A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post every day except Sundays during the month of April on a thematic topic–nothing else. This year, I’ll be covering writing genres.
Today’s genre:
Vignette
Definition
separate stories wrapped around central characters, setting
Tips
- A vignette is typically 800-1000 words, but can be as short as a few lines.
- A vignette will usually have 1-2 short scenes, moments, or impressions about a character, an idea, a theme, a setting, or an object.
- Most vignettes are told in just one point of view.
- The vignette might be part of some larger work or a complete description in itself.
- Provide description to achieve an artistic effect.
- Use this device to explore a character, describe the setting of a scene, or something else.
- Include lots of symbolism and imagery.
- Vignettes can be fiction, non-fiction, or poetry.
- A vignette does not require a main conflict or a resolution of a conflict.
- Feel free to use simple and minimal language, or lush, detailed prose.
Popular Books
- The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
- Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
- Railroads by E.B White
- In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
- The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
- The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Click for complete list of genres
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman
worddreams.wordpress.com 
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Thank you, Jacqui! 🙂
Learnt something new!
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I do like vignettes. It’s an easy genre to encourage collaboration with my students!
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Oh yes! 🙂
I would love to work on a collaboration some time!
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Interesting genre Jacqui. I wasn’t familiar with vignettes as a genre. Great series. 🙂
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It’s like no other genre. I like it for teaching, a great option for students who want to write in a group.
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Oh this one is so good and yet I havent read anything from your list. Looks like I need to look this up well and see what I can read in this from my own collection.
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These are great for shorter reading, like waiting in the car or between events, because they’re a bit like connected short stories. I think they’re perfect for traveling–like you do.
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Am confused Jacqui. Are the books you have listed collections of vignettes?
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Yes, they are. They’re connected by a theme, but don’t necessary progress through a tight plot (like a series would). Pretty interesting approach to writing.
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I love the vignette.
I’m wondering about its popularity amongst authors? Vine Leaves Journal is the only online journal I know that caters for this style of writing…and a place where vignette authors can submit manuscripts.
Writer In Transit
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That is interesting. I didn’t know that. I Googled ‘agents who accept vignettes’ and got zilch.
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I really love that word! It has such a special ring to it, lol. Sometimes I feel like my life is just a series of vignettes.
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Well that’s how you should write your autobiography. It certainly would be original.
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Your entire reading list today intrigues me, as does the challenge of writing vignettes. Another project to help keep my mind sharp. Thanks for another beneficial post, Jacqui.
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I like this for my high school students. They are ready for the trickier approach of a vignette.
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It’s a movie, but I wonder if Crash would be considered a vignette.
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I haven’t seen it. It does focus on a theme from what I’ve heard which means it could be possible.
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I suppose you could say some of my flash fiction is vignettes. Though I do try to give them full story-elements: beginning, middle, end and conflict.
The Ninja Librarian’s Favorite Characters
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Especially if they concentrate on characters and themes.
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I always describe my pieces as vignettes. It’s a lovely word and sounds so much nicer than ‘flash fiction’!
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What I’ve read of yours in A to Z–I completely agree. They’re self-contained with the town as the theme. And it’s working very nicely.
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Will be looking for Hemingway and E.B. White to start with. The reading list grows and grows in the month of April.
Thank you for visiting my blog:)
V is for Ventriloquist
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I am panting. I can see the finish line! I’d take next week off, but I’m launching my new book, Twenty-four Day. I’ll have to wait for June to relax.
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Those are great examples of the vignette. I loved “The House on Mango Street.” I could say that some of my blog posts are almost vignettes.
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Yes, they are. I suppose poetry could be, too. That would be quite original.
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Vignette is a great overall theme for next year’s AtoZChallenge.
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Ah, how fun that would be. Are you considering this?
