A MicroZine Interview w/Erica Drayton
6 Questions on Microfiction
is the Queen of 100 Word Stories. She writes .
1. When did you first start writing microfiction?
It was around 2017 when I first learned about drabbles. Prior to that I was already writing plenty of stories that were under 500 words in length. I enjoyed the concept of writing a story using a set number of words, especially as it was at a time when writing novel-length stories had given me a burn out. Microfiction was my outlet to keep writing without such a stressful commitment.
2. What kind of microfiction do you write? Any specific length or genre? How often?
I’m not called “the queen of 100 word stories” for nothing! I’ve written one 100 word story every single day since May 1, 2023 and I intend to reach 1,000 days in a row without missing one day. I write 99.9% horror and the rest fits into fantasy, sci-fi, or mystery.
3. Describe your microfiction writing process.
It all starts with the theme. I need something to help me come up with an idea. This makes writing 100 words a lot easier. These days I can usually feel when I’m nearing the 100 word mark without using a word processor that tells me the word count. Which tells me I’m getting better. But once I have the theme then I use that to inform the story. I’ll also challenge myself in different ways, such as not giving anyone in the story a name, using either 1st or 3rd person, no dialogue, etc.
I find it can take me as little as 5min to as long as 20min to write a story. I will read it over once and try not to make any changes, especially if I hit 100 words on the first try unless there is a serious grammatical error. Then I send it right away because I’m usually writing it at 11pm at night and the clock is ticking for me to deliver the story before midnight!
4. Have you ever submitted your microfiction to a contest or publication before? If so, why and where? If not, why not?
Truthfully? I never considered it before. I’m only just now learning about the world of microfiction and short stories and all that is available for someone who writes in these two mediums.
That being said, because I am serious about continuing to write in these mediums, I’ve begun to look up various contests and publications to enter. So far I have 3 “Declined” and my goal is to have more than a dozen declined letters in 2025. It’s a badge of honor to have my work declined that I want to have under my belt.
5. What advice would you give someone who is on the fence about writing microfiction?
Just try it. This is the one kind of fiction writing that can be done working around your busy schedule. I’m never too busy to devote 5min to writing a story. And trust me, there are days where 15min is all I have (and it’s usually when I’m sitting on the toilet?!) to give to writing my 100 word story.
Also, if you write longer fiction, learning how to say more with less is a really great tool to have in your arsenal as a storyteller. I consider it a most invaluable skill to have next to reading regularly.
Think about it: If you take 15min a day to just write 50 or 100 words, in 30 days you’ll have written 1,500 or 3,000 words, which is probably more than you thought you could and I guarantee once you start, you’ll want to write more during each writing session!
6. Share either your favorite piece or most recent microfiction that you’ve written.
Mother’s Day 2023 was a non-fiction story I wrote about my mother who passed away in 2017. Every year is hard and this year I chose to share it with my 100 word story:
MOTHERLESS
Today is hard. Everyone has a mother. You have to or you couldn’t exist. But when she doesn’t exist anymore where does that leave me? Motherless? Is that a thing? It feels like a thing.
I’ve been motherless for…six years now (?) and it doesn’t hurt any less. Everyday I get out of bed, do my chores, job my job, love my wife, care for my son, sing my favorite song when it comes on the radio. Breath in. Breath out.
Today is hard. And I know it will never be other than hard. But for some reason I’m okay.
BONUS QUESTION: Who is your favorite microfiction writer?
This last year I’ve spent it analyzing the H.A. Ripley’s One-Minute Detect-o-Grams (Gutenberg link or Amazon purchase link) where he manages to deliver a mystery to solve, clues, and red-herrings in under 300 words! I want to do that! I recommend reading them for yourself if you want to do more with microfiction and if you love mysteries.
, author of The Art of Brevity, and behind the online sensation 100Words - The art of the fragment.
I am especially moved by your 100-word story on losing your mom, Erica. I lost my mom in 2017, too. Seven years motherless. Everyone says. "Let it go, move on, the grief will pass." They are wrong. Grief does not go away. One just learns to make room for it in one's life. I have found that writing chapters of my mom's remarkable life helps to keep her alive and with me. I would love to see a story about your mom.
Nice to hear your voice come through these answers, Erica. It is often easy to forget the story of the author hidden behind the made-up stuff. Happy new writing year.