100-Word Stories: Writing with Gaps

Mind the gap.

The Brevity Blog

100A guest post from Grant Faulkner, co-founder of 100 Word Story, the magazine that makes Brevity look verbose:

Writers are presumed to be lovers of words. They’re called wordsmiths, praised for their lyricism, and celebrated for capturing telling details. Stories are built through text, after all, so we strive to learn the fine art of vivid verbs, hone an ear for dialogue, and absorb new vocabulary. These are all valuable tools, but one of the most important tools of writing can be neglected by attending only to the words of a story. I call that tool “minding the gaps.”

I’m speaking about the gaps between words, sentences, paragraphs—the gaps around a story itself. Such gaps determine a story’s contours, its aesthetic. What is left out of a story is as important as what is included because life moves as much through disconnections as connections. Think of the gulf between…

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Trying out Intermittent Fasting

I have never willingly fasted. Once a year I was made to fast for a Hindu festival and I used to dread it coming up and would then over-eat for days in the relief that I could. Once I was in charge I knew I would never force myself to fast- it was too traumatic. … Continue reading Trying out Intermittent Fasting →

Meeting Nicole Taylor, British Screenwriter, at the BBC

I had received the email invite some weeks ago, skim-read the contents and thought I'd return to consider it once I knew what the weather would be like in the week before Christmas. I then forgot all about it and it was only when a reminder that popped up on the day that I scrabbled … Continue reading Meeting Nicole Taylor, British Screenwriter, at the BBC →

Start Writing Fiction Course is Starting Today- Do check it out for yourself!

So excited as the Future Learn Start Writing Fiction commences on line today and it is free. I would recommend it to anyone who fancies themselves as a writer or just wants to improve their writing skills. Although it is aimed at fiction writing skills, I think it adds a lot to any sort of … Continue reading Start Writing Fiction Course is Starting Today- Do check it out for yourself! →

Retrospective: Why Write a Film Treatment?

I finished writing my first proper script treatment last night and pressed send. I emailed myself a copy too so that I have an exact record of what I have sent.  With excitement I opened the email to myself and read the first line. A massive typo. It is always the way. No matter how … Continue reading Retrospective: Why Write a Film Treatment? →

What Exactly Is Drabble?

Really interesting reading for fiction writers…

Ernest-Hemingway-Quotes-Iceberg

By The Drabble

Poem? Story? Brain vomit? Snapshot? A representation of a thought, idea, feeling or emotion? An entry point for thought or feeling? Drabble can be all those things. Drabble is a form, not a formula. Just as a haiku or sonnet has rules, so too does drabble. Words – 100 or fewer. Drabble is a form requiring concision.

You may wonder if it’s even possible to write a good story in fewer than 100 words. We say yes, although it’s certainly not easy. Most modern narrative art adheres in some way to Shakespeare’s three-act structure (i.e., conflict, rising action/crisis, resolution), whilst presenting a clear theme. Must all these elements be present to tell a good story? Grant Faulkner, co-founder of 100 Word Story, thinks so. In his essay, “Writing with Gaps,” Faulkner says,

“I think the best 100-word stories move with the escalation any story has. They…

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