Write Less, Say More: Notes on Microliterature

First Words 

An Introduction to Micro-literature

How This Book is Structured

Getting Started 

So What Can a Creative Writing Book (or Course) Do for You?
(especially if you have no interest in a career as a writer) 
Myths and Half-Truths About Writing 
Practices for Writers 
Trust (and Adjust) the Process 

Invention 
Drafting 
Revision 
Steps between Steps 
What Happens When I Get “Writer’s Block”? 

Tools and Resources 
Glossary (of sorts) 

Fiction 

Introduction 
Rules and Half Rules About Flash Fiction 
Exercises for Fiction 

Observation Exercise #1 
Observation Exercise #2 
Describing Two people 
Plot Outline Exercise 
Character Exercise 
Middle Paragraph Exercise 
Ending Paragraph Exercise 
Outline this Picture 
Outline this Title 
Picture this Ending 
Recycling Lines 
Tweeting Shakespeare 
A Better Emoji Story 
Fiction Responds to Poetry 
Picture this Beginning 

Drafts 

Point of View Draft 
Ring a Bell Draft 
Talking Pet Draft 
All Talk Draft 
Scrambled Joke Draft 
Multiple Perspectives Draft 
Well, That’s New Draft 
Mixed Genres Draft 

Poetry 

Introduction 
Rules and Half Rules About Poetry 
Exercises for Poetry 

Acrostic Poem 
Eyeku Exercise 
More Listening 
Describing People Exercise 
Short Forms Exercise 
Love my Tech Exercise 
Some Ventriloquism Exercise 
Blackout Poem 
Grid Poem 
One Poem; Two Voices 
Postcard Poem 

Drafts 

Extended Haiku Draft 
The Instrumental Poem 
Ekphrasis Draft 
A Brief Monologue Draft 
The Sonnet 

Creative Nonfiction 

Introduction 
Exercises 

Overheard 
Altered Routine 
Yard Sale Pitch 
Favorite Place 

Drafts 

Three Bios 
Triggers 
The Conversation You Didn’t Have 
The Sort of Survival Story 

Learning from Other Writers and Readers 

Responding to Writers Exercise 

Learning to Revise 

Workshopping 

Chapbooks 

What is a Chapbook? 
Fiction Chapbook Assignment 
Poetry Chapbook Assignment 
Mixed Genre Chapbook Assignment 
Chapbook Preparation Exercise 

Appendix A: Where do we go from Here? 

To Publish or Not to Publish 
Short Assignments 

Appendix B: Language Level Writing 

Problems of Grammar and Punctuation 

Comma Splices and Run-Ons 
Fragments 
Agreement Errors 
Unclear Pronouns 
Wrong Word Errors 
Tense Errors 
Modifiers 
Parallel Structure 
Usage 
Plurals and Possessives 
Quotation Marks 
Comma Rules 

Problems of Style 

Wordiness 
Repetition and Redundancy 
Cliches 
Vague Words and Phrases 
Ellipses 
First and Second Person (Point of View) 
Word Choice Problems 
Problems Describing Emotions 
Passive Voice 

Strategies for Proofreading and Editing 

Appendix C: For Further Reading