Drabble
February 27 2009Inspired by Andy’s recent drabble, I thought I’d have a go at one myself. In case you haven’t heard of one (I hadn’t!) a drabble is a short story of exactly 100 words. I’ve been wanting to follow more creative pursuits for a while now, and this seemed like a quick and easy opportunity. So, without further ado:
The books shook on their shelves in the bibliotheque. Plumes of dust fell from the fusty covers; debris settled itself on the floor below. The smoke lingered for some time.
Henry giggled with glee. He took down one book from the closest shelf. He flicked through it quickly from beginning to end, skimming the text keenly. He pulled the next book; then the next; then the next, checking over every one, smiling wickedly.
He chuckled once more. He’d done it. He’d bloody done it.
He’d removed the letter ” ” from written english. Oh, how he’d show them. Letter by letter.
Fitting in with the theme of the story, my drabble is also a lipogram. A lipogram is another form of constrained writing, in which you write your piece missing out a particular letter (or group of letters). Hint: there are no letter A’s in the drabble - because Henry removed them all! Neat, huh?
I first heard about lipograms and constrained writing via this article from Mark Pilgrim. Seems like a good way to get the creative juices flowing.
Other drabbles: (if you’ve written one, let me know and I’ll stick the link here)