Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
There are many ways you can write a story, and the abecedarian method is quite unique. While it’s not often practical in the sense of putting together a full-length novel, abecedarian formats work great as additions to poetry, or perhaps an anthology of microfiction. What is this method, exactly?
It’s a way to get your brain to write a different way and avoid the monotony of certain words and descriptions. It can get quite boring if you use the same introductions to sentences over and over again.
And this method helps train you to vary your word choices.
What Is an Abecedarian Story?
Technically, the term “abecedarian” is in reference to anything related to alphabetical order. So, you could have an abecedarian cabinet in your kitchen if you arrange boxes of Hamburger Helper alphabetically. A lot of folks will have movies arranged in an abecedarian manner.
Some may call that an OCD, but I view it as being organized.
When it comes to writing, an abecedarian means that each sentence starts with the next letter in the alphabet. For the most part, anyway. Some abecedarian essays only require the heading to be alphabetical, while the text below it can remain open and flexible.
There are quite a few ways you can put together abecedarian writing, and it all depends on what you’re trying to convey. And you don’t have to start at the letter “A.” In fact, as long as the abecedarian story or poem follows consecutive letters, you can start with any letter you wish.
Example: I need to write an abecedarian story about my first car. My first three sentences could be something like:
Dodge made a car back in 1990 that would forever be close to my heart: the Daytona. Even though there were faster and more luxurious options, the Daytona was affordable and quick. From the moment I sat in the driver’s seat, I was in love.
In the example above, I started with the letter “D.” Then, every sentence thereafter started with the next letter in the alphabet.
Why Practice Writing an Abecedarian Story?
While you might think it’s simple enough to write an abecedarian story, it’s actually quite difficult. This is especially true if you limit yourself from reorganizing sentence structure.
For instance, a well-placed comma can help you move half of a sentence to the start, giving you more options for finding words that fit the next letter of the alphabet. Try to write one without using a single comma.
Why would you want to write an abecedarian story to begin with?
Experimenting with Word Choice
As I said earlier, it can get to be quite monotonous if you start sentences using the same words or phrasing. In some cases, there may not be other options available. But it’s still a good idea to mix it up in order to avoid a bland and repetitive story.
Perhaps one of the most overused words to start a sentence when writing a first draft is “the.”
Abecedarian writing makes you consider word choices and how they will work in your story. In a lot of ways, you’ll need to think outside of the box or get somewhat creative, especially since the story has to be coherent.
The hardest part is when you get to the back-end of the alphabet. For instance, I had to carefully consider “X” words and use them correctly when I wrote the story, Ernie for my fiction writing workshop.
Practicing Flash or Micro Fiction
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had a slight problem with writing short stories. Not that I couldn’t come up with ideas, but that I often let a story consume me and write until it’s finished. Rarely is it ever fewer than 3,000 words.
Abecedarian stories are, by nature, 26 sentences (one for each letter of the alphabet). Well, that is, unless you cycle the alphabet over and over to write an entire book, which would be a fun challenge, actually.
Anyway, 26 sentences is relatively short for a story, maybe ranging in the 500 to 600-word length. For me, this is great practice to condense a story into a much shorter format, especially if I plan to enter flash fiction contests.
Inspiration for More or Longer Stories
While writing a short story, I often find myself inspired to either turn it into a longer tale or use it as fuel for a spinoff or extension of some kind. In fact, there have been three or four flash fiction tales from my college class that I plan on turning into something bigger for my dark fantasy world.
Now, this doesn’t mean that every story you write is going to be inspirational or help give you ideas for future writing. Some short stories are just one-and-done, and that’s it. There’s nothing wrong with having a collection of stories that just didn’t seem to take off in any other direction.
However, you might be surprised by just how influential flash fiction can be for driving ideas and motivation. What you thought of as a one-off tale could become the foundation of something much larger.
Helps with Structure and Flow
By limiting yourself to beginning each sentence with the alphabet, you set your mind to consider different methods for structure and how the story develops. This is especially true if you limit yourself on comma usage, as I mentioned earlier.
Besides, it helps build your vocabulary, as you look up words with specific meanings to start each sentence. Remember, you still want the story to be comprehensible.
An abecedarian story or poem helps you learn different methods of delivery and how you can put those sentences together.
Can Be a Lot of Fun
Experimenting with abecedarian story writing gets you outside of the box while also having the potential to be quite fun. There are so many things you can do within the confines of the alphabet.
