First, let’s start with the definition. A drabble is a 100 word story—no more, no less, without including the title or your byline.
Writing a drabble may be a little intimidating, but it’s a fantastic way to practice your craft! Every story, regardless of length, needs to have the basic elements of storytelling:
Within each of these are more detailed subcategories, which we’ll talk about in different posts. For now, and for the purposes of a drabble, these are the core six.
It may seem like a lot to squeeze into only 100 words, but there’s good news! Not all of these need to be on the page. For instance, the “Life Before” (the life of the protagonist before the inciting incident) and even the “Inciting Incident” can happen off page, as long as they are referenced within the story elements. The “Resolution” can be open ended, as long as it makes sense to the story and offers some sort of satisfaction to the reader. Even the “Begin the Quest” could be inferred, if need be.
Let’s take a look “Drip,” my horror drabble published in Shacklebound Books Drabble Anthology, 2023:
Drip
By: Nico Bell
The ceiling leaked. I inherited Grandma’s house, filled with warm memories, even after Grandpa deserted her; except now, it dripped. I checked the attic for water, and a heavy putrid odor greeted me.
My grandfather—tied up, filthy and gaunt—laid muttering, “Forgive me,” as aged tears mixed with fresh ones, saturating the sagging floor, soaking a tiny hole in the wood.
I swallowed bile as my brain raced to catch up.
“He cheated,” Grandma once confided. “That pain never leaves.”
His sunken eyes met mine. “Forgive?”
Grandma’s pain flashed through my body.
“No.” I’ll get used to the leak.
Quiz time! What was the protagonist’s life before? What is the inciting incident?
Life before: Happy memories, a happy grandmother and grandfather, a picture perfect marriage. (Note: this is left off the page, but it is referenced and left up to the reader to infer)
What is the inciting incident? The grandfather’s cheating. (Only a single line is given to the inciting incident and it’s tucked towards the end of the story)
Now, we’re going to skip to the fun and games, which is the grandmother’s past actions of torturing her cheating husband, but there is also the last line, “I’ll get used to the leak” that tells readers the protagonist will carry on with this twisted punishment.
The climax is the protagonist discovering the grandfather and learning the truth about her grandmother (certainly not the happy carefree grandma implied in the beginning of the story!), and the resolution actually ties into the “Begin the Quest” since the protagonist is now about to take over the torture. This character’s life is forever changed, and there’s no going back!
Notice that all the six elements are included, a bit mixed up, some referenced directly, others only in passing. The key is to keep the movement of the story flowing at a pleasing pace towards the ending, so this allows for structural elements to be tossed around!
Now, notice that each word has a purpose. With only 100 words, ever since one needs to count. Take any chance you can to add description (just be careful not to dip into purple prose!). For instance, words like “putrid” and “sunken eyes” help incite the senses and draw readers into the horror. Where can you add description in your own work? How can you incite smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch?
Finally, have fun with it! The idea of only 100 words may be daunting at first, but it’s a chance to dig deep into your creative tool box and pull out something unique and exciting! Explore structure, word choices, and sentence structures and see what you come up with!
Happy writing!