Short Shorts
No, not those kind of shorts… I mean the story kind.
Now you’re here, you may as well read on… 🙂
For the past few months, I’ve been participating in a daily Twitter challenge called #vss365. That stands for Very Short Stories 365 days. The idea is to write a very short story using a prompt word every day of the week for a year. How short? Well, it’s a Twitter challenge, so it has to fit into a 280 character tweet (actually, 273 when you include the #vss365 tag).
Not all participants stick strictly to the “story” part of vss, and I understand. It’s hard enough getting a story into 100 words, let alone 40-50 words. Nevertheless, I give it my British best.
Here are a couple of my entries. The prompt words are hash-tagged:
Jonas rubbed his shaved #jaw. Cleaner than his criminal record. Smoother than the road ahead. He straightened his dress and checked his wig in the bathroom mirror, determined to avoid that road as long as he can. #vss365
The light turned #red. Tommy slammed on the brakes and, as the police cruisers surrounded him, cursed his twenty years as a driving instructor. #vss365
After 15 complaints, Tom conceded his software was to blame.
He found the fault in the vocab module, and quickly wrote a #patch which he uploaded into Steve’s head. Steve registered the upload.
“Now, say after me,” Tom said, handing Steve back his rifle.
“Pheasants.”
#vss365
The truth was a #whisper to my subconscious. Present, but quiet. Easy to ignore.
Then the truth spoke to me. But I blocked her account. Didn’t return her calls. Avoided her.
Now I see the truth, staring me in the face.
I smile. I acknowledge.
And close my eyes.
#vss365
We were drilled to #march, single file. A calm, orderly snake of soldiers, ready to engage.
But when the alien horde descended with fire and fury, we ran like children.
#vss365
And there’s plenty more where those came from. If you’re on Twitter and want to read more, just search for the #vss365 hashtag. If you’d like to follow my daily efforts, follow me! I’ll also be compiling all my stories into a single document at the end of the year for my Patrons.
