This is an old favorite of mine. I'm including a link below to a website that publishes stories of exactly 55 words. Read a few of them, and then you have one of two choices: a.) do a standard 250 word post discussing the stories followed by a 100 word response or b.) try writing a 55 word story of your own. The rules for a 55 word story: 1.) I will be checking to make sure it is exactly 55 words (otherwise, it wouldn't be a 55 word story), 2.) you can title it, but it doesn't count towards the 55 words, and 3.) there are no restrictions on content, but keep in mind this is a public forum, so exercise common sense. For the response, you have the option of responding to someone's story or writing a second 55 word story.
However you choose to go about it, have the first post up by Thursday night (09/29) and the response up by Sunday night (10/02).
The link: http://www.birdandmoon.com/55words/
I read through several of these 55 word stories and I like them a lot. They're very vivid and get right to the point. I did not come across one that I did not enjoy reading. Towards the end of some, or even at the very last sentence, I was left surprised. For example, in one story it describes "she" and how she stretched her body into the silk when she woke up. Also, how her house seemed "more confining than luxurious". To me, this sounds like a woman stretching when she first wakes up in bed. But, the last sentence reveals that it is not in fact a human, it is a spider in her nest. There is another one that starts by describing a woman walking into some type of restaurant or breakfast place and right away the woman working knew she would be trouble. Without saying hello, the customer told the lady exactly what she wanted, "Coffee, hash browns ... and two eggs." When the women asked her if she wanted her eggs hard-boiled, she went against her and said scrambled, most likely just to be difficult. I also like the one where it is a woman talking in one paragraph wondering if her co-worker sitting across the room from her loves her as much as she loves him. In the next paragraph, the woman's male co-worker is talking to himself, wondering the same thing, if she loves him as much as her loves her.
ReplyDeletePrior walking down the aisle, the bride gazed into the mirror. She stared longingly at her dress, makeup, hair, shoes, and lastly her terrified face. She was preparing herself for her wedding day. Finally on exiting the room she was met by her father who glanced at her and said, “You’re beautiful, I love you.”
ReplyDeleteHe sat in class and day dreamt. Hearing nothing his professor was saying but everything about the live basketball game going on in his head. He dribbles down the court and runs to the hoop for the lay-up. “SCORE!” goes the announcer. The crowd goes wild. “That will be all for today”, said the professor.
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ReplyDeleteAs my roommate impersonated Michael Jackson’s moonwalk along 7th Avenue at two in the morning, the courtesy cab driver hollered “LET’S GO, MOVE IT LADIES!” Despite the sharp turns and ran lights, we made it back to our rooms and into bed without any incriminating photos or arrests. Now that is what I call success.
ReplyDeleteAs my sober roommate tripped over her foot, the corner of a chair was the last thing she saw before darkness. After two weeks of still having headaches and passing out, we decided to take her to the ER. Four nights and five days in the hospital, and she came home with 2 new medications.
She quickly brushed her teeth and jumped into bed. Then she patiently waited for her father to return.
ReplyDelete“What story will we be reading tonight, sweetie?”
“Make up a new one!” she said.
“Okay, once upon a time there were three pigs--”
“That’s already been told!”
He smiled, “Okay fine, once upon a time…”
The doorbell rang. As the door opened, the man on the other side went to kiss her. She pulled away and yelled at him for trying that while her husband was away fighting the war. He told her how disappointed he was that with a few scars she couldn't recognize her own husband standing there.
ReplyDeleteShe begins playing with her hair, unsure whether to leave it up or down. She started putting on makeup; eyeshadow, mascara, blush, and then lipstick puckering her lips. Finally she finishes by spraying herself with mist of flowering aroma.
ReplyDelete"Why are you doing all this?" her friend asked.
"Because tonight's gonna be a good night."
Two boys hiked deep into the forbidden forest. Their minds played tricks on them as they felt the eerie feeling of being followed and the sound of a soft whisper in their ears. They continued, sticks cracking beneath their feet. Suddenly, they began to sink into the ground beneath them, never to be found again.
ReplyDeleteFrightened by the sound of her alarm, she jumped out of bed. She raced to put on a green T-shirt with horrible red shorts. Brushing away at her head, she tried to undo her tangled mess of hair. She bolted for the door, rushing to get to class, only to realize it was Sunday morning.
