Summary

The undefined website provides detailed Drabble Guidelines for writers submitting 100-word flash fiction stories to a publication, emphasizing the need for adherence to word count, grammar, and community engagement.

Abstract

The undefined website outlines the Drabble Guidelines for a specific flash fiction publication, requiring exactly 100 words per story. Writers are encouraged to read the publication's Submission Guidelines and Fiction Shorts Style Guide to maintain editorial sanity. The guidelines stress the importance of concise storytelling and proper grammar, recommending tools like Grammarly and a title case converter. Authors are also urged to engage with each other's work by clapping, highlighting, commenting, and sharing stories, fostering a supportive community. The guidelines include technical tips for ensuring accurate word counts on Medium, instructions for using the daily word prompt, and the necessity of linking to the daily challenge at the end of each story. The publication's editors, while committed to reading and editing every submission, appreciate reciprocal engagement from authors due to the high volume of stories and the addition of new writers.

Opinions

The publication's editors value concise and error-free storytelling, as evidenced by the emphasis on using tools like Grammarly.
There is a strong preference for writers to creatively incorporate the daily word prompt without using it as a character name.
The editors encourage brief after-stories, focusing on the self-contained nature of Drabbles without extensive backstory or sequel teases.
The guidelines suggest a community-driven approach, with writers expected to actively participate by engaging with their peers' work.
Timeliness is important, with stories submitted by the due date being published the next morning, while late entries are published in the evening to maintain thematic consistency in daily readings.
The publication views the challenge as an opportunity for writers to boost creativity, build a writing habit, and gain an inexpensive education through community interaction.
Gratitude is expressed to the writers for their contributions, indicating a positive and appreciative editorial stance.

Drabble Guidelines

Updated 2/14/24

Please read through these guidelines, as well as our Submission Guidelines and the Fiction Shorts Style Guide. Both are critical to the sanity of the publication’s editors.

If you are unfamiliar with a Drabble, it is a self-contained fiction story of exactly 100 words. Most flash fiction is identified as stories under 1000 words. Many short-form publications require you to stay under 150 words. I decided to go with a Drabble because I need to learn how to say things more succinctly. (Grammarly agrees. LOL)

The next day’s challenge will be posted at approximately 10 AM (CST) the day before.

We have multiple requests to join our little publication sitting in the queue. We add them as quickly as we can.

A tool I’ve handed out recently is a link to a title case converter.

Paula Shablo has a brilliant Clap/Highlight Statement. Edit it and make it yours, but here it is as she writes it:

Drabbles are short — only 100 words. Please stay on the page for 30 seconds or more, so the stories are counted as read. Please read, highlight, clap, comment — let us know you’ve been here! Thank you!

Please clap, highlight, and comment on your fellow writers’ work. We’ve got a lot of new people who could use some love. Even better, copy one of the stories you liked the day before and link to it at the end of your story.

The word for the day is in the image. On day 46, it is observed.

How do we count the words?

Please make sure your story, excluding title, subtitle, image caption, and other non-story verbiage, is EXACTLY 100 WORDS. To do this, highlight the story copy only and in the upper left corner, you’ll see Medium’s word count. That’s how we determine the word count. If the word count is wrong, we’ll note it and reject it for you to adjust. Please check before you submit.

Medium’s count varies from Word, Pages, and Google Docs. Check it on Medium before submitting.

If you’re on a phone or tablet, you can do this by going to your browser and requesting the desktop site.

General information

Please, please, please install Grammarly and pay attention to grammar. We want people to enjoy our stories instead of finding mistakes. (And, your editors want time to write!)
Using the word as the name of your character eliminates the challenge of finding a way to use the word as it is defined. Let’s not. ;)
Link to the challenge at the bottom of your story.
Limit your after-stories to a sentence or two. (Not super long sentences, either.) The point of a Drabble is to write a self-contained story. No back story, no what’s next, no why.
I do recommend writers keep a draft of their after-stories followed by a link to the published story. At the end of the month, or every few weeks, you can publish an anthology, and link to it. Maybe we can do a roundup at the end of the month. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this.

Your editors would love to clap and respond to every story, but we are publishing a lot of stories every day, and adding new writers each week. We try, but we’re only human and need time to write our own stories. And, we want it to continue to be fun.

We read every story as we edit before publishing, but don’t always have time to go back and read, clap, and highlight after they’re published. So, please do it for your fellow Drabblers.

Stories received before the day they’re due are scheduled to be published the next morning at 7:30 CST.

Late entries

If your story is for any word other than the current day, it will be published around 10 PM. Our goal is for people to be able to visit the publication and read all of the day’s stories together. That way we see the many different ways people approach the same word.

Reading six stories about electricity, then tossing in one with guess, throws off the rhythm. This is a test.

This challenge is for you if you’re trying to boost your creativity, build a consistent writing habit, or just have fun!

Reading how others handle a challenge grows us in ways we can’t expect. This is by far the easiest, cheapest education we’ll ever get.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! NancyO