For instance, I have an abecedarian poem called, Ode to Fireball. Although it makes me sound a bit like an alcoholic, it does have some funny elements to it that most parents can relate.
My point is that you don’t always have to write a serious story. Sometimes, just letting your imagination run rampant without rhyme or reason can be relaxing and entertaining.
Different Types of Abecedarian Writing
As you guessed, there are different ways you can put together abecedarian writing. Really, nearly anything can be abecedarian as long as you follow the rules of following the next letter of the alphabet.
The most common abecedaria that I’ve seen include poems, short stories, and essays. However, I’m sure there are others available if you look deep enough.
Poems
When it comes to poems, it’s all about rhythm and imagery. Poems are usually far more laced with metaphor and simile than other forms of writing, which may be confusing to some folk. Not all authors use common words and tropes, meaning you may need to open a dictionary.
An abecedarian poem is the same as a traditional poem, only you use the alphabet to start each line. For it to be a true abecedarian, all 26 letters need to be represented in the poem. So, it’s unlikely you’ll write an abecedarian hiku.
Short Stories
Short stories are a bit easier to write than poems, in my opinion. As long as the next letter starts the sentence, you have a bit more flexibility than trying to start the next line of a poem, especially if you’re trying to make it rhyme.
In my case, I used a mixture of description and dialogue to fit all 26 letters. This can lead to much longer sentences to fit in exposition and detail because of a lack of proper word choices for the next letter.
Essays
There are a few ways you can write an abecedarian essay. A lot of folks will write them using the same format as a short story, only for non-fiction and information sharing. Just start the next sentence with the next letter of the alphabet.
You can also use abecedarian headers above paragraphs, which makes it a lot easier overall. Some people might not think of this method as abecedarian, though, because not every line is driven by the next letter.
Abecedarian Header Example:
Apples
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? Did you know that apples contain a large amount of vitamin C? A single apple can provide up to 34% of your daily dose of vitamin C, as well as 21% of your daily fiber.
Bananas
High in potassium is the banana, at about 12% of your daily dose. However, bananas also contain vitamin C to a degree, at roughly 17% of your daily allotment.
Carrots
Having a single carrot can give you roughly 7% of your vitamin C needs, but will deliver 241% of what you need for vitamin A. If you’re unaware, vitamin A contributes to healthy eyesight, reproduction, cellular development, and immune functionality.
The bottom line is that virtually any writing can be technically considered abecedarian as long as something follows the next letter.
Reversing the Alphabet
Another way you can write an abecedarian story or poem is by reversing the alphabet. I saw this a lot while in college, as it gives the piece a bit more flair.
For instance, you can start a story or poem with the letter “Z” and then move on to “Y”, etc.
Forward or backward, the only requirement is that each sentence or line starts with the next letter. So, you can literally start anywhere and just progress from that point.
Can You Write an Abecedarian Novel?
Short, 26-sentence stories are somewhat easy, especially as you develop your personal vocabulary. But how difficult would it be to write an entire novel using an abecedarian flow? It’s definitely a challenge I am interested in testing.
Do you create 26 chapters and title them according to the alphabet, which would be much simpler? Or, do you write the entire 90,000-word abecedarian novel?
It’s a good test of your abilities to write a coherent story while introducing a wide variety of words to your readers. I mean, there’s only so much you can do with X and Z, right? That is, unless your main characters were named something like Xero and Zena. Maybe you could make it a sci-fi or fantasy book with some made-up words?
The bottom line is that writing an entire book of abecedarian sentences would be quite taxing and may take a bit of time. But it would be very interesting to me to see someone do it in a way that creates a great story.
Have You Tried Abecedarian Story Writing?
Before my days in college working toward my bachelor’s in Creative Writing, I had never heard of an abecedarian poem or story. After writing a couple, I found them to be quite a useful practice, and in a lot of cases, very fun.
I’ve learned a lot of new words, considered different ways to convey a scene, and laid the groundwork for a lot of future stories and books. In fact, I’m going to publish more of them on MichaelBrockbank.com when I have some available time.
My point is that being a good writer means experimenting with different methods and incorporating the things that work best for you. Not everyone is going to enjoy abecedarian story writing, and that’s fine. But until you try it a few times, you won’t know if it works for you or not.
Sit down and see if you can write a 26-line story using the alphabet. It’ll be difficult at first, but you’ll find it gets easier each time. Plus, you’ll learn a lot of new words and ways to describe your scenes and dialogue.
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