Only six words to say everything?

Wired writes: Hemingway once wrote a story in just six words (“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”) and is said to have called it his best work.”

They then got dozens of their favourite sci-fi, fantasy and horror writers to write six word stories (and a couple of graphic artists too). The results here are at least fun, at most stunning.

It reminds of the difference between short books and fat books, glossy hardbacks and matte softbooks, amateurs versus professionals, and little obscure cult games ranked against the big boys (I mean seriously, who can take on D&D?).

Anyway, I was inspired to play around with this. Some of them ended up being just fun, some of them thought-provoking. I don’t know how many of these would class as stories in and of themselves.

• I didn’t say I loved you.
• Laughed, “No time to save us both.”
• While I fell, I tried screaming.
• “Oh, no. They found us.” BLAM!
• Your body will never be found.
• He kicked the bomb. It exploded.
• She squeezed until his skull cracked.
• The search was long and fruitless.
• “Four of a kind,” Cthulhu slobbered.
• “Checkmate”. Jesus looked forlorn. I laughed.
• Only seven words to tell a
• I said “No.” She slapped me.
• She said “Yes”. I undressed quickly.
• I wasn’t within range so I….