Several years ago, I wrote a long guide to very short fiction, and am posting a copy here. The original thread is “Micro Fiction Explained” in the Resources for Writers forum.

Micro fiction — complete stories of 20-100 words — is gaining popularity as a writing category. Many people assume writing fewer words is easier than writing a traditional short story or flash fiction piece, but in fact mastering micro fiction is a difficult task. Even though the number of words is tightly limited, the writer must convey the five main elements that make up a story: theme, setting, plot, character and conflict. Although some of the details may have to be inferred rather than being stated outright, all of these elements must be present in some form.

- THEME is the central idea of a piece of fiction. What message are you trying to convey? This doesn't need to be stated in the story, but the micro fiction writer should have a specific, narrowly focused idea in mind while writing.

- SETTING is not just the physical location where the story takes place, but also the mood surrounding the action. In micro fiction, the writer does not have the luxury of waxing eloquent about the setting; when every word counts, many have to do double duty. Descriptions of setting need to be slipped in while advancing the plot.

- PLOT is what happens in a story. Typically, the plot of a story consists of five stages: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement or resolution. By its very nature, micro fiction requires a simple, straightforward plot.

- CHARACTER means both the individuals portrayed in a story and their characteristics. Every story needs a protagonist, the central character, and most have an antagonist, someone working against the protagonist. Don't undertake a story with multiple characters as a micro fiction piece. One or two will usually suffice.

- CONFLICT is not just fighting or butting heads, although those are examples of it, but rather anything that alters the course of the action in a story. Conflict is what drives plot.

Is it possible to fit all of those elements into a story of 100 words or less? Absolutely. I'm going to dissect my own micro fiction piece, It's Over , as an example of how it can be done.

"Honey, I'm ho-ome," Matt warbled as he entered the kitchen and tossed his keys into a bowl on the table. Loosening his tie, he made for the bedroom, where he expected to find his wife changing from her work clothes.
This establishes the setting of the piece and introduces the characters. The physical location is a couple's home, and the mood is light and cheery at the beginning. The characters are Matt, the protagonist, and his wife. We know that the couple has a dual income. Matt is in a position that requires him to wear a tie to work. His wife may be a businessperson, or her work may call for a uniform. Matt warbling his greeting implies a happy marriage.

Instead he met her in the dining room, glaring at him from behind a laptop computer through eyes red from crying. She knew. To deny or rationalize the affair would insult her intelligence and make matters worse.

"It's over, I promise," he said simply.
Rising action and conflict take place in the middle of the story. The mood also shifts dramatically, leading to the piece's climax:

"Oh? So are we."
After the climactic line, the reader must fill in the falling action. But what was said and done, and whether the couple was angry, subdued or tearful matters little, for it led to the same outcome.

The next evening, Matt swiped a card to unlock his door.
The denouement is that Matt has left their home, at least temporarily, and is staying in a hotel.

It's Over began life as a six-word story: "It's over." "Oh? So are we." However, it soon became apparent that the piece would benefit from a little fleshing out. While it didn't quite work as a six-word story, it is well-suited to longer micro fiction.

In summary, use the following guidelines when writing micro fiction:

• Stay within 100 words. Use the site character / word counter to check the length of your submission. http://www.storiesspace.com/resources/count-characters.aspx

• Keep it simple. Aim for a basic plot and few characters.

• After the writing is finished, diagram the piece as I've done above. Ask yourself if the story includes all the elements of a short story, and be truthful in your answer.

• Revise, revise, revise. It's not easy to fit a story into such a small space. Lines you love may have to be trimmed or excised.

https://www.storytwigs.com/competition

This month’s prompt: STAMP

About:
This is a fun, relaxed, free competition for extremely short pieces of prose (storytwigs). Entries should be 100 words or fewer, and the prizes range from $10 to $100 dollars. The prompt for this month’s competition is STAMP. You can support the competition by contributing to the prize pool here.

Prizes:
1st Place: $100
2nd Place: $25
3rd Place: $20
4th Place: $15
5th Place: $10

All winning storytwigs will also be published on our website.