I really enjoyed some of these short stories. I enjoyed that just like any other book, they range in topics from mythical tales, to average everyday actions. I enjoyed one story about a magical wellspring which affected a group of gazelles. Also a story about a teenage girls ‘big night in’ while she had some time to just relax and do some crossword puzzles. I thought these stories would be much more boring and to put it bluntly, stupid, but I was pleasantly surprised. As a typical girl, I loved the stupid romantic dialogue short story. I was also taken by surprise with how much detail these authors can fit into fifty-five word short stories. I can picture everything in one author’s story. Their use of such descriptive, visual wording truly lets you see an author’s talent in their pieces. Even to find irony among this type of literature was shocking to me. I had no idea before reading pieces like these that such literary elements were capable to be squeezed within this word limit. I even found a story with a surprising ending. A story about a magical piece of pie in which when the victim takes the last bite, they will encounter their true love. As the man takes the finishing bite, a witness sees the love between the man and his wine. I even found a story with quite a bit of alliteration. Surely after this assignment, my guess that these stories would be terrible was actually proven wrong.
ReplyDeleteAs she turned away and bowed her head in shame, she couldn’t help but to think about what makes her different. Was it her clothes, her hair, her walk or her talk? But then she started to realize that these things make her who she is. She is unique; she is fearfully and wonderfully made.
ReplyDeleteWhen her boyfriend stood in front of the chair that she was sitting on and got down on bended knee, her heart began to beat rapidly. Many thoughts where racing through her mind and she broke down in tears. He asked her, “Why are you crying? I’m just looking for my quarter that I dropped.”
ReplyDeleteShe looked down at her toes dangling off the cliff. A huge knot filled her stomach and her legs went numb. Everyone below was cheering her on but she could not get herself to jump off that forty foot cliff into the icy water below. She then closed her eyes, held her breath and jumped.
ReplyDeleteHis heart beating fast and his legs shaking for his first game. Playing professionally was all he ever dreamed about. Roars came when the teams walked on to the pitch at Old Trafford The young 18 year old looked into the sky and smiled. “This is my moment” . The referee blew his whistle. Game time.
ReplyDeleteMy phone lights up with an incoming call from my mom. I hear her voice on the other line, “Your dad is fine, don’t worry.” “What are you talking about?” Just then the news flashes over to a new story: Two Boston Firefighters Involved in a Shooting. My dad has always had a dangerous job.
ReplyDeleteA dude walked down the street to go to the grocery store. He needed grapes, melon, cantaloupe, blueberries, strawberries, and other fruits for his fruit salad. He was making a fruit salad because he was going to a barbeque and he had to bring something. He got the stuff and then went to the barbeque.
ReplyDeleteMidnight, and Jack was standing in the middle of nowhere, no one in sight and just complete silence. Standing and waiting for some sort of life to appear, the sounds of branches crackling could be heard behind him. Not knowing what to do Jack picked up the biggest rock he could find ready to attack
ReplyDelete“You must write a 55 word story!” Mr Dreckenridge demands. He then takes a sip of his soda. Dew trickling down the cup, until it dribbles onto his shirt. My eyes slowly begin to close, maybe some rest?. Until . . . “TYLER!” Dreckenridge roars. I jolt awake, and proceed to choose one of the puppies on screen.
ReplyDeleteThe colossal roar from the crowd was never going to be enough to distract him. Only 100 metres of distance run separated him from the gold and a rightful place in history. His heart skipped a beat as the starter called competitors to take their marks. A lifetime of preparation for this moment. The race.
ReplyDelete“What was that?” she said, with her eyes wide open as though she was in a trance.
ReplyDelete“What was what dear?” he mumbled sheepishly, still half asleep.
“That noise downstairs!”
BANG! “What was that!” he shouted as he stumbled out of bed.
Suddenly, the door swung open and a dark figure stood in its place.
"I wish you'd just stop already," she yelled.
ReplyDeleteHe could see the fire building in her eyes. He heard her words before she even said them.
"This isn't right. We're not right."
"Yes we are!" he responded.
"It's over. I'm done. We're done. Goodbye."
And just like that she walked out of his life forever.
She wasn’t sure what was ahead, she was flying down there. Not knowing anyone was scary enough but never being there? What if she hated it? What if she couldn’t handle it? She stared out the window the whole way, alone with her thoughts. She stepped off the plane however and knew. It was love.
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time there was a swimmer that had to swim a thousand yards. He was nervous because he knew he wasn't ready for it but he had to do it anyway. As he prepared for the race he could only think of one thing which was how was he going to finish the race.
ReplyDeleteThe student sat down in the cafeteria and stared at his bowl of soup. The soup was boiling hot and looked as though it was molten lava. The student sighed and crunched the crackers into the soup. As he stirred the soup he could only think of what else he could eat that would be better than the soup.
