble.
~Shakyamuni Buddha
Re: Short Story Challenge - 55 words onlyWriting Challenge - The Pre-quel
"Rules...?! "Rules...?!" he frought. The beniggled man with no shortage of syllables now faced a shortage of words.
Sharing blank stares with his monitor, the troubled vantz blinked with inspiration. The staring contest over, he hastily clacked a story with a built-in limerick. "That'll fix 'em, he thought."
He was wrong. Whoop de doo.
Waddya want - obedient or good...?!
Edited, simply because there are no rules against it!Edited by: Falderal at: 4/2/03 11:25:37 pm
Re: Short Story Challenge - 55 words only
Well trained these little monkeys, she thought. Endearingly clever, endowed with both obedience and creativity. True, she was growing attached to them, but she has been preparing this delicacy for weeks. Her 'right side of the brain' monkey dish would win the International Chef’s Exotica contest for sure. But first, eliminating the vegetarian judge.
Re: Short Story Challenge - 55 words onlyPart III: The Esquire Strikes Back
“Fifty-five words!”, typed he. “Absurdity!! And no poems – *ahem* – excuse me?!”
Then it occurred, that it was not heard, that words sublime could not rhyme. “Fine…” he mused “…we’ll use a new ruse: abusing the line so fine - it’s excused!"
Blissfully, he poked blisslessly, needling her needlessly, wantin’ to have wanton havoc.
Re: Short Story Challenge - 55 words only
Wickedly worded lines so fine, I bow down in honour of truth sublime. Yet I am the Queen that’s worshipped with awe, and aweful I am in weaving words unwithered. So off with his head, he who weasels the law, but laced with wine, a kiss before death, stealing the last breath of the wizard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...give me wings.........
Crescendo Registered User
Posts: 20
(4/7/03 2:01 pm) Reply
Roadkill
"What do you want?" His voice echoed off the curb and she blinked. She met his desperate eyes.
"Life! Passion! Something!" She spoke in earnest.
They came upon a rotting corpse. Fresh roadkill, the blood still red and wet.
"Look," she gasped with wide eyes and excitement.
"Disgusting! No!"
Her face glowed. She said goodbye.
Edited by: Crescendo at: 4/7/03 2:49:32 pm
Bump
Just bumping this, in case anybody fancies a fresh go - i'll have another shot at some point today methinks
ali marea Registered User
Posts: 2
(8/5/05 11:02 am) Reply
Re: Bump
Not as complete as I'd like, but here goes:
Spencer knelt down on the dust-covered floor. He picked up the object he’d seen from afar. It was an old tobacco tin, worn with age and rust. Something was inside.
Looking around, there was nothing else of interest. All that remained were a desk and one lop-sided chair. Satisfied with his treasure, Spencer walked out.
CC Vulture Registered User
Posts: 19
(8/10/05 5:24 am) Reply
Re: Bump
The surface of the pond gleamed yellow, deepening into gold then bronze. It looked like a giant, highly-polished shield. Silvery fishes sallied forth, priceless gems studding their scales.
Bugs skated across like light.
I came with a rusting drum full of raw sewage, poured it in, and watched, without a blink or missed heartbeat.
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