Week 4 Lab

 Learning About Microfiction

Microfiction

I have never tried microficition on my own, but I think that it is a very creative style of writing. A simple but sweet story. It really proves that a story doesn’t need to be a book, even a few words can create such an impact. I found this to hold true in the NPR, “Can You Tell Your Life Story in Exactly Six Words” and in the Reddit, “Two-Sentence Horror Story”. These really reminded me of those horror story ads I see on my phone that leave you hanging at the end, and you want to know more.

It created a big impact when individuals summed up their life in six words. I was just stunned by how people could relay their life and create a sort of imagination for the reader in six words. I also really enjoyed reading the horror stories. It was like a jump scare – one moment everything seems fine, and then the last sentence holds a shocking truth. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and was just indulged in scrolling through more.

I learnt quite a few techniques on how to convey a microficition story. A repeated pattern is putting a scenario out there and setting the stage for the reader. Then later tying it together with how it ended. This short ending can create much imagination in the reader’s mind.

I think this is a new storytelling technique that I would love to try. It seems like an impactful technique. It can also challenge me to create a story that can be said in a few words but still give that storytelling feel. I think for future storybooks I will create 3, 100 words storybooks to help me engage in this technique and experience it. I would love to learn and read more about it!

Microfiction Links:

Life in Six Words from NPR

Two Sentence Horror Stories from Reddit