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Simply put, Story Bytes are very short stories---very short stories! This "genre" is sometimes called "fast fiction," and include other subsets, such as the 100 word "Drabble."Story Bytes, however, were inspired by---and created for---the Internet itself. Nowhere is time of the essence more than online; beside downloads, Netizens tend to want their information at the superhighway speeds that are so elusive. Story Bytes give opportunity for a brief, quick interlude, allowing readers to choose from a variety of story lengths. If, after perusing a very short 64 or 128 word story, someone discovers they really enjoy the site, they can spend a bit more time exploring lengths of 1024 or 2048 words.
Yes, the lengths vary, but they all fall on a power of 2 (start with 2 and keep doubling the result). That means stories can be 2 words, 4 words, 8 words, etc. Of course, a power of 2 does not guarantee a short story. And while just about anyone can sneak in a 2 word story between corporate strategies or Dilbert comics, the same may not be true with a 20,000 word story. Fear not. No single Story Byte has ever exceeded 2048 words, and most of them are far shorter than that (the 256 word story being the most common---less than half a printed page in a paperback book).
If you're still interested in more detailed information on the Story Byte format, please feel free to check the Writer's Guidelines page.
About the Stories
The very short stories themselves range in topic. Many explore a brief event---a vignette of something unusual, unique and, at times, something even commonplace. Some stories can be bizarre, while others quite lucid. Some are based on actual events, while others are entirely fictional....As you can see, it's tough to pin down a collection of stories with a general, all-encompassing description. However, these very short stories often do tend to examine a slice of life, one fleeting moment that may serve as a defining incident or provide an important revelation. We all have these incidents at various times in our lives, and Story Bytes often strive to explore these "moments of transition."
Story Bytes certainly have an advantage here, for the very short story format lends itself well to a telling of this type. So much so that it forms a core philosophy behind a myriad of these very short stories. So many events in the life of the "common man" can oft times be quite extraordinary; extraordinary enough to be both entertaining and worthy of exploration. And a number of Story Bytes are written with this in mind: to expose the seemingly ordinary moments in life that are, after all, extraordinary.
One final element worth noting, often shared between the shortest of the stories, is that these very short Story Bytes tend to have repercussions that last beyond the blaze mark tagging the end of each story. It's nearly impossible to tell a whole story in 2 words, but it is very possible to imply a story in 2 words! That's what many of these extremely short Story Bytes do.
So remember to keep an open mind---even after you've finished reading.
About the Editor
The idea for Story Bytes originated with M. Stanley Bubien, the editor and primary writer for Story Bytes. He's both an author and a software engineer (who else could of come up with the idea of a Story Byte?), he's happily married, and enjoys an abundant life by the grace of Christ.Beside editing and writing Story Bytes, as well as programming in C++, he's written a young adult novel entitled Desert Wind. It's about a young Kwaaymii Indian who, after having a vision, struggles to save a neighboring village from destruction.
He is also currently working on a second young adult novel dealing with a teenage woman's life in Poland just after World War I. (Sorry, no Web Site for that one yet. But stay tuned...)
Feel free to send him e-mail at <editor@storybytes.com>, as he always appreciates notes from readers.
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