Escape Artists

The Lounge at the End of the Universe => The Writing Forum => Topic started by: Russell Nash on January 14, 2007, 09:07:10 AM

Title: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Russell Nash on January 14, 2007, 09:07:10 AM
I think we need a name for fiction under 300 words.

We have:
Short stories for a story you can read in one sitting.
Flash fiction for a story around five minutes long.

What can we come up with for flash under 300 words?

Ideas:
Ultra Flash
Iota Stories (Iota Flash, but that's a little redundant)
Lightning Flash (That's just a little cutesy)


If we get enough ideas, we may have to start a poll.
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Shade53 on January 14, 2007, 12:25:08 PM
Ultra-Flash would work

also consider:
Nanotales
Miniflash
microflash


Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: jrderego on January 14, 2007, 02:59:53 PM
Ultra-Flash would work

also consider:
Nanotales
Miniflash
microflash




Flick
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: smartbombradio on January 16, 2007, 10:20:17 AM
QuickFic?
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: FNH on January 16, 2007, 08:40:45 PM
How about "Mote".
Or "Para"[graph].
Or simply "300 Fiction".




Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: madjo on January 17, 2007, 10:32:24 AM
I would then turn that last one around "Fiction 300".
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Russell Nash on January 17, 2007, 11:12:00 AM
I would then turn that last one around "Fiction 300".

I thought about that, but it sounds like NASCAR.
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Jim on January 17, 2007, 02:11:36 PM
Minific, Microfic, Ficlet, Teenies?
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: jrderego on January 17, 2007, 03:13:44 PM
I would then turn that last one around "Fiction 300".

I thought about that, but it sounds like NASCAR.

Now wouldn't that be cool though?


Jeff Gordon, driving for "All Creatures Great and Small" has taken the lead after the green flag in this 300 lap, 150 mile NASCAR event! He's followed closely by Cale Yarborough in the "Pickwick Papers" car. You know Bob, ever since Yarborough joined Team Dickens, they've had a run of good luck on the circuit.

You could say that Team Dickens has Great Expectations this year Steve! I must say their ability to woo Yarborough away from the Helen Fielding team after a disasterous year where on track accidents took out both "Bridget Jones Diary" Camaros and cost untold millions in lost sponsorship money is indeed impressive. Well, Team Fielding is back this year with Clint Bowyer in the "Edge of Reason" Pontiac and he's having a hell of a season.

You know Steve, it's really interesting that Team Fielding has put together such a good pit crew this year. Popular fiction never seems to do well in competitive events against veteran titles with such a long history. Look at "Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle", or "The Lord of the Rings" cars, they are always in they front of the pack.

Very True Bob, and I'll say it again like I do every race, experience, experience, experience: That's the secret. Most years we can expect the "Cormac McCarthies", the "Jilly Coopers", the "Michael Crichtons" to slowly advance through the pack, but none of them throttle up enough classic excitement to really make a run for the checkered flag. Best seller does not equal best racer on any circuit.

Let's not forget that the - Holy mackeral Steve, the "How I'd have Done It" car for Team OJ Simpson has just slammed into the wall -

That's the end for Simpson's pit chief right there Bob. Judith Regan will be lucky if NASCAR lets her sell overpriced popcorn in the cheap seats now. We've got a yellow flag out as the racers steer wildly to avoid the debris. This has just been a terrible season for Team Simpson -

Especially after the initial media blitz about his new car -

It goes to show that ill conceived celebrity bio/true crime just doesn't fit with the NASCAR crowd Bob.

Too true Steve, celebrity bio will always be fit only for dirt track as far as I am concerned.

Green flag again as the Simpson debris is cleaned off the track -

Looks like there might be some residual oil on the second turn there. It's going to be hard for Mike Bliss to work his Ford "Unabridged Edgar Allen Poe" on the inside of Carl Edwards.

Edwards is racing for "Intensity" this year, and while Team Koontz has been accused to stealing pit crew members from Team King, he's had a good run as a first-third pack runner.

Team King has made a respectible showing every year, but hasn't captured the imagination of the crowd since they retired the "Misery" car almost a decade ago.

We're in lap 27 now and the pack is tight with Jeff Gordon's "All Creatures Great and Small" recovering after a bad skid in turn three. He's chasing hard against Dave Blaney's "Brave New World" and Kyle Busch's "Complete Works of William Shakespeare".

Steve, we've got the break here for a word from our sponsor, the American Library Association who reminds you that free books are available anytime in your town, today.

That's right Bob, remember reading is fundamental.
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Brian Reilly on January 17, 2007, 04:03:53 PM
I like blink. As in "blink and you'll miss it".

Or how about splash?
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Russell Nash on January 17, 2007, 04:17:52 PM
I would then turn that last one around "Fiction 300".

I thought about that, but it sounds like NASCAR.

Now wouldn't that be cool though?

That was Hilarious
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: SFEley on January 17, 2007, 05:22:10 PM
Jeff Gordon, driving for "All Creatures Great and Small" has taken the lead after the green flag in this 300 lap, 150 mile NASCAR event! He's followed closely by Cale Yarborough in the "Pickwick Papers" car. You know Bob, ever since Yarborough joined Team Dickens, they've had a run of good luck on the circuit.

