I love writing. When I started this blog, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was doing it for or how it would pan out, but along the way I’ve made some friends, learned a few things and let off a fair bit of steam. I have also radically increased my writing output.
The Friday Fictioneers, in particular, have led me to writing a new 100 word story every week, InMon has added a slightly longer flash fiction piece every fortnight and there have been a few other bits and bobs along the way too. If for no other reason, I’m glad I’ve got this blog up and running for that.
However, there’s a downside to all this flash fiction. One of the writers’ groups I’m a member of, Moosemeat, is currently putting together its annual chapbook: a collection of 500-word stories by the members, put together in a little book.
500 words is hardly long; it is still definitely flash fiction. But when I gave them my draft story, there was a general consensus that the first couple of paragraphs were very sharp, and the rest of the story less so.
As is true in so many fields, training for one discipline can make it harder to work in another. 100m sprinters don’t make good marathon runners, and it turns out 100-word Fictioneers struggle with 500 word stories!
I’m not sure what the solution is. I don’t want to stop FF, and I don’t really want to turn it into a serial either. With my novel-editing goals, I haven’t got time to commit to writing a longer piece every week this year, but maybe when it’s done, I’ll look at practising another length of story.
elmowrites 