Fragments: 50-Word Fanfic

[roseembolism]

A while ago on Metafilter, I found a discussion of a 50-word short story contest. The idea was to get a complete short story or vignette in 50 words or less. It's a useful exercise to do, as it encourages one to distill a plot down to a minimal amount of wordage, while giving the audience a sense of a complete story.

I couldn't resist applying this to fanfic, though I normally don't do fanfic. And so, this is what I came up with.


The Solution is Worse than the Problem
"Foolish, Harry, coming here with no allies."
"Not really, Voldemort. I have a spell to destroy you."
"You don't even have a wand. You can't cast Dumbledorf's spell."
"It's not Dumbledorf's: a redhead girl taught me this." Harry began the incantation: " Darkness from twilight, crimson from blood that flows…"



They'll Wish They Had the Old Enemy Back
"Here's your toy.": said the man with the pointed hair and the widow's peak, tossing the gold ring to the flaming eye. He grinned nastily, as his hair began to glow. "Now maybe it won't be boring to kick your ass."

Sadly, for Middle Earth, he soon was bored again.


So, does anyone else want to try?

Comments

[racerxmachina.livejournal.com]

Harry Potter knows Dragon Slave.
ROCK
THA
HOUSE

But I'll bet it's old news to Hermione, who knows Giga Slave.


Vegeta beating up on Sauron-- WooT

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

It's a really useful exercise in pairing down one's writing to get to the essential point- kind of like the equivalent of the "one minute sketch" in drawing classes.

I strongly recommend it as an exercise for anyone who feels they have a problem with wordiness or in getting to the point.

[ghilledhu.livejournal.com]

*snicker*

You know, it's been far too long since I've seen "Slayers" -- I saw that line about the redhead girl and thought evil Willow. But then evil Willow had dark hair, so...

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

If I could have worked in "hyperactive redhead" I would have. Then again, if I could have worked in more of the incantation it would have been nice as well.

But then, that's kind of the point of this sort of exercise- what elements can one trim away, what choices must one make in order to make the story concise.

[kazuhiko04.livejournal.com]

Knowing as little as I about Dragon Ball, the second passed me by.

For the first, you deserve much pain and suffering. In a good way, of course.

Incidentally, does the rest of "I've got coff-ee, I've got cream-er, ..." actually have lyrics or is that as far as it goes?

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

It has variable number of verses, based on a) how the mood and b) the coffes strikes me, and c) how annoying it is to My Lovely Wife. I think there's a potentially inifinite number of verses, but I have to bear in mind that after a point, no jury would convict My Lovely Wife.