So anyone that knows me or my writing knows that brevity is not my strong suit. Wish it was, especially given the whole “brevity is the soul of wit” thing (thanks Will), but alas when I try to write something under 3,000 words, I’m basically useless.
That being said, when Mary Robinette Kowal gave a guest lecture for Brandon Sanderson at BYU on writing Short Stories, I decided to give flash fiction the old college try (pun intended). The results weren’t amazing, I admit, but it was definitely a fun process.
Now I challenge you to give it a try. I pasted my own story below, but if you’re going to try this, I’d recommend doing your own story before reading mine. If you have about an hour and want to give flash fiction a try then listen to the below video and write your own. If you have the attention span of a gnat or the complete-lack-of-time of an author, then here’s the gist:
• 250 words or less
• Character: Jockey (you define what this means in this context)
• Object: Coaster (you define what this means in this context)
• Genre: Science Fiction
And GO!
Fun right? Now here is my attempt:
Sarah’s determination flared as the world faded into silence leaving only the galloping, mechanical hooves of her mach II horsebot to fill the void between her and the racers trailing behind her. She could see it, fuzzy and distant, but she knew the finish line was close. She also knew that familiar rattle of bolts that teased at her senses, the one that always preceded a mechanical failure.Â
The sound of screeching metal erupted from underneath her. In one smooth motion, she untethered herself and slid beneath the mechanical behemoth in an attempt to reaffix the loosening bolts.Â
She grappled with the smooth loops of her toolbelt, searching anxiously for the one tool that would fix it. The same tool that slipped from her grasp as the pieces of metal finally gave way and broke apart. Sarah went flying forward, skidding along the track. At last, she came to rest, her face and hair coated with the gritty track sand, her beleaguered horsebot sparking next to her. It’s right leg 5 feet away.
Sarah felt the ground shake as the other racers began to round the final corner. She looked behind her to the finish line only 10 yards away. She would not let her landmark season end, quite literally, in the dirt.
She reached for leg and pulled it towards the horsebot, her shoulder screaming in agony at the motion. Thankfully, the handheld soldering tool still resided in her toolbelt. She quickly attempted to reattach the lost limb as the other riders’ approach grew to a thunderous roar.Â
Within seconds, the bot was back up and her on it. Rider and beast, connected for a common goal. One final pound into the ground as Sarah crossed the finish line, winning the season against all odds.Â
So now that you’ve written your first story, how’d it go? Go ahead and post it below. It can’t be worse than mine, but at least I can find solace in knowing Brandon Sanderson also couldn’t stay under 250 words (I at least made it under 300). I can’t wait to read what you all came up with.