dicta_contrion

It may be October 29th, but it’s not over till it’s Rect-over, right?

One of the things I struggle with most is keeping things short, thus doing a couple of fests recently that had strict word limits. It's had me thinking about what makes a good shorter piece of fiction and why the short fics I love work. The process brought me back to a lot of short fic I really love. This rec list is inspired by that – a few favorite short pieces that, in under 4k (sometimes much less) manage to tell a complete story/build a complete word/create big emotional impact.

The Way (We Break) by nishizono - R, 647 words, Harry/Draco - Harry doesn't hate Astoria. He doesn't hate the way she cries when Draco recites his wedding vows, or the way Draco toys with her curls during the reception. He doesn't hate her, but god, he hates Draco.
The structure of this story is so simple, the writing is so clear, and the ending is so "oh, fuck." The author establishes everything you need to know with a few lines that make the relationship between Harry and Draco just exactly clear enough. And have I mentioned the ending? Not just because it was such a moment, but because it filled in so many blanks effectively and capped the piece beautifully, in no small part because it kept me thinking about what comes next.

Cicadas by

rhoddlet - R, 900 words, Harry/Draco
This story does an incredible job of setting a scene. The language is so visceral. I could feel the heat, the intensity of these moments. Reading this felt like the grueling, stillest parts of summer spent waiting for the heat to break. By the time the pivotal moment arrives I was already invested enough to be shocked and moved. I remain amazed that anyone could fit all of this into, essentially, a couple of pages.

I Am Your Shadow by

eidheann_writes - NC-17, 3,128 words, Harry/Draco - Love (n) An intense feeling of deep affection. Yield (v) To give up or surrender (oneself).
Okay, technically I've already recced this here, but there's no way I could leave it off a list of short fics because the words:feels ratio here is out of control. This story is devastating in the best of ways, and eidheann has such a perfect sense for what to say and what to leave open to interpretation. So perfect that, months later, I still think back to this ending and just wonder.

As the Hand, the Glove by dulcemia - NC-17, 3357, Harry/Draco - "I say it again: the spirit loves/ the flesh, as the hand the glove."
Unf. If you'd like to die by smut, clicking above is not a bad way to go. Draco is so deliciously Slytherin and the tension, the wanting, is just palpable. Sentences are structured and words chosen to heighten all of that and it works beautifully, not just to make for a good read or a hot story (which would be more than enough) but to create an atmosphere that's crisp and clear and a perfect complement to the featured kink.

Kailash, When it Rises by mirabella - R, 3626 words, Harry/Draco - Harry can't sleep.
I swear this fic is bigger on the inside. The way time moves in this story is so precise and lingering that it feels like hours have passed even though it can be read instead of twenty minutes. In creating this super-slow sense of time, the story replicates the experience that Harry is having - of waiting for something while times dawdles and sticks. There are so many little choices along the way - rituals, habits, invocation of sounds - that compound that sense, and the end result is masterful.

Still working out what exactly makes short fics really work, but there are some good clues here - all this intentional language, tight storytelling and, perhaps most noticeably/surprisingly for me, a willingness to trust the reader. Lots to think about, and I'm still thinking. Short fic recs and/or insights are more than welcome!