Three Minute Fiction

A number of us will be participating in this round of NPR's Three Minute Fiction, a regular contest with a 600 word story challenge.

http://www.npr.org/series/105660765/three-minute-fiction

I've listened to this contest for a while now, so I've got a pretty good idea what they're looking for, it's definitely worth going back and listening to the prior winners, some really great work (and some I wasn't such a fan of, isn't art wonderful?).

I was sortof waiting to get struck by inspiration on this one, so I've put it off until the end (deadline is this Sunday), but I thought it would be worth talking about Process a bit as I craft this piece.

The challenge is to write a 600 word story (which can be read in 3 minutes) in which one character comes to town and one character leaves town. Good. I like road stories.

Opening lines are critical, and often the major spark for me (as with Dinner, and Tesla Dance).

"Cold. Then warm. Or maybe numb."

That was my starting point. Sets a nice little scene. But where to go from there? The end?

"Joe looked back over his shoulder, her eyes met him half way. Danielle idled the bike from the relative safety of the asphault and waved that tiny wave before putting the urn down on a weathered concrete bench. She’d come from as far away as two towns over to deliver him, and joe had no idea how many miles she could put down before she felt right enough to return. She would waste no time. The bike roared into the distance, and joe was alone. Just a man with his feet in the water. An urn with a bench. A gull with a sandwich. He smiled. And wept."

This is one of those situations where i had a very simple little scene in my head, wanted it to be completely vague, just a woman dropping off an urn while a man stands in the cold of the ocean. I was really excited to write it, except that when I was done with my first draft... it was only 150 words. Damn my natural copywriter brevity.

So now? Got to thicken it up, spread some wings. And get it done in time to edit the ever loving hell out of it, because I know that shite right up there needs some major work.

Take the challenge!