fiction

Wednesday writing prompt: write an eight word story

writing

My friend Ross has a post up about very short stories. You may have seen those six-word-story prompts floating around, based on Hemmingway’s famous:

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

There’s a lot packed into that, right? Well, today’s prompt gives you eight words. Just think what you can do with 33% more material! Here’s my first attempt:

Three brothers. Two hugs. One silent goodbye.

I still have another word—maybe I should toss in an adverb! I like this because it could be about a few different scenarios. But it could definitely get better.

What’s your eight word story?

What’s the deal with section breaks?

editing, writing

I’ve been thinking about when it’s appropriate to use a section break in the middle of a story. When I asked a friend, who writes fiction, he told me he uses one when he changes point of view, location, or when he wants to emphasize that two ideas are both key—this is important and this is also important. I tend to overuse section breaks in my nonfiction, probably so I don’t have to think carefully about transitions. Too many section breaks and you get a story that feels fragmented, but breaks in just the right spot can be dynamic and powerful.

Do you use section breaks? How often, and why?