Song Club #31: Microfiction

On writing short songs, packed full of meaning.

For those not in the know, microfiction is a genre of fiction characterized by its extremely short length, typically ranging from a few sentences to a few hundred words. Within these limits, microfiction still aims to tell a complete story.

Arguably, microfiction emerged and rose to prominence because of the internet. Twitter (I refuse, iykyk) was a key driver, though not the only one. Our shortening attention spans maybe too, though that’s a little more spurious. At any rate, microfiction is a thing, and the name of the game is to pack a lot of punch taking up as little real estate as possible.

This week, I’m experimenting with how these ideas might apply to music-making. How might I write an exceptionally short, possibly spare song and load it with meaning? How might I make that same song feel complete, despite its short length?

This exercise isn't just about brevity; it's about distillation. It's about finding the essence of a song and expressing it in its purest form. In doing so, we often stumble upon profound truths and unexpected beauty.

So, this week, let's create some musical micro-fiction. 

Big love and keep going,
Lucy 

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SONG PROVOCATIONS

Create a musical haiku.

Using the structure of a haiku (5-7-5 syllables), write three lines of lyrics and set them to music. How can you convey a whole world in just 17 syllables?