Sorry for the delay in updating this blog – I was out of town the past week and had limited Internet access.
For this version of Writing Samples, I’m offering something a little different -- some Fifty-Word Stories.
I stumbled upon this website, 50-Word Stories, which is a blog of a new fifty-word story offered every day. The concept is simple – each story should be exactly fifty words. Not 49, not 51 – 50 words exactly. It sounded fun, so I thought I’d give it a try. As I experimented, I discovered that the word length requirement is kind of a neat restriction, and makes for some entertaining snippets. I toyed around with it a bit, and I have three samples to post here – “She Left,” “A Nightmare Realized,” and “A Trashy Story.” Each one was fun to do, and I think allows for some interesting quirkiness to come through.
By the way, the author of the 50-Word Story site also allows submissions for a guest writer every Monday, so I’ve e-mailed him “She Left” to see if he’d be interested. His web site says that there is no exclusivity required for posting on his website, so there should be no problem with me posting the stories on my own blog. So far I’ve heard nothing back yet, but we’ll see what happens.
I hope you enjoy these, and -- as always -- any comments are welcome.
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She Left
Thomas wept. It wasn't fair.
He'd given her everything, yet it hadn't been enough.
She’d left anyway.
Thomas held the empty bowl of Cheerios and watched her go.
It might be different with girls after he grew up, but now he cried on his blanket because the doggie was gone.
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A Nightmare Realized
Aliens landed and the city erupted in panic.
Cars were crushed beneath marching machines of destruction.
Buildings melted under ray-gun assault.
In the suburbs, Charlie cowered, hiding in his basement. His deepest and darkest fears were destined to come true.
He'd probably end up missing tonight’s finale of "American Idol."
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A Trashy Story
In a neglected corner of a sprawling trash heap, a tattered teddy bear softly shed a tear of joy.
The rumbling bulldozer had made a rare visit, dredging up a broken dolly in the dozer’s diesel wake.
Dolly smiled at Teddy through dirty blue eyes.
Teddy was no longer alone.
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(c) Copyright 2011, Christopher J. Fries.
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