19 Comments
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Thomas De Moor's avatar

Can I just say, Cesh-Corran is a fantastic name.

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Bridget Riley's avatar

Thanks! It’s actually the name of an enchanted cave in Irish folklore, but I took some liberties with the context.

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S.E. Reid's avatar

Love me a bit of worldbuilding that makes me wonder at the wider, deeper universe of the story!

This is very intriguing--more, please! ✨

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Bridget Riley's avatar

Thank you so much! Most of my previous posts are not strictly in the fantasy genre, but I had a ton of fun with my foray into it!

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Nathan Slake's avatar

Amazing.

Beautifully, minimally crafted. I know nothing of the world but it pulls me in.

"Faces inside a ship – ears without tines, bodies without flight. Creatures unseen for millenia."

Fantastic line.

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Bridget Riley's avatar

Thank you so much!

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Sam Rake's avatar

Agree 100% with your sentiment on word limits - it forces a writing to pick out their absolute best words. Cutting/editing really is the place where great fiction is forged.

My favorite line ftom this piece was "I breath. One breath of a handful more." Evocative and ominous at once.

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Bridget Riley's avatar

Thank you! Editing can be so painful sometimes, but being ruthless with words can make a huge difference!

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Ben Sherreard's avatar

Sweet f@cking hell that was absolutely glorious. I have SO many questions and it left me desperate to know more. Excellent! 🙌

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Bridget Riley's avatar

Thank you so much! Your comment warmed my heart so much! I haven’t written any other pieces in this story-verse yet, but I’ll get working on it!

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Ben Sherreard's avatar

YES PLEASE!!!

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The Chronicler's avatar

I've never tried microfiction, but I agree that sometimes word limits can birth the most amazing lines. This story is definitely proof! Without a doubt, you're one of the best writers here on Substack.

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Bridget Riley's avatar

Thank you so much! That’s the kindest compliment I’ve ever gotten!

I would say the same to you as well, both for your stories and for the goodness you add to the community.

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The Chronicler's avatar

❤️

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Brian Martinez's avatar

I've always loved microfiction, even things like Two Sentence Horror Stories, where you have to boil an idea down to its purest form. Often I've then taken them and expanded them into full stories, which is rewarding in its own way, but it's hard to say that they're actually improved in the fleshing out.

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Bridget Riley's avatar

I agree! Thinking back to my high school English classes, some of the stories that had the strongest impact on me were some of the shortest. One of my favorites is “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin Though I think it would fall under the category of flash fiction rather than microfiction, it’s quite short but unpacks some very hard-hitting themes.

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The Brothers Krynn's avatar

Interesting story, I really like the name Cesh-Corran!

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Bridget Riley's avatar

Thanks! The name originally came from an enchanted cave in Irish folklore.

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The Brothers Krynn's avatar

That's cool! Love Irish folklore

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