Copywriting tips and micro-fiction
All is not what it seems. This isn’t copywriting this is micro-fiction.( or flash-fiction!)
I’m not being deceitful, this has lots to do with copywriting. If you’ve heard of Ernest Hemingway then you’ll get it, if not I’ll be writing soon about Iceberg Theory.
He famously wrote a piece of micro-fiction before it was called micro-fiction!
A story with a powerful message in just 6 words
‘For sale: baby shoes, never worn’.
Ernest Hemingway
He was all about the power of words and how to use the fewest words to tell the strongest story. Meaning is not always necessarily ‘on show’ the power is under the words. This is why he is beloved of copywriters. Less is more.
So, how does micro-fiction tie in with copywriting?
In short, practice! Copywriting is story telling.
What’s a great way to practice story-telling for copywriters?
Writing micro-fiction!
What are the rules of micro-fiction?
Hemingway was the master of understatement but I think we’d all struggle to tell a story with power in 6 words. The rules vary depending on what you’re doing it for. If you want to join in with some of the social media micro-fiction challenges, they have their own rules so check them out before joining in!
If you’re doing it just for pleasure, personal challenge or to hone your copy skills, start with a 300 word limit.
What needs to be in a piece of micro-fiction?
Like any story you need a beginning, middle and end. There are various names to describe the ‘movement’ of a story but in general it is represented as an arc or a mountain that your reader has to climb up and then back down.
Start by thinking of an emotion. You want your reader to feel and experience something. That emotion should be the bedrock of your story, what you aim for your reader to feel.
Think back to the baby shoes, 6 words and you’re choking back the tears.
Conflict-play with the emotion. This is your main event,
fall in love- to out of love.
lonely- find a friend
Fear - fight and defeat the monster.
That’s conflict playing with the emotion.
You get the idea. I could be here all night writing a list!
Then you need characters, no more than 2. you don’t have a lot of words to play with and you need to get something in there that will paint a picture. A tone of voice, a quirk, a habit, some strong characteristic that calls to your reader.
Hemingway got a whole family in his 6 words. Think about it, you could challenge yourself like he did but to start with, walk, don’t run.
You need a setting.
You don’t have the word count to do a full scene set. This is part of the challenge, every word has to work hard.
The End
No, you’re not allowed to write that!!!
You need your reader to end the story in their mind. You lead them to it, you leave them thinking.
How do I even start?
Now I’ve given you the rule of 300 words I’m going to tell you to forget it-for now!
Write it all down, get all your words and ideas out .
Polish
The art is in looking it over after you get to the end then REALLY looking at which words aren’t working for you. This is where the skill kicks in. What can you lose without losing. If a word isn’t adding something then chop it out. Keep going, swap words, get your good old thesaurus out and change things up a bit. Use words you haven’t used before. You could use that as a bonus challenge.
Enjoy
Have a bit of fun! Think up new challenges. Try starting with an idea and 10 words. keep building.
If you have any ideas about how we could challenge ourselves with micro-fiction, add it to the comments!
Here is mine from today. I don’t write micro-fiction every day but I do write every day! Bang on 300 words!
*******
Joe and Florrie
Joe hesitated; the sound of the kettle boiling distracted him from the painstaking construction of the model sailing ship. Tweezers held in his gnarled fingers resumed their journey, shakily, towards the tall mast.
He tried to ignore the indignant whistle of steam that was a signal for Florrie; it was time to warm the pot. He listened for the shuffle, one slipper would usually catch on the curled edge of the rope mat that covered a small rectangle of the tiled kitchen floor, a slight pause in her snail like journey. Then the sound of the tea caddy opening, spooning and scattering of tea leaves into the floral china pot. Every hour a fresh pot.
Florrie would dodder, rattling cup and saucer and shallow breaths, to the sitting room. Slops edging their way from the rim of the cup into the saucer, annoying for Joe.
It takes 11 minutes from whistle to the clumsy clatter of Florrie setting down the lukewarm tea, then almost as long a return journey ceasing with the creak of Florrie’s kitchen chair.
A routine punctuated for an hour each day at 12.30, signalled by the hall clock chimes. Florrie and Joe would sit silently enjoying a shared lunch of bread and butter. Conversation had evolved into nods, small smiles and shared thoughts. Then Joe returned to the sitting room table, at the window overlooking the street.
Joe turned his head slightly, towards the kitchen doorway. The whistle was still spluttering steam from the kettle, dribbling, forming a small puddle on the hob. He waited for the sound of Florrie starting her shuffle to turn off the gas ring under the kettle.
13 minutes. It would boil dry soon.
17 minutes. Joe carefully pushed back his chair.
21 minutes. In the kitchen; Florrie’s still, slippered feet.
********
You need me to write your story.
people buy from people,
they buy people's things.
people shy away from anonymous websites with no soul or spirit.
let me craft your story for your business.
I am a word-witch and a story artist,
an alchemist with analogy,
spell-caster of syntax,
Myrddin's daughter with metaphor.
