Write Drabbles - that's how it works
Recently I came across an exciting topic during an extensive surf tour on the internet: Drabbles. The term did not mean anything to me, so I did a little research. I could not have guessed at that time that it would not be possible to develop a spontaneous love relationship from this chance encounter. So what is behind the term that reminds you of the name of a tricky number puzzle when you first read it?
Drabbles are extremely short short stories. They must consist of exactly 100 (in words: one hundred) words, the headline is not counted. Ten high two words? is that a lot or a little? How long are short stories usually? (The last word in front of this bracket is exactly the hundredth in this text, just to give you an idea of how long, or better, how short a drabble must be Net information found, which are however quite spongy. For example: A typical short story can last for several pages? his. Aha? Since I like another definition better, although it is not much more meaningful: "You can read the story in one go, so one evening or during a longer tram ride.? So what I can read from beginning to end in the tram M10 between Eberswalder Straße and Warschauer Straße is officially among the short stories. I will try that soon. Now back to the Drabbles.
The short excursion into the world of short history has shown that a drabble is VERY short (now we're at 200 words, twice the length of the drabble). Nevertheless, the 100 words should fit in everything that makes up a story: beginning, middle part, ending. There are various theories for the genesis of this extraordinary literary form. It is certain that the first Drabbles around 1930 as a so-called fanfic about the Sherlock Holmes novels of the British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle have emerged. The term fanfiction refers to the literary utilization of known characters by their fans. The genre experienced a real boom around 1967, when fans of Star Trek in so-called fanzines (fan magazines) self-invented stories about Captain Kirk, Spock and Co. published. Many of these contributions were pressed into the tight corset of a drabbly (now already 300 words) and had a pointed ending.
Drabbles are in the widest sense of the genre of jokes, but do not necessarily have to be funny like this. A drabble may as well come in the guise of a detective, a romance, or any other literary genre. Wikipedia still notes that a drabble is often used by inexperienced authors as an introduction to poetry or prose due to its simple exterior form.
Why am I writing a text about Drabbles in a length of several Drabbles? Quite simple (400 words): It's fun to write them, read them to others, send mail or letters, and so on. Those who like to write, on the one hand let off steam, on the other hand train a tight narrative flow. Every word counts, after all, the writer only has 100 pieces available. In the case of the Drabble writing, one learns quite playfully a restriction to the really essentials of a story. After so much theory an example from practice:
Deadly acrophobia
Spasmodically, Paul clung to the rotten ladder wood and looked down. Immediately a huge dizziness seized him. He looked up again. He had to go there, whatever the cost. The bright midday sun stung his eyes. Damn, it shot through his mind, what did I get involved with? Maria's voice seemed to come from far away: "Los Paul, a bit more." He took the next hesitant step, reached out his trembling arm, and his hand closed on the red apple. Done. What do you do not do anything for an apple pie?
That's exactly one hundred words, without a headline. One can argue about the literary quality, I still practice. But formally meets the mini-short story all criteria of a Drabbles. Due to the brevity one is forced to start writing directly with the plot (500 words, without drabble). There are few to no explanatory descriptions and the reader gets a lot of room for their own interpretation options. The number of people acting is usually very small. My tip: Try writing a drabble yourself, it's really fun. There are countless examples in the net. It is worth to browse and collect a few inspirations. How about using the comment feature under this post for a few drabbles? 100 words are not much. :)
