They are called Flash fiction, and are usually demonstrated by a micro story commonly related to Earnest Hemingway: "For sale: Baby Shoes. Never used." (
There are doubts regarding this story actually being by Hemingway).
One might doubt whether that specific story is a true story.
Does that story really have a protagonist ? a conflict ? a resolution ?
But apparently others are not bothered by that, as a
micro stories competition I've just learned about, and a
wired six-word-stories collection taught me.
Don't get me wrong. This collection, for instance, had some gems in it, such as -
- To save humankind he died again. - Ben Bova
- Will this do (lazy writer asked)? - Ken MacLeod
- Machine. Unexpectedly, I’d invented a time - Alan Moore
- Longed for him. Got him. Shit. - Margaret Atwood
"God said:
'Cancel Program GENESIS.'
The universe ceased to exist."
(Which wasn't included in Wired's collection because it had too many words... (it had 10, 4 more than Hemingway's... )
But I still doubt whether these are real stories.
I will agree with flash fiction supporters that really short stories have lessons in them for anyone interested in the principles of writing. Even when they are not complete stories, they exemplify brevity. If for example, we ponder on the issues any storyteller seeking popularity has to include in his stories, and seek for Religion, Nobility, Sex and Mystery, as
the following Snopes article tells, we might like the -
"My God! said the queen. I'm pregnant. I wonder who did it ? "
and If we replace nobility with fantasy as a required ingredient, and raise a notch in the religion, we get my version -
"My God! said the devil. I'm pregnant. I wonder who did it ?"
I will also agree with flash fiction supporters about the practical value of really really short stories. If we take, for example,
some top tips for writing well (again, attributed to Hemingway) -
- use short sentences;
- use short paragraphs;
- use a vigorous language;
- avoid negative descriptives;
- criticize yourself. roughly. implement a constant, never ending, ongoing, repetitive, exhaustive rewriting and self-editing;
It is clear that working on the composition of really really short stories, one does receive a form of training which obeys to those tips.
Although I personally still try for the flash fiction that will have
a protagonist whose conflict is resolved,
I should point one last point for flash fiction. It is fun to read.
