This post is going to start by stating the obvious: word choice is important for all writing. But it could be argued that the shorter the piece, the more precise language needs to be. Or, at least, poor word choices are more exposed when there are fewer words around them.

One of the reasons I first got into writing micro fiction—in particular 50- and 100-word pieces—was that it functions as an exercise in precise word selection and brevity. I find it similar with haiku, where there’s both pleas...