Word(s) Count
If a great story unfolds in fifty words, should the introduction to that story be shorter than fifty words? I think so! Well, this paragraph introducing ‘The Mapmaker’s Calligraphist Daughter’ by Bob Thurber clocks in at forty-nine words. I guarantee it. But feel free to check, if you like!
From Issue 6, Spring 2015, and in its entirety, here is one of Bob’s fifty-word (exactly!) flash masterpieces.
The Mapmaker’s Calligraphist Daughter
by Bob Thurber
Between measured strokes and subtle flourishes the mapmaker’s daughter dips her quill, carefully blotting the tip before proceeding. Each night she obediently transcribes the names of fictitious landmarks — phony towns, non-existent roads, unreachable waterways — her overprotective father designates along longitudes and latitudes that suitors unwittingly follow to God knows where.
For more of Bob’s fantastic fifty-word flash — and a couple of (slightly) longer pieces — pick up your copy of Issue 6, Spring 2015 today!
Bob Thurber grew up ‘dirt poor’ but taught himself how to write short fiction. He’s now a major voice in microfiction, with a long list of nominations and awards, and his widely published work has been selected for countless anthologies. He is the author of If You’d Like to Make a Call … Please Hang up, Paperboy, In Fifty Words!, and other books and stories. His work appears in Pulp Literature issues 3, 6, and 12. And we are delighted to have Bob join us twice a year as final judge for both our Bumblebee Flash Fiction Contest and the Hummingbird Flash Fiction Prize. For more of Bob’s work and his writerly insights, visit his website.
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