Read My Tiny Love Story in The New York Times!
A very short true tale of love and decluttering in 100 words or less
I’ve been a big fan of the Tiny Love Stories section of The New York Times and am thrilled that my essay ran this week! The title is “Honey, I Got You Nothing!” It’s about love and decluttering.
There’s something so beautiful to me about the economy of language needed to write a story in 100 words or less, to imbue so much emotion into so small of a space. I think flash nonfiction and fiction have become increasingly popular lately, since we are all bombarded with so many types of media competing for our attention. These pieces, not snippets, but whole, albeit very short, stories, force us readers to pay attention in a different way than longer types of works. They force us to think about what’s there before our eyes, as well as what’s not there, what’s left out, what’s happening before and after. As writers, they make us truly contemplate and strategize and use every word wisely. The process, for me, made me hyper-aware of being brief, of arranging words in ways I wouldn’t if I were, say, blathering on in a newsletter.
As a writer, I love a challenge, and writing for Tiny Love Stories was one of my 2024 writing goals. I’d submitted twice before and didn’t make it in. In the intervening time, I studied the section and thought hard about how I could bring something unique to it so I’m very happy I achieved that goal and that my essay made the headline.
This acceptance boosted my spirits during a time in my life when I could really use it, and it’s part of a larger project I’m working on with my new literary agent, Iris Blasi, an anthology all about our attachment to our belongings. That’s a topic
has been covering in the Stuff-ed vertical and one I hope to get to explore more if this project gets the green light.I’ll share more soon about how to research markets you want to write for, but for now, if you’re thinking about writing a Tiny Love Story, here are the guidelines.
Loved your Tiny Love Story, on multiple levels:
Level 1: I'm a complusive dragger home of things (particularly seating although I never invite people over to sit)
Level 1 a: and a compulsive, constant, declutterer, so it's like living in a kind of whirlwind of in and out and in and out, something akin to a rotating museum display (or so I like to imagine). I'm also in the process of helping two good friends declutter (one, an actual hoarder where I discovered there is an actual category for people who hoard recyclable things).
Level 2: The Beauty of Brevity. I hated when Twitter (remember Twitter?) changed from 140 characters to 250. There was a wonderful thrill in telling a good story in 140 characters. When I teach, I challenge my students to give me a single paragraph, or no more than 100 words, depending. Invariably they come back with, "I can't tell the story without more words." I don't say it aloud, but my inner voice says, "Then you really don't know what your story is about...."
I loved reading your essay, Rachel! Plus the empty box photo is so adorable of you!