ReplyDeleteWACK! The sound of a bat hitting the ball caused an uproar in the crowd as they watched the ball soar past left field. The players in the dugout jumped up and cheered like crazy. The two players on base ran home, cheering the whole way. They had won the game, and the World Series.
ReplyDelete“Be safe.” “Of course, Dad. What could go wrong?” My friends and I took a week-long vacation to my house in Maine this summer and it was the first time I was going unsupervised. I felt so carefree and independent, until the night I heard the door slam shut and strange footsteps in the hall.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to Sleonard, I really enjoyed your short story. I thought it was very meaningful and insightful. I liked the thought you put behind what you wrote. For the second story you created, I had to laugh a little. I thought it was very comical. I like how that story was kind of unexpected. The girlfriend was very naive and jumped to conclusions way too quickly. I was surprised how many people throughout the class actually gave these short stories a shot. Personally, I am not too creative when it comes to writing, but I think many people including you really rose to the occasion.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Kayla Johnson, I loved your first story. I think it perfectly explains the weekend nights that most UT students have. Intoxicated and not having a worry in the world, being careless and just enjoying the night, then getting into a cab and hoping you make it back to your room safe, a typical Friday. In response to Tyler Blackwood, I loved your story. I felt like it described me in every class we have. With it being so early in the morning I sometimes find myself physically not being able to keep my eyes open, and then am awakened by Mr. Breckenridge pulling up the cute puppies.
ReplyDeleteThe day had finally come. As I slowly made my way down the driveway a million things ran through my mind. All I could think was that I didn’t get in. I opened the letter and saw the word “Congratulations!” I jumped for joy and ran back to the house. I was going to college!
ReplyDeleteDreams; he stared at those six words hard and grabbed his guitar and pick. "Someday, I'm going to be big. You'll see, and I'll give you the world.” he told her and begins jamming his instrument serenading her. "I love you.” he whispered. “Don’t worry, you’ll make it. I know it, I believe in you.”
ReplyDeleteThis was the last day of preparation. It had been non-stop working for the past four days. No breaks, no recreation, no fun. There was no time for any of this. The only thing he could do was work and prepare. Although temptations came and past, there was nothing that could stop him from succeeding.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there was an opportunity, he simply failed to follow through. No matter how high the stakes were, he could not stay focused in order to achieve his potential. All of the partying, socializing, and other distractions had gotten to him. He went into it with a positive mind-set, but has fallen into a slump.
ReplyDeleteAs the old man walked across the dark bridge, he had begun to ponder the many regrets that echoed through his mind. The endless buzzing of regret slowly filled the old man up. He remembered how dark the darkness is, and how much joy can come from the light. He then jumped into the light.
ReplyDeleteAs the boy nervously woke up from his night terror, he has begun to wonder if he had woken up at all. It was getting harder for him to distinguish dreams from reality. He closed his eyes tight and screamed “WAKE UP” when he opened up his eyes; he thought to himself is this real?
ReplyDeleteResponse to the sleepy Tyler Blackwood. Great 55 word poem. Really enjoyed this one. That has happened like 3 times already this year. Honestly I giggled as I read every word. Clever to think about. The part that made me laugh the most is Mr. Breckenridge yeller out “Tyler”. I can only wonder what clever and vulgar words your british mind is coming up with as you hear your name. In response to Lairdy10 I enjoyed the similarities of our 55 worded stories. The emotion and adrenaline sports can bring was illustrated perfectly. Great work to the both of you.
ReplyDeleteThe therapeutic ringing of the coaches whistle,
ReplyDeleteI shiver as a sense of relief scurries through my body.
My legs burdensome, my stomach churned.
I hear the water I frantically consumed juggle around my gut.
I see oceans of sweat masking teammates faces,
It then drips down into the ground, and awaits my inevitable return.
The stadium was full and the crowd was loud. Penalty shoot out, with the World cup as the stakes. Its time for the captain to step up and take his shot, score; become champions, miss; and be drowned in sorrow. He walks up, places the ball, the whistle is blown, he shoots, the crowd roars!!
ReplyDeleteThere once was a guy who almost forgot to do an assignment for class. He was fast asleep when all of a sudden he woke up and remembered that his assignment was due 10 minutes ago. He quickly got up and did the assignment so he could go to bed for some much needed sleep.
ReplyDeleteHe barged into the room, his eyes watering and red. A purple ring surrounded his eye and the blood trickled down the cuts all over his body while he stared at us with complete hopelessness.
ReplyDelete“What happened!?” Our eyes widened as we jumped out of our beds, onto our feet.
“I was mugged last night”