The Short and Long of It

Part 1: The Short Forms

Your original idea starts your creative process.

—Bob Mayer

There’s an old Ethiopian proverb that goes something like this: “Little by little the egg will walk.” If you think about it a moment, the saying makes quite a bit of sense. Take one step at a time and you’ll reach your goal. So that’s what we’ll do in this book. We’ll begin slowly and work our way up to writing longer, fuller, and more satisfying work.

The chapters in this section present examples of the short fiction forms beginning with 55 Fiction, or 55ers, and moving through flash fiction to short-shorts and short stories. I’ll provide some examples of exemplary pieces from my colleagues for you to analyze, and add a few stories of my own. I’ll also share some writing wisdom, invaluable tips, and words of encouragement gleaned from my workshop notes at the Central Coast Writer’s Conference. There will also be plenty of exercises at the end of the chapters to help you bridge the gap between the short and the long forms.

So like the egg, little by little, let’s begin our walk.