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Some really interesting ones I would like to pursue – EB White, if the one I’m thinking of, was in correspondence with Jung. Einstein dreamed of sledding down a mountain slope at great speed; there’s more to this dream but he formulated his theory of relativity based on his dream. Thank you!
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Was he? That is truly amazing. That man was quite eclectic.
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Looks like I’ve got some more books to add to my list, the only one I’ve read from yours is The Pickwick Papers. 🙂
Cait @ Click’s Clan
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Reading a few on each of these lists would certainly make us well-rounded. Though, I’m not sure it’s even possible.
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I always like writing those.
‘Enjoyed reading. Happy A to Z Juneta @ Writer’s Gambit
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They are appealing, aren’t they? It’s a great genre to teach high schoolers.
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I think Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout would fit here – won the 2009 Pulitzer in Literature. It’s a collection of short stories in which Olive makes an entrance, sometimes as the main character, sometimes as an insignificant background character.
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Yes–it would. As would Phil’s from so long ago. I often thought that’s what he was trying to do.
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I would never have thought of vignette but what a great description, Jacqui. I’ve even read Mango Street and Martian Chronicles but would categorize each differently, yet this makes sense also. Nice surprises here.
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These genres don’t seem to be definitive. Often, it’s the eye of the beholder sort of decision. At least, that’s what I think.
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So interesting and makes perfect sense. Some great books in there too that I never really thought of as a collection of vignettes.
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It’s a genre that allows so many more writers to succeed because they aren’t as long as novels. I like that.
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Hi Jacqui – In our Time by Hemingway rang out … I haven’t read it … but we have a brilliant Radio programme called “In our Time” – exploring the history of ideas …it’s superb … but I’ve always been intrigued by the vignette – so now I have a definitive idea – thank you .. cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/v-is-for-vaynol-cattle.html
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Well that’s interesting. I’ll have to check into that.
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Interesting. While I knew about this one, I didn’t know the specifics.
Discarded Darlings – Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction
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It should be more popular than it is, though it did used to be more common. Maybe things cycle.
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I have to check out Railroads by E. B. White. I never heard of it. I do like writing vignettes
http://sagecoveredhills.blogspot.com/2017/04/v-is-for-venus.html
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I also am not familiar with Railroads. I do like the title, though. Anything about trains grabs my attention.
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I haven’t found a copy of it which was written for the New Yorker in 1960 (some of his New Yorker work is available). It appears “Railroads” may be in his collection of essays. I did find this interesting blog post about the essay, Railroads: http://www.nosuchthingaswas.com/2014/01/eb-white-railroad-transparent-essay.html
Like you, railroads grab my attention and I have written many blog posts about my travels via train.
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I didn’t know a vignette can be as short as a few lines. Thanks for this educational post, Jacqui.
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I didn’t either, but I like that. I think that takes the stress out of storytelling for lots of kids. Like the Twitter novel–who can’t write 140 characters?
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Exactly!
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Thank you for such a detailed description of vignettes – I think most of us would fumble around how to describe them. I particularly like this aspect about them: ‘A vignette does not require a main conflict or a resolution of a conflict.’ Never realised The Martian Chronicles would be considered as part of this genre – a terrific book.
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I have a good sense of vignettes, but I still Google it. I didn’t want to mix anything up.
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Hey Ma’am ,thanks for improving my knowledge again 🙂 I always get to know something new when ever I come to your site.
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Especially this month, Payal!
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Right
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The Pickwick Papers– huzzah! Thanks for this; your genre definitions are always interesting.
Melanie Atherton Allen
http://www.athertonsmagicvapour.com
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I wanted to keep them brief, to the point. We aren’t here for a pedagogic discussion, now are we!
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A Hemingway I haven’t read – must grab! Also, just wanted to say how impressed I am at the way you have managed to find and compile a genre for each letter – appreciate the huge research that must have gone into each post.
Nilanjana
Madly-in-Verse
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That’s funny. Then you are extremely well read. I’ve missed more than one Hemingway.
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