Hints were a Hit!

The blogpost from last week seemed to generate quite a bit of interest, and I'm so glad about that!

(Okay, yes, the amount of interest was heightened by the discussion about how I could do away with Dan, but the hint fiction itself did get some legitimate feedback. I promise.)

One of the most fun things about Hint Fiction is that they are short, short indeed, and their wittle-bitty-ness enables an author to write four or five first drafts in one setting, and if none of them are any good, you can just scrap the whole lot, and lose very little time in the process! I happen to think the dwarf-esque qualities of Hint Fiction also makes it seem like an attainable goal for all authors...because, let's face it, the prospect of an entire novel can make even a seasoned short-story veteran shake in the knees. Twenty-five words, though? We can handle that, easy!!


So I've had an idea. Why don't you try your hand at a Hint Fiction piece or two? Come on, I know you like Hint Fiction...you told me so! The rules are easy: the story should be 25 words or less; the title is not included in the word count. You can email them to me via this link or the one at the bottom, I will peruse them, get a little other English-major input, and post the top 5 next week. What do you think, will you play with me? Email your submissions by Sunday, April 3rd, with the subject filled in as "Hint Fiction," and we'll set this thing rolling.

(If no one sends me anything...I'll just make up some of my own and pretend like people were interested.)

Maybe I'll be able to come up with some sort of prize? Now are you enticed?


Here are some helpful tips:

1.) Use the freedom of the title to your advantage--it should add to the story, not just label it.

2.) Don't offer little pieces of advice, i.e. "The yellow snow is not for eating." This may be the result of a story, but it is not a story.

3.) A successful piece of super-short fiction is one that requires the reader to piece some things together. They should be able to take the clues, the hints, you've given, and make sense of what happened in the story. If your reader, after having thought things through, is still saying, "What happened?" after reading your hint fiction, one of two things is true: 1.)Your reader is not very bright, or 2.) Your story is not actually a story. The latter of these two things is more often the case. Here's an example of that which is not a story: The red shoe sat in the driveway. What happened? I don't know, and neither do you, and there's no way either of us will be able to figure it out.





Okay. So. Have fun! :)



(I'd also like to give a shout out to Mrs. Brondyke's computer classes, both 4th and 5th grades. Pay attention, and be nice to my mom. :) If one of you creates a blog, let me know. I'll hit it up.)