So, you want to write a drabble... a guide

How to write drabbles: an unofficial guide
So, you've a lurker on a drabble community and sort of want to join in the fun, but have no idea how to start. You've tried writing 100 words, but you think what you've written is crap/dull/disjointed. What are you going to do?

I've come up with some helpful tips that you might be able to use to drabble with the best of them.

To start, you need a fandom. Or even two, if you plan to cross. I've found that it's easier to begin drabbling your favorite characters, the ones you know best. Even now, there are some characters I just can't drabble because, quite frankly, I can't care enough. And if I don't care, the reader will be able to tell.

Now, as we're only writing 100 words, the scene you write will be necessarily short. A brief snapshot, if you will. Things that work well as drabbles include missing scenes, character introspection, jokes, and a two-person conversation (in person or over the phone).

I've found the easiest way to do these things is to get the scene in my head, then write it out, then after it's done to go back and cut. I find that once I know what I want to say, I can change the way I say it easier.

Maybe it might be useful to show you how I do a drabble:

( Mhalachai makes a drabble )

( How other people make drabbles )

A few hints about drabbles:
--Contractions are one word. People talk in contractions. Yay!
--You don't necessarily need to attribute each line of dialogue, as long as it's clear who's talking.
--Too many people on screen adds words. One or two characters is enough to start with.
-A character thinking about something is easy: All you need to do is plunk him or her on the stage and have them think.
--If you need to set the stage but cannot fit it all in the drabble, use a note in the header, to say something like, "Xander and Dawn are in Rome after Sunnydale imploded, but the past can still catch up with them..." This gives your reader the time and place of the drabble, and saves you on words.
--And to repeat, drabble does mean 100 words. I'm just saying :P

Most important in all of this, is that it takes practice. Which means you need to start. It's all in good fun, and all of the drabbles communities I seen on LJ are friendly places. Have at it!

Love,
Mhalachai