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The Smallest of Sparks: Microfiction and Poetry
The Smallest of Sparks is a collection of very short stories and poems. They invite you to another place, another time, every page a chance to explore someone else's bubble for a brief moment.
'Come in,' they say, 'look around. Watch from your place of safety, if you must. Just don't stay too long.'
Each story began life as a single tweet, created from a word or image prompt. The constraints of Twitter see to it that such microfictions are concentrated down to their very essence, (no room for sprawling epics when you have a mere 280 characters to play with).
So whether you're in the market for a quick dip or a deep dive, read this book in whatever way suits your mood.
Just know: a story may be only a handful of sentences, but worlds can be built and destroyed in less.
'Come in,' they say, 'look around. Watch from your place of safety, if you must. Just don't stay too long.'
Each story began life as a single tweet, created from a word or image prompt. The constraints of Twitter see to it that such microfictions are concentrated down to their very essence, (no room for sprawling epics when you have a mere 280 characters to play with).
So whether you're in the market for a quick dip or a deep dive, read this book in whatever way suits your mood.
Just know: a story may be only a handful of sentences, but worlds can be built and destroyed in less.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2021
2 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 6, 2022
Excellent!
June 18, 2023
I recently discovered the author Elinor Taylor when I read the book The Balloon Hunter that she co-wrote with Hugh Howey. Within the first few pages, it became clear to me that Taylor had some incredible insights into the human condition. So, I immediately purchased, and read, The Smallest of Sparks.
This book is a collection of microfiction that she wrote during the Covid lockdown. Taylor wrote these short, short stories in response to word prompts on Twitter. Since a tweet is limited to 280 characters, which translates into 56 average length words, these are very short stories. Being rather verbose myself, I’ve always admired authors who have mastered the art of being succinct and can now count Taylor as a member of that exclusive club.
At first glance, it would seem that Taylor has a dark and sometimes macabre sense of humor. Let me give her entry to #Arrested as exhibit A:
He arrested at two fifty. At 3am, exactly, eyes fluttering open, he pushed himself up to stand. ‘How long?” he asked, massaging his neck. The crowd hushed. ‘See for yourself.” Jen said, tossing Isaac his watch, wiping blood from her lips. The old gang, together again.
I found this to be particularly funny. As I’m not a fan of vampire fiction, I wondered what it was that made this, and so many of the rest of the entries in this book, so humorous. Then I remembered that in Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein’s Martian character explained that “I’ve found out why people laugh. They laugh because it hurts so much ... because it’s the only thing that’ll make it stop hurting.”
There was a lot to hurt about during the Covid lockdown and it has not gone away since we have re-emerged into the world. So many things to be upset about; climate change, war, racism, poverty, homophobia, misogyny, anti-semitism - just to name a few. The current political climate in the United States depresses me every morning as I scan the news.
All of this bad news can make one despondent, which the Oxford dictionary defines as: “a state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage”. One cannot do battle with all of these problems when one has lost hope and courage. I have found that laughing restores me. Taylor’s book made me smile and sometimes even laugh out loud. I am not sure who is more perverse, Taylor for writing this book or me for enjoying it so much. Either way, I feel somewhat restored and ready to keep battling.
This book is a collection of microfiction that she wrote during the Covid lockdown. Taylor wrote these short, short stories in response to word prompts on Twitter. Since a tweet is limited to 280 characters, which translates into 56 average length words, these are very short stories. Being rather verbose myself, I’ve always admired authors who have mastered the art of being succinct and can now count Taylor as a member of that exclusive club.
At first glance, it would seem that Taylor has a dark and sometimes macabre sense of humor. Let me give her entry to #Arrested as exhibit A:
He arrested at two fifty. At 3am, exactly, eyes fluttering open, he pushed himself up to stand. ‘How long?” he asked, massaging his neck. The crowd hushed. ‘See for yourself.” Jen said, tossing Isaac his watch, wiping blood from her lips. The old gang, together again.
I found this to be particularly funny. As I’m not a fan of vampire fiction, I wondered what it was that made this, and so many of the rest of the entries in this book, so humorous. Then I remembered that in Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein’s Martian character explained that “I’ve found out why people laugh. They laugh because it hurts so much ... because it’s the only thing that’ll make it stop hurting.”
There was a lot to hurt about during the Covid lockdown and it has not gone away since we have re-emerged into the world. So many things to be upset about; climate change, war, racism, poverty, homophobia, misogyny, anti-semitism - just to name a few. The current political climate in the United States depresses me every morning as I scan the news.
All of this bad news can make one despondent, which the Oxford dictionary defines as: “a state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage”. One cannot do battle with all of these problems when one has lost hope and courage. I have found that laughing restores me. Taylor’s book made me smile and sometimes even laugh out loud. I am not sure who is more perverse, Taylor for writing this book or me for enjoying it so much. Either way, I feel somewhat restored and ready to keep battling.
November 23, 2021
I didn’t think one could write a story using just a few words, but E.J. More does just that. I had such vivid images in my head while reading each of these tiny stories. Some are cryptic and tantalizingly mysterious, some ate wonderfully bizarre, some are spooky, some are sweet and nostalgic. All in all, a well-rounded collection of self-contained bits of literature with emphasis on the fantastical/horror.
October 6, 2024
It's impressive what a talented author with strong imagination, and an understanding of how to pull on our emotions, can do in the space of a Twitter/X length story or poem.
I adored every page of this book, with its twists, turns, unexpected last lines and the general way that the author played with my sense of direction.
Very much a 'dip into' book. Each page takes less than a minute of your time, even if you reread them a couple of times as you go (which I tended to do).
Already becoming an author where I'll be looking out for more releases. In the meantime, onto volume 2 of these titillations!
I adored every page of this book, with its twists, turns, unexpected last lines and the general way that the author played with my sense of direction.
Very much a 'dip into' book. Each page takes less than a minute of your time, even if you reread them a couple of times as you go (which I tended to do).
Already becoming an author where I'll be looking out for more releases. In the meantime, onto volume 2 of these titillations!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews