Alex Przybyla

100 words of advice when writing a 100-word story

Make every word defend its presence.

Read some haiku – study how carefully Basho or Issa select words.

Choose words that evoke. (When a word makes the reader think of other words, you’re expanding your word allotment for free!)

Zoom in – show us the most vivid detail.…

Kappa Myths and Manners: Wunderworld Ideas from Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s Kappa is a wonderland journey through Kappa Land narrated by Patient No 23, who has found himself in an insane asylum following his adventures. (My copy is translated by Allison Markin Powell & Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda.)

I have wunderworld projects on my mind these days – stories about adventures Elsewhere, in downstairs underworlds peopled by the dead or next-door wonderlands inhabited by curious characters.…