25 Words or Less

       Becky Povich, a blogger who has the coveted "Blogger Blackberry" (It instantly alerts her to new postings on the hundreds of blogs she follows; it sends out a high-pitched alarm that only Becky can hear, and allows her to--within seconds of a new post--comment on the post. I'm serious. I'm going to have to get one of those.) put out information on several contests on her blog.  

       I actually entered one yesterday.  Okay, I admit, it was easy because 1) the entry had to be 25 words or less and 2) I could use a joke that I regularly use with my husband as the basis for the story.

      Try it out.  Go to  Gotham's site (you have to page down, and the contest is right under the "Another Student Success Story" section---there's a photo of a pretty young woman with it) to find the "Hint Fiction" contest guidelines.  It's challenging condensing a story down til it's that succinct, it's fun to write a title that helps tell the story (and the title does not count as far as the 25 words), and already I have received a note of acceptance.  (Well, they said they have received my electronic submission, so I guess they are "accepting" the transmission.)

photo by becca.elpy

       Paring down a story to that extremely short length is a great stretch for a writer. Word choice is crucial, apostrophes are our friends (because you can combine two words into one via contractions) and hinting at something much larger is the ultimate in "show, don't tell."