“Do you think they’ll understand everything that happened tonight?” She asks, looking up from her glass.
“I don’t fucking understand, and I was there, so no, I don’t,” he says as he empties the contents of his glass into his mouth.
“Then what’ll we tell them?” She asks.
“We lie.”
Go HERE for the 50 Word Story Expanded version of this story, or, if you’re feeling game, try to extend it yourself…..
[…] You can read the original 50 Word Story here, I’d be interested in what you think of the full story that came from the short. […]
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There’s little else to be said, Matthew. I use the 50 word format frequently. It’s like a verbal exercise, push ups for the sedentary. Good writing, I believe, can be measured as much by what it shows the reader as what it doesn’t show but leaves to the reader’s imagination. I’ve walked away from some of Richard Dankers’ 50 word stories, my mind buzzing with a plethora of twists and plot lines. You’ve grasped it here and leaving the reader to make up the back story like what did happen earlier that night? Who do they have to explain it to and what might the consequences be? It’s less a case of limited time or attention span and more about the refinement and discipline of following the story format but in a defined and confined format. Try 6 words, now that’s tricky.
I’ve enjoyed a lot of the different styles you put out, even started following a few people on here because of enjoying the style you introduced me to through your blog. I’ll eventually try to have a crack, it took me months to actually give 50 words a go. In doing it I wanted to see what would fall from the tree, and then experiment with the results, fill in the gaps I see and then see what the people who liked the 50 word version thinks of my expanded story. It’s another attempt at challenging myself and to see if I can get across something in such a short space of time, than I can in the longer format, and as always, putting a time limit on myself allows the waters to flow quicker and with that raw, spiteful tongue that seems to flow when I let it out of its box, instead of picking all the faults that may or may not have been there.
Thank you for the reply. But in this busy world , wanting to write something , anything is commendable , but reading it is more commendable. I kept reading 100 words drabble, 50 words here , 7 words story and 6 words …! Hence started to wonder if it will finally be just this much or less people are going to read ?
An excerpt ….or one spoon , not the entire meal ?
As a reader what do you want? I mean, this really all comes down to the personal taste of the reader in the end. I’ve come across many great writers on here who have little followings and put amazing stuff out every day, playing with styles, growing themselves, and there are others who have huge followings but rarely put out anything and when they do they’re pieces of the books they’re working on, links to buy their books here and the odd short. It’s what you as a reader want and what’s out there for you and how you relate to everything else. A writer will write for the audience and, most of the time, to be honest, themselves, and using a blog is like sharing the journey with those who wish to, along the way dabbling in other areas, trying new things, like musicians, trying something different to expand their skill. But once again, it comes down to you as a reader and what you want 👍
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I think it can be put down to many different reason, but I know people sell the micro stories to people who have hardly any spare time, and still want to be entertained some way. But, some people write to meet what the audience wants and not what needs to be written, of course that’s been something that’s always been around. Some find it easier to keep up with the idea of taking a simplistic approach to keeping themselves available to the creative process, not writing less because it’s easier, but, writing less because time isn’t available to them. Others use exercises to express themselves and their works in a precise moment in time, to have the reader grip that moment with them, and use as little words as possible. I think, personally, that is a true gift, something, I am not quite gifted enough to pull off each and every time. But for me it’s an exercise in grounding how a story works, when I prepare to write a story, most times I go in blind, other times I have a general idea, a few words here and there. But rarely do I have an ending or beginning written before I start a story, so, the idea of writing a 50 word story for me was to spend a total of 5 minutes writing a 50 word short and then posting it, next week, each day, I will revisit one of the stories and turn them into a larger piece, more like the normal works I do. So, somewhere out there I’m sure you’ll find the odd one or two, who are deliberately doing it to meet what they think today’s readers want, but a lot of people who use this process I know, so it to help build their skills.
To the artist it is, what it is, be it 50, 100, 200, 1000 or even 6 words, if that’s what you need to get your message across to your readers, then you use it. For me, I like the idea of playing with any format as a way of developing my skills, and then, reevaluating the exercise, and changing it into something else. Like I’m doing with these 50 word stories. Is it the end result that one wishes to experience, or is it the journey towards it? I like watching things come together, so my money is always on the journey 🙂
Twisted Roads - Twisted Horror Stories by Matthew Tonks 
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