Rules and Guidelines:

This competition is free to enter. Entries will be judged based on criteria listed below. (Visit site to see judging criteria)

Submit your storytwig via the form below (on website) by 11:59pm Eastern time on June 30th, 2021.

Up to three entries allowed per person.

Only open to citizens/residents of United States or Canada

Entries must be 100 words or fewer

You must be 18 years or older to enter

Entries must be original works by the entrants, and entrants must have the rights to the content they are submitting.

Entries must be text-only—images, websites, audio pieces, videos, etc. will not be allowed for this particular competition.

Entries must not contain any hate-speech or explicit content. Think G, PG, or PG-13 rating.

By submitting an entry, participants grant us the right to display their entries on storytwigs.com and on their promotional materials (with credit to the author).

All decisions made by the judges regarding the winners are final

See full details here: https://www.storytwigs.com/competition

Calls for submissions by 28 Flash Fiction Markets That Pay. Copied from the free, online newsletter of Authors Publish magazine -- highly recommended

Oh, there are some good ones this week! Thanks for sharing, Bill.

https://upload.storiesspace.com/397323611-ECD28BA7-E964-4408-86BD-FD29FEA57317.jpeg

We’ve added several new EPs and RRs from our recent Cheers to 10 Years celebration. Check them out here:

• Editors’ Picks
• Recommended Reads

Works from 1925, including “The Great Gatsby,” “Mrs. Dalloway” and others, just entered public domain. Learn more at Public Domain Day 2021 .

Check out “2020: Looking Back, Looking Ahead” here:

https://forum.storiesspace.com/yaf_topics57_2020-Looking-Back-Looking-Ahead.aspx

Hello Robert, and welcome to Inspirations, the most happening coffee shop on Stories Space. Of course, this is also the only coffee shop around here but no doubt a Starbucks will soon be opening nearby.

If you are a writer, think about accepting the new 'Challenge' over on the 'Prompts and Challenges' forum. And come back soon.

Later, Inspirators

Not inspired to do it, sorry. I’m not impressed with the way this site is treating its writers at present

I’m sorry, Helen. I’ve sent you a PM.

A new challenge sounds fun!

I’m so far behind on awarding challenge badges that I actually considered posting a “Sort Out the Challenge Champ Badges” challenge.

Challenge Champ badges are awarded manually, not by the system, and because challenges have no deadline, each has to be audited to make sure everyone who has earned a badge receives it. That’s why we ask for challenges to require unique tags or other identifying information.

I’ll award the Cheers to 10 Words challenge badges tomorrow, and try to get caught up with the others this week.

First place in all four categories (we’re treating cumulative score the same as the three contests) will receive $50; second place is $30; and third place, $20. I’ll be in touch with the prize winners to get contact info.

The winning entry in each contest will receive an EP, and other EPs and RRs will be given as determined by a panel of moderators and judges.

“You think it’s okay?” Abigail asked tentatively. Emma held up the phone and began to read aloud. “‘Dearest Troy’ – Dearest was a nice touch – ‘I’m so happy for you getting your dream job! That’s quite an achievement – you should have a big celebration. The thing is, Troy... I don’t want to hold you back. You need to be free, and deserve someone just as supportive of your aspirations as...

Added 14 Oct 2020 | Category Micro Fiction | Votes 6 | Avg Score 5 | Views 641 | 6 Comments

Have you found them? Don’t worry, most people can’t on the first try.  They’re there, all right, but only reveal themselves to those who are ready to believe, to accept, to embrace.  Close your eyes and open your mind. Clear away the prejudices, fears and preconceptions. Suspend your skepticism. Relax and let all your senses — even those you don’t fully perceive or comprehend, and may...

Added 02 Mar 2019 | Category Flash Fiction | Votes 12 | Avg Score 5 | Views 915 | 11 Comments

Sipping dirty martinis Watching girls in bikinis And strumming on my Les Paul Albert King ambles through Riffs ‘I’ll Play the Blues for You’ Man, I really got it all CHORUS It’s a dream vacation No place I’d rather be Yeah, a dream vacation Not sure where I’m at But it suits me Checking out pics From my Exakta 66 Can’t believe what I see Don’t remember all those Sometimes, that’s how it goes...

