Vignettes = Tough

Posted on by Jai Vyas

What are vignettes? All I knew about them is that they’re those faded black borders that Instagram allows you to apply on your uploads. Well, today’s Writing 101 assignment tells us to write using vignettes, which apparently, are also short episodic scenes that together read as variations of the same theme.

Today’s assignment is tough.

***

I was confused at first. I didn’t know exactly what the assignment was asking me to do. I also didn’t understand the utility of this writing style. Yes, it grants repetition and therefore reinforcement, albeit of a dramatic kind, but I like to rely on subtlety in the kind of fiction that I like to write usually.

You know what? Today’s assignment is tough.

***

I’d never heard of this writing style before, nor do I ever remember reading anything written using this style. Maybe its just one of those things that are very rare. Like reasonably priced fast food these days. Sure, you’ll get fast food for ten rupees but then be prepared that that may or may not include diarrhea. I am NOT a fan of those odds. I am not a fan of this assignment either.

Because today’s assignment is tough.

***

So I recently wrote a preview to the new fiction story I’m working on. Its basically a small excerpt from the beginning of the story. I have promised my readers to publish a full chapter of it soon (I know, ‘soon’ is taking too long but I’m about to explain why, exactly). A funny thing happened the other day. I was talking to a friend and he told me he came up with an idea for a story. He thought it was cliche and really stupid. See, me? I don’t think there’s any stupid story ideas. Only stupid ways to present them. Every idea is a little baby in the beginning, it just lays there if you don’t help it around. You gotta feed it, make it bigger and stronger and then show it off to the world. So I told him to just tell me the idea irrespective of how it sounded. And it turned out to be one of the biggest coincidences I’ve ever been a subject to, in recent times. Turns out, that idea fits right into the story I’m working on. It supplements my story really well, and in fact, adds a great deal to the plot. Its an explosive idea, trust me. That’s why the story is taking a little longer than expected, since I am trying to integrate the two plots, make them cohesive while trying to split it up into chapters. You may have to wait a little longer, but I promise I’ll make it worth your while. So I was working on that story for a little bit today and then I remembered that I haven’t checked today’s Writing 101 assignment so I did.

That’s when I realised that today’s assignment is tough.

Well, that’s the best I could do with the vignettes. What do you think?

Published by Jai Vyas

Writer | Editor | Lame jokes creator | Meme dealer Co - Founder @ Bridge of Tales LLP

21 thoughts on “Vignettes = Tough”

  1. Hi Jai, well done I’d say 😉 This assignment was tough for me too, I had to read the assignment like 5 times before giving it a try. I started each paragraph with the same sentence, but as you wrote it works perfect as well. Happy writing!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Sav, thanks so much for reading and for your kind words! Yeah, this assignment was a bit of a challenge. I had to read it a few times as well, before I really understood. I didn’t start writing before I read other people’s entries just to make sure what I was assuming was right 😀

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  6. I think this works in its own way! It’s not just your use of repetition, but also your voice, which I think is quite natural and emerging into its own. It sort of reads like a short series of “confessionals from a writer,” in which you’re writing about not knowing what to write, and then before you know it, you’ve written a bunch of words 🙂

    Would be cool to go even further and continue on — you’d juxtapose “today’s assignment is tough” with each section, which is ironic because you’re actually writing and doing the assignment.

    Anyway, nice job and thanks for diving into this challenge!

    Liked by 1 person

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