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Anatomy of a MicroFiction
by Bob Thurber

First, we’ll read through the text — a micro-fiction of 150 words

(the word limit for this particular venue)



Three Days of Mourning
originally published at The-Phone-Book.com

On the third day the old man took down a haunch of cooked beef hanging from the cabin's ceiling. The blade of his knife was razor-thin and passed through the meat without resistance. He was sixty years old and in mourning for his wife whose body still lay on the bed. He had been drinking now for three days without sleep and now he wanted to eat. He set himself a place at the table. He ate slowly, chewing each bite twenty times. The meat tasted dry and salty. As he ate he stared straight ahead at the stone fireplace which took up one wall. When he finished he would fetch a shovel and go to work. His wife had died peacefully in her sleep, and he imagined that was not a hard way to go. When his time came he believed very little effort would be necessary.
         (c) 2008, Bob Thurber
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Now we'll examine the anatomy of this piece.

The text consists of eleven sentences, each performing a small structural task. Though each sentence doesn’t do much, in combination they work towards producing a small emotional effect.



1) On the third day the old man took down a haunch of cooked beef hanging from the cabin's ceiling.
Introduction of Time, Character, Place, and Main Prop -- the "haunch of cooked beef."

2) The blade of his knife was razor-thin and passed through the meat without resistance.
 Character in action with Main Prop.

3) He was sixty years old and in mourning for his wife whose body still lay on the bed.
Physical and mental characteristics, and present situation.


4) He had been drinking now for three days without sleep and now he wanted to eat.
Character's reaction to event, and proposed goal.

5) He set himself a place at the table.
Character in action, moving toward proposed goal.

6) He ate slowly, chewing each bite twenty times.
Character in action with Main Prop.

7) The meat tasted dry and salty.
Character's sensory reaction to Main Prop.

8) As he ate he stared straight ahead at the stone fireplace which took up one wall.
Character's reflective delay over a short passage of time.

9) When he finished he would fetch a shovel and go to work.
Character's proposed new goal after reflection.

10) His wife had died peacefully in her sleep, and he imagined that was not a hard way to go.
Character's reflection revealed.

11) When his time came he believed very little effort would be necessary.
Character's emotional response, in summary, understated.


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This educational resource may be copied and freely distributed to students but may not be republished in book form without the authors written consent. Permission is granted to use this article for educational purposes as long as proper credit is given.

 (c) 2008, Bob Thurber

In50ebookCover_edited.jpg

In Fifty Words!

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An eclectic collection of micro fictions, each exactly 50 words, nearly all of them previously published in print or online.

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Bob has a unique gift for using subtle phrasing and well chosen vocabulary to draw readers into larger worlds, deeper characters, and more refined conflicts, plot points, and thematic explorations than a fixed length of merely 50 words seems like it should ever allow. It requires no hyperbole or special boldness for me to assert that Bob Thurber is the best author of 50-word stories on Earth.

--Tim Sevenhuysen 

FiftyWordStories.com

"Nobody works better in a small space. "


This collection is packed with fine examples, rewarding reads, and a number of prizewinning gems worth studying for their tickle and their ache. The selections contain a healthy mix of emotional precision, subtle insight and ambiguous dark humor. What you'll discover in these hard-hitting, unapologetic prose pieces is how challenging it is to craft and refine impactful small fictions.

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Now you write one. Use as many words (or as few) as you need to accomplish your emotional effect, though try to keep the text under 300 words. This effect should 'play out' on you, the initial reader/editor. So put the piece away for a few hours or a few days. Then read it through slowly. Read it out loud. Consider each word and phrase. Weigh your modifiers.  Eliminate those that you can do without. See if you can get one sentence to do the work of two. Perform this task once or twice a day for a week. Don’t cheat. And keep old drafts in case you work the life out of the piece. The goal is to put life into it. So let the story breathe as you explore alternatives and engage your imagination. Let the text dictate its rhythm, its pace, its “feel.”

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Looking for more examples of micro-fiction and 'flash' fiction?

Here are Ten Small Fictions published by Turnrow, and later used as examples for a creative writing class. 

 

Fifty word Stories

 

more links coming...

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