Very well done.  Give me a little bit to catch my breath on a few projects -- I wouldn't mind recording this with you, putting down some foley sounds, and producing it for the podcast.  >8->

(Unless somebody else wants to beat me to it!)
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: jrderego on January 17, 2007, 05:29:23 PM
Jeff Gordon, driving for "All Creatures Great and Small" has taken the lead after the green flag in this 300 lap, 150 mile NASCAR event! He's followed closely by Cale Yarborough in the "Pickwick Papers" car. You know Bob, ever since Yarborough joined Team Dickens, they've had a run of good luck on the circuit.

Very well done.  Give me a little bit to catch my breath on a few projects -- I wouldn't mind recording this with you, putting down some foley sounds, and producing it for the podcast.  >8->

(Unless somebody else wants to beat me to it!)


Oh sure, it'd sound great as a podcast! I bet it would be a riot too!

:)
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Russell Nash on January 17, 2007, 05:33:41 PM
Jeff Gordon, driving for "All Creatures Great and Small" has taken the lead after the green flag in this 300 lap, 150 mile NASCAR event! He's followed closely by Cale Yarborough in the "Pickwick Papers" car. You know Bob, ever since Yarborough joined Team Dickens, they've had a run of good luck on the circuit.

Very well done.  Give me a little bit to catch my breath on a few projects -- I wouldn't mind recording this with you, putting down some foley sounds, and producing it for the podcast.  >8->

(Unless somebody else wants to beat me to it!)


Oh sure, it'd sound great as a podcast! I bet it would be a riot too!

:)

What's next 24 hours at Borders
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: nemesisau on January 25, 2007, 04:48:07 AM
I would then turn that last one around "Fiction 300".

I thought about that, but it sounds like NASCAR.

Now wouldn't that be cool though?


Jeff Gordon, driving for "All Creatures Great and Small" has taken the lead after the green flag in this 300 lap, 150 mile NASCAR event! He's followed closely by Cale Yarborough in the "Pickwick Papers" car. You know Bob, ever since Yarborough joined Team Dickens, they've had a run of good luck on the circuit.

...

Can I vote for this one in the contest? ;)
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: bekemeyer on January 25, 2007, 05:32:03 PM
i think i like "Splash Fiction" the best. 

Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Steven Saus on January 30, 2007, 07:27:51 PM
Maybe we could go a little Web 2.0:

Fictr
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: SFEley on January 30, 2007, 07:32:18 PM
Maybe we could go a little Web 2.0:

Fictr

Arrrgh.  KillMeNowTM.
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: bekemeyer on January 30, 2007, 08:14:05 PM
both the name and Steve's reaction were funny.  i see from both sides. 
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Alasdair5000 on January 31, 2007, 04:06:41 PM
What about Zeph fiction?  As in zephyr?

Although motes does have a hell of a ring to it:)
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Thaurismunths on January 31, 2007, 04:16:13 PM
*tosses hat in to ring*

"Split-Fic" (as in split-second fiction)
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Rachel Swirsky on January 31, 2007, 08:24:34 PM
*loves at Blink*
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Xenomundus on February 02, 2007, 10:48:46 PM
My list:

     quicktion
     storylet
     jot
     novelite
     storygasm
     ficteme
     meteowrite
     nanogram
     minigraph
     microplot
     wordicum
     storybite -- storybytes.com
     ficsilver
     writning

     tricentum

Maybe for Escape Pod it should be called an EPiphany?

Greg van Eekhout is trying to coin the term "story grenades." He was looking at 100-word fiction, I think. He has the point that you don't have to say "I wrote a piece of flash fiction," you just say, "I wrote a story grenade."
http://writingandsnacks.blogspot.com/2005/10/grenades-and-pie.html

Most libraries carry 1-3 collections named Sudden Fiction published in the early '90s. Must have been on a booklist somewhere then.
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: SFEley on February 02, 2007, 10:52:24 PM
My list:
     storygasm

I don't know if I'd use it for this in particular, but "storygasm" is a very cool word.  I'd love to use it for something sometime.  >8->
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Xenomundus on February 02, 2007, 11:01:45 PM
Just don't tell my mother I said it...
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: smartbombradio on February 03, 2007, 06:33:32 AM
I once, when talking about a story that used the term "Touring Test", said "This story gave me a nerdgasm."
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: SFEley on February 03, 2007, 12:50:55 PM
I once, when talking about a story that used the term "Touring Test", said "This story gave me a nerdgasm."

Nerdgasm I've heard before.  E.g., when Wil Wheaton did an intro for Mur's Geek Fu Action Grip.
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Rachel Swirsky on February 03, 2007, 08:00:00 PM
"Most libraries carry 1-3 collections named Sudden Fiction published in the early '90s. Must have been on a booklist somewhere then."

I don't know if this is based on anything real, but I've always looked at Sudden Fiction as a brush closer to prose poetry than flash fiction is.
Title: Re: Name for short fiction (under 300 words)
Post by: Russell Nash on February 04, 2007, 08:04:59 AM
What about Zeph fiction?  As in zephyr?

Please no, I drove a Mercury Zephyr and it was probably one of the single worst cars I have ever driven.