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Get Breaking News on your cellSix-word stories: Had enough yet?
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February 2008
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The very short story craze is getting out of hand. It began with Ernest Hemingway allegedly responding to a challenge to tell a story in six words or less. His response: "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn." The first modern version I saw appeared in 2006 in Wired, which asked science fiction writers to attempt stories in six words or less. Some replies: "Husband, transgenic mistress; wife: 'You cow!' " "We kissed. She melted. Mop please!" In November, Judy Alter noted this 12-word novel-writing contest. Some of the finalists among thousands of entries were: "'There are no atheists in foxholes,' said the chaplain, 'so get out.'" "Well, I warned her. Chickens do not like to ride in cars." "Fifteen years since last professional haircut," "Well, I thought it was funny." Finally, the "Soapbox" feature in the recent Publishers Weekly weighs in with six-word memoirs that should have been on the list. Among them: "Rich people: Bad. Poor people: good." (Pause.) (Pause.) (Pause.) (Ties shoe.) (Pause.) "Horrid, unpleasant-making chick-lit—begone, noxious legacy!" So, before someone else declares the idea passe -- anybody want to take a stab at writing a six-word epic Texas novel? Maybe "Alamo overrun. We're better now, thanks." or "Where buffalo roamed, we drive SUVs." ? |
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