Tiny Is Good

Next door to the condo complex where my husband Bob and I live is a tiny house community, the largest neighborhood of its kind in Florida and one of the largest in the nation with its thirty to forty units.

Most tiny houses contain less than 400 square feet of living space, and these have tiny, landscaped yards, a few with fenced-in areas for fur babies.

Many of the tiny houses have names—The Retreat, Bermuda, Blue Heron, Getaway, Orlando Venice, Swan, Cottage, Breeze. Who wouldn’t love to come home at night to The Ritz, regardless of its size?

But living small doesn’t necessarily mean living without. Some of these houses have two stories, sixty-five-inch televisions, Italian tile and marble, picture windows, washers/dryers, fireplaces, and full kitchens. Not too shabby.

So, why am I talking so much about tiny houses?

First, I think they are really cool, and second, they give us a good lesson to apply to our writing—tiny is good.

When you write, think tiny, not palatial.

Focus on a moment, a short time, rather than your entire life story in four double-spaced pages or less.

Write the minutes or hours, not months or years.

Narrowly defined moments provide more opportunities for detail and focus and significantly impact your reader.

Consider your first date with your spouse, your favorite childhood toy, a surprise you’ll never forget, or the holiday meal that went horribly wrong. You get the idea.

When you write tiny, you can describe the people, let them speak, and show them in action. You can depict where this moment occurred. You can be specific and not simply provide summary information.

So, tell me, would you ever live in a tiny house? What do you do to ensure your writing is focused on moments and not too broad a topic?

Until next time, happy writing!

Patricia