This week's writing exercise: Nanofiction writing

55 fiction or Nanofiction are complete stories with at least one character and a discernible plot, exactly 55 words long (excluding the title). The challenge of this exercise is to be able to write nanofiction stories that follow the 55 word limit but are still good enough and interesting to read. Write a minimum of three (and a maximum of five) stories after choosing from the titles provided in the list below.

Title list:

"So, How Was Your Day?"

My Great Great Grandparents Died at Auschwitz

Interfering with History

They Said He'd had A Stroke

Radiation: Divine Creator

It's Not A Watch, It's A Time-X

Rich's Birthday

Romance Arrives One Day Late

Before the Beginning of Time

Honesty Begins at Home

The Human ATM

Mona Lisa Switcheroo

Christmas in the Ant Colony

Message from a Desert Island

Fudge Warfare

The Ninth Star Trek Series

The Phantom Chocolate Factory

The Agony of Defeat

The Extremely Precise Crystal Ball

Saving JFK

Why Didn't You Look in the Glove compartment?

Love Potion #2

Whoever Gets 1000 Points Wins

Whatever happened to...?

The Arrival of Morning

"Can You Grab The Cart, Honey?"

Toasted Alive at 2:11 am

Waiting To Become My Future Self

Trouble on the Mountainside

Paper Clips in Love

The Agony of Defeat

The second free throw hit nothing but net. He felt his heart sink. Now the visitors were up one point with a second remaining in the ballgame. His team was out of timeouts. He called for the inbounds pass, caught the ball, and flung it in desperation. Swish! He hit it! Dead silence. Opponent’s goal.

The Human ATM

Instead of punching in a four-digit pin, she stroked and mouthed the rod furiously. Whereas a traditional ATM would dispense crisp bills, this one ejected a sticky, liquid currency. An ordinary machine emits a low mechanical whir after dispensing; this one utters a guttural moan. The night is young; she needs to find more ATMs.

Why Didn't You Look in the Glove compartment?

You hold the umbrella aloft to fend off lashing rain. You choke back your tears as my coffin is slowly lowered. You promise me you won’t rest until my murderer is put to justice. Craig squeezes your hand and leads you to his car. I scream in deathly silence: “Refer to the title, you idiot!”