Story types · Tip 62 of 82 · 3 min read
Tiny Tales: Write a Story in 50 Words
Short stories are a big challenge. Learn to make every word count!
Could you write a whole story, with a beginning, middle and end, in just 50 words? It sounds tricky, but it's a fantastic challenge that will make you a sharper writer.
Every night, Ellie left a biscuit on the windowsill. Every morning, it was gone. One night she stayed awake. At midnight, a tiny green dragon landed, sniffed the biscuit and sneezed a puff of smoke. Their eyes met. The next night, Ellie left two biscuits. One for each of them.
Count them: exactly 50 words! And it still has a character, a mystery, a surprise and a lovely ending.
How to shrink a story
- Start right in the middle of the action. No time for long introductions!
- Use only one or two characters.
- Choose powerful words: "sprinted" instead of "ran very fast".
- Cut words you don't need, like "very", "really" and "just".
- Let the reader imagine some parts. You don't have to explain everything.
Okay 😐
There was a boy and he was really very scared of the dark, so every single night he slept with his light switched on.
Wow! 🤩
Every night, Tom slept with the light on.