Your Monday mote

Tiny stories, big punch

Photo by Barbara Chowaniec on Unsplash

Writing an entire story in 300 words? Easy. Said no one ever.

There’s a particular kind of joy that comes from watching a roomful of writers stare at the ceiling, chew their pens and mutter: “But what is a Bohemian Rhapsody, really?”

That joy, dear reader, is the result of this month’s writing group challenge: a Flash Fiction Story Jam, that must be no more than 300 words, and based on a song title.

We’re currently doing this in my writers group and the winner gets - LITERALLY - a pot of homemade jam. Has there ever been a finer incentive to write a story?

The store can be any genre, as long as there’s a beginning, a middle and an end. And, yes, a little dramatic oomph.

Now, if you’ve never written flash fiction, you might be thinking, 300 words? Easy peasy lemony snickett. But that’s where you’d be wrong.

Like packing for a holiday using only hand luggage, it’s a deceptively tough challenge. You think you’ve got it, until you realise your shampoo won’t fit, your plot’s leaking all over the place, and you’ve somehow forgotten your favourite bikini.

Flash fiction demands ruthless precision. You have to know exactly what your story is trying to do.

There’s no room for a character’s lengthy backstory, no time for lingering over world-building. You dive in, drop a grenade and get out again.

Yet when it works, when those few hundred words deliver a twist, a laugh, or a gut-punch, it’s magic.

Of course, one must be judicious in one’s choice of song. Some may opt for the obvious: tales of heartbreak inspired by Tears Dry on Their Own, or bittersweet nostalgia via Chasing Pavements. Others go wild. Spice Up Your Life? I’d absolutely love it if someone in the group wrote a sci-fi horror based on Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.

Bored this bank holiday? Then I challenge you to try it.

Pick a title, set your word count and see what your brain does under pressure. You’ll be amazed what stories are hiding in your playlist.

Lisa