Two of the
most influential works in defining my conception of haiku fiction are Winesburg , Ohio Winesburg , Ohio
The Spoon River
Anthology is a collection of poems, and it does not have the "through
line" of a novel. But Masters paints the picture of a single small town by
presenting us the epitaphs of its citizens. The life stories told in the poems
often give different perspectives on the same event. One can only figure out
what happened by reading between the lines of two or more versions of the same
event -- if there is a "true version" at all.
Inspired by these two works, I'm going to try a writing
experiment. I am in the process of writing a sequence of interconnected one
hundred word drabbles. I hope to create a consistent world and hopefully an
interconnected narrative. Why drabbles? Because I find that the limitation of
the hundred word form focuses my creativity. And they're a heck of a lot of
fun.
How It Began
My
wife and I recently brought a couch to the local landfill. As we lowered it off
the truck, a scrap of paper blew into my face. I cursed, snatched it off, and
shoved it into my pocket.
I
forgot about it until I reached for my keys to drive home. The paper bore words
in a black-brown ink. I didn't understand the story at first. Not until we
found more scraps of paper.
Together,
they speak of a race of creatures living in the landfill. I don't know whether
or not the tales are true.
They
call themselves Trashlings...