Added 07 Oct 2018 | Category Songs | Votes 12 | Avg Score 5 | Views 950 | 10 Comments

  MARTIN HANDED A MUG of fresh coffee to Jane and slid into the seat opposite her at the breakfast table, pausing a moment before he spoke. “Jane, I need to ask you something.” Caught off guard by the statement, she slopped a little of the steaming liquid. “You always do that when I’m holding a drink,” she chided gently, dabbing the spill with a napkin. Her lighthearted tone belied...

Added 13 Sep 2018 | Category General | Votes 12 | Avg Score 5 | Views 773 | 7 Comments

  THE CALENDAR TAUNTED JANE, its little yellow-highlighted square outlined in a bold red stroke mocking her lack of progress. ‘You’re going to miss the deadline, you know. I’m just six weeks away now,’ it scoffed. ‘Whatever made you apply for that fellowship anyhow, and what could the panel have been thinking when they gave it to you? You’re no writer; you’ve proven that over the past...

Added 12 Sep 2018 | Category General | Votes 11 | Avg Score 5 | Views 899 | 6 Comments

Note: This compilation occurred to me more than a year ago. In fact, the reason I logged on to Facebook on March 14, 2017, was to reach out to Alan and propose that we combine our efforts, merging his Colorado Calling and my Jersey Rejoicing into one poem. Instead, I learned that morning of Alan's passing a few days earlier. It threw me for a loop, and the idea got pushed to the back of...

Added 17 Mar 2018 | Category Poetry | Votes 7 | Avg Score 5 | Views 905 | 6 Comments

  1. NaIgnoNaNoWriMo: Just ignore all the NaNoWriMo hoopla and hype. Pretend you didn’t read this or anything else about the writing frenzy that occurs every November. Yeah, yeah, I know it’s almost impossible to ignore NaNoWriMo anymore. But you can say you did. I promise not to tell anyone otherwise. 2. NaNanoWriMo: In the short time remaining, craft some kick-ass nano fiction....

Added 30 Nov 2017 | Category Musings | Votes 2 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,173 | 2 Comments

You always did like surprise endings, A twist no one could see coming, And that last one of yours was a doozy. Days later, we're still reeling, Not from the shock, which dissipates, But from a grief that lingers. You probably never knew The regard people held you in, For it seemed to sneak up As we chatted and laughed About topics big and small. Our esteem grew Alongside your virtual...

Added 17 Mar 2017 | Category Poetry | Votes 20 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,317 | 10 Comments

The president is doing great Only a fool would think Otherwise Most everyone believes We should trust him There is no cause for concern But some are saying The country is in danger People are scared Nothing could be further from the truth Everything is going to be fine Now read from the bottom up… * * * © 2017 by M.P. Witwer • All rights reserved    ...

Added 15 Feb 2017 | Category Musings | Votes 13 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,177 | 14 Comments

There was a crooked man Who ran a crooked race [1] And with his crooked words, Put opponents in their place He chopped them down, one by one ’Til a single foe remained On merit, she’d win handily, So he painted her with disdain [2] This shameless huckster’s style Is totally ‘in your face’ At any time in memory, It would have brought him great disgrace But that isn’t how it happened, Not...

Added 16 Jan 2017 | Category Musings | Votes 9 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,314 | 8 Comments

When a noted writer hits the wall with her current project, she heads to the beach to concentrate on her work, but instead finds a charming distraction. This award-winning short story (approximately 4,500 words) has been called “magnificently well-crafted,” “clever,”...

A timely tale of just 2,300 words, “Lost and Found” is the second story in the Short Tales series, an affectionate look at a few of the pitfalls and mishaps faced by a couple navigating a new romance. Jane and Martin both have past histories: love, loss and unforeseen changes, but...