One-SENTENCE STORIES: WHERE you just can’t go wrong

MONTHLY BLOGPOST

Introduction: One sentence stories are built on that convergence of thoughts where much is left to the imagination, and yet what is said is profound and blindingly brilliant. To write that one sentence, the writer may have written many and pondered over volumes, and still that was what one had to offer: a single sentence, distilled from the remnants of all that one amalgamated. For example: Look at the last sentence of James Joyce’s “The Dead”, which to my mind is a story in itself: “His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.” Again, everything converges. The rest of the story about an unhappy housemaid, a problem drinker, memories of youthful promise, regret about aging and the passing away of an old-fashioned gentility, converge into the weight of the last sentence, where localized Ireland becomes “the universe,” in which present and past, living and dead, are brilliantly subsumed. Instances abound where the sentence on the page tells volumes, even though it is just one sentence. I discovered many here and here. These are ridiculously tiny, just six to ten words, and leave a trail of thoughts that the reader is bound to get caught in. But all one-sentence stories need not be that brief. Check out this online magazine, devoted to publishing one sentence stories, “an online magazine of single-sentence prose. We champion punchy and poignant work that celebrates syntactical exploration—narratives that expand or contract within a single sentence.” I found several masterpieces in there. Monkeybicycle offers one-sentence stories. I read “Draw Something Nice” by Wendy E. Wallace here. Check out Lori Sambol Brody’s “She Must Not Think Bad Thoughts” also.

How you can apply it to your work? The idea is to condense the emotions, compress the narrative arc and force the message across, all within “the” sentence. I believe mastery over grammar and punctuation go a long way in such cases. Also, using several drafts to cut out the unnecessary bits as much as possible helps to shine the story. Finally, don’t settle for a “lesser” word or verb choice than what will appropriately suggest what you’re aiming at. For example, are you going for “labored walk”, or “trudging” or “treading” or is your character “striding” or “ambling”? Form an image beforehand. In my one-sentence story “Kaala-Paani” (FlashBack Fiction, June 2022), I used a lot of compound images that demonstrated the storyline through scenes. In Moonflake press-published “Mid-flight Plummeting Albatross”, I used a similar strategy.

What are at stake? Clarity. Often, the idea of a one-sentence story is surrendered at the altar of clarity. One may not use details and characters that confuse the reader and compromise on clarity about what the story is about. Keeping it lean and pointed is highly recommended. Take as many drafts as required. Use periods and commas freely where intended in the first draft, then devise ways to do away with them. Finally, delete unnecessary details that don’t add to the main narrative arc.

THIS IS YOUR PROMPT 1 [DIFFICULTY LEVEL: BEGINNERS] Write a ten word story about Memory/Memory Loss/Betrayal/Lost cause.

THIS IS YOUR PROMPT 2 [DIFFICULTY LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE] Write a one-sentence story where the setting describes a wedding function.

THIS IS YOUR PROMPT 3 [DIFFICULTY LEVEL: EXPERT] Write a one-sentence story where one character (human or animal) is chasing/hunting another (human or animal).

SUBMISSIONS OPEN: free submissions, paying publications!!! The Master’s Review (open), Apparition Lit (up until March 7, for BIPOC creators), The Bad Day Book, Flash Frog (open), Astrolabe (open), Sundog (opens March 1), The Mantelpiece (open)

PAYING POSITIONS OPEN! Bellevue Literary Review (Nonfiction & Poetry Editors), Big Wonderful Press (Anthology Editor Pitch)

I am planning a Virtual Reading to celebrate one-year of publishing WHERE WE SET OUR EASEL (Saturday, 25 May). YAY! We will have guests, chapbook writers and hopefully publishers popping in to discuss their experiences of collating, submitting and publishing chapbooks. Audience will have the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences. Details under construction 😀 Let me know if you’ll be interested to attend so I can share more info directly with you! Remember to mention if you’d like to attend as a PANELIST or as AUDIENCE.

New Workshop Announced!

START A DISCUSSION: Do you think everyone gets a fair chance at publishing? I read this article and it got me thinking. What are the barriers to publishing good work? Do you notice that a handful of ‘big names’ seem to crowd popular literary magazine Table of Contents, or are they important to draw readership? Tell me about your experience. Do you think publishing for YOU has been fair?