Sometimes I like to set myself the challenge of writing about a specific theme with a fixed word count. Just as an exercise in writing, because no matter how silly something is, it still needs tempo and careful word selection.

Later in this post, you’ll see an attempt from several years ago to write a 100-word piece of micro fiction related to Thomas the Tank Engine, with as many classic Thomas and Friends phrases slipped in as possible. Call it fan fiction…kind of.

When my son was little, we w...