Rant

[mamadeb]

A drabble is approximately 100 words, right? In the strict form it's exactly 100 words, but things don't always work out, so 95-105 are acceptable. There are double drabbles of 200 words, more or less, but that also implies the 100 word form. And, yeah, I've accepted looser definition that include 150 words or so. I haven't been happy about it, but I know such things happen. I've also seen stories told as a series of drabbles, making the drabbles themselves mini-chapters - complete as such.

I've broken my brain to keep my drabbles 100 words, because telling that short a story and making it complete is hard work - and very much worth the effort if it's done right. That's the point of having such a very short form - to meet that challenge.

A 950 story is a short-short. Or a vignette. Calling it a drabble would be like writing sonnet and calling it a limerick. Both have their points, but they aren't the same.

Comments

[ariestess]

Yes! Exactly! I don't understand people who claim that something over 100 words is a drabble. I can understand the double drabble, even the triple drabble. But honestly? If it's over 300 words, it's certainly not a drabble any longer...

[otherdeb.livejournal.com]

Absolutely, my dear. I would not even accept the slides down the slippery slope folks are apparently trying to adapt.

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

A drabble is exactly 100 words. That's the point. If it doesn't "work out", you can call it an attempt at a drabble, but when the only defining characteristic of the form is its exact length, calling something that is a different length by the same name loses the entire meaning of the form.

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

Agreed! If I write something and can't make it exactly 100 words, I'll describe it as a ficlet or a flash fic, but it's not a drabble.

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

We might think so (and I've never posted a drabble that wasn't exactly 100 words), but look at the first three hits that show up on a google search with the following search string: drabble fandom dictionary

http://expressions.populli.net/dictionary.html

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Drabble

http://www.answers.com/topic/drabble

I suspect that the definition of "drabbles as 100 word stories" is dying.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know.

But 950 words is *so* stretching it.

[lmondegreen.livejournal.com]

A thousand times yes!!

[mari4212.livejournal.com]

Exactly! A drabble has a very specific meaning, it makes no sense to call other things drabbles when they don't fit the format. It confuses people, especially the fandom newbies who already have problems learning all the terminology.

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

You are absolutely right. There is a perfectly good definition for the word "drabble" and no other word to fit that definition, therefore no excuse for stretching it.

I don't know, people go on about how language is supposed to change and evolve and so on and I just, I don't fondrelate it, it completely skeboozles my vamblegonk, I mean, paloogly covendrish nak nak urglot na!miran ke%vo^^ %£$"**&* 00111101011010001101101....

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Hee!