Can You Tell a Story in 78 Words?

Flash fiction is a form of fiction where you tell a story with a very small amount of words. The word count can vary depending on the circumstances.

I recently saw a call for entries for flash fiction stories of exactly 78 words. It was a challenge and I decided to give it a try. I wrote my tiny little story and submitted it to the contest. I have not been chosen as one of the 10 finalists. I did make a very rookie mistake on the submission. The entry was online and required that the story be submitted in a Word file. Silly me forgot to put my name and contact info on my Word file. Oh well, live and learn.

Anyway, today I want to share with you Harley's Story told in 78 words.

There once was a pig named Harley who lived in a house with a family. He had his own bed and a basket full of toys. Harley thrilled the family with oinks and wagging his curly little tail.


Harley especially loved his human mom and wanted to be near her all the day long. So much so he one day ate the drywall to get into her office.

Now Harley is on his way to the slaughter house.

There you have it folks. Based on a true story although I took liberties with the ending...Harley found a nice home on a farm and not at the slaughterhouse.


Any of my readers game enough to try writing a very short story? I would love to see your stories, please feel free to post them in the comments.