Author Grant Faulkner in Poets&Writers, Jan/Feb 2018 issue suggests the hundred-word story. This short manuscript eliminates all but the essential elements of the ‘story.’
Attempting the first hundred, I felt constrained with imaginary rubber bands tied around my fingers. After eliminating the bells and whistles of character, place, and plot, my thoughts gradually focused on the necessary elements of the story. Editing then became part of the creative process—subtracting rather than adding.
Succinct ideas formed.
This hundred-word structure gave me time to think more, but added less. This daily exercise could lead to something bigger.
