The Inquisitive Inkpot
Exploring Tales and the Art of Telling
The Rodeo I Won
Good thing this rodeo was for writers and not for cowboys, because I would have died!
Several weeks ago, I was browsing one of my favorite blogs, The Daily Flabbergast, and happened upon an announcement for a “flash-fiction” rodeo contest. So, naturally, at 11:30 pm on a Tuesday night, I decided to saddle up!
The challenge, sponsored by The Carrot Ranch, was to write a story in exactly 99 words, based off the following verbal and visual prompt:
“Reach for it!”
Within the next 45 minutes, I had written a story. It won. Yay!
While the extremely precise word limit seemed at first like a daunting obstacle, a few years of scriptwriting helped redefine my idea of storytelling.
If you’ve ever read a play, you will notice that there is minimal narration in the script (with the exception of occasionally exciting stage directions). In a play, the dialogue is enough to tell a story. So that’s what gave wings (or spurs, rather) to my late night inspiration…
“Reach for the sky!”
“Teacher says the sky is the limit.”
“Shuttup. Gimme your paper.”
“But I drew this!”
“Gimme it. It’s better than mine.”
“But it looks like me, not you.”
“Here, you take mine. Trade pictures with me or I’ll shoot!”
“No!”
*SNAP*
…
“What happened to your eye, son?”
“A bully shot me with a rubber band, sir.”
“Why?”
“He wanted my homework. It was a self-portrait.”
“That’s awful mean. Did you tell your teacher?”
“Yes, Sheriff Brown, but I want him arrested.”
“Arrested? How do I know what he looks like?”
“He looks like this.”
Thank you for reading!
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- If you are looking for a unique way to pay it forward this Christmas, help me spread joy to underprivileged kids!
It was fun getting to know the story behind the story. I remember when I first wrote a piece for the Carrot Ranch. 99 words? I will never be able to write EXACTLY that many. Well, turns out, I would. It’s not easy, but it’s fun!