I was impressed by this Reddit post from last Halloween of horror stories told in only two sentences. I’m still amazed that the writers of these ultra-short stories could completely terrify me with only a handful of words.
As I’ve thought about it since, I realized that these supershort stories work because they get to some very basic essences of things that scare us: the shock of surprise, the grotesque, creepy children. It made me wonder if you could do the same thing with a genre like romance. Is there a way to succinctly encapsulate some essences of romances into a sentence or two? And, if so, what would those essences be?
**So here is my attempt to write some romances you can read in the time it takes to sneeze.
*I knew my aging body was slipping away into death, but I still felt the press of Henry’s hand over my own, strong and warm and never wavering.
*I asked her to move so I could get my coat and leave the party, but she grabbed me and whispered, “Don’t go,” her breath warming every inch of my body.
*A ladies’ man since practically birth, I felt uncomfortable when Craig kissed me–yet strangely alive.
*When she saw my tears, she turned back and explained that while there wouldn’t be other clown college graduations, she would skip it to spend this moment with me.
I tried to write these using elements that feel intrinsically romantic to me: utter devotion, loving sacrifice, sudden lust, and/or the element of surprise (which also works for horror and humor).
Can you write a one-sentence love story? Post it below. I know I’ve missed some elements of romance, and would love to read more of these.
These also make excellent writing prompts.
**Resemblance to real people in these works of fiction is intentional and in the spirit of meanness because I hate you and what you represent and also that shirt you are wearing.
Fun challenge. Here’s one:
It was when he was in Iraq that I realized that I couldn’t live without him.
Wonderful! 🙂 Sometimes the best ones are the shortest (and autobiographical? 🙂 )