I'm sure that a lot of people have heard of this classic by Ernest Hemingway: "For sale: Baby shoes, never worn." Recently, I decided to try this exercise of telling stories in just six words too. Owing to the time I have to dedicate to work, I find it increasingly impossible to write anything of any kind, hence the multiple poetry/short story projects lying incomplete on my desk at home. So this was a nice exercise to do even if the results seemed quite inadequate to me. If anyone has any good versions of their own, share it here too.
I've been depressed for quite some time now, no prizes for guessing why. So a majority of attempts came out in this vein.
- He never asked. She never told.
- Behind his smile lay gruesome tales.
- She fell, but nobody caught her.
- Callous hands, too rough. "Please. Don't."
- "Hey Mister, you want good time?"
- Sometimes, ghosts were all he had.
- Breaking news: Child shot, eyewitnesses laugh.
Yanna, I love these. Write more.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked the idea of fitting an entire story into as little words as possible. The shorter it is the more intrigue it has. In fact, I have two books that were Ernest Hemingway's short story. One that I love is "Six-Word Memoirs by Famous & Obscure Writers". I bought it at Xcess Books in Amcorp and the book makes for an entertaining as well as a idea-provoking read.
Oh, and did you ever read Joss': "Gown removed carelessly. Head, less so". I read it in an article some years back [here].
Oh, I browsed through that very book at the same store last year! Wanted to buy it as a birthday present for a friend but didn't have the finances. :(
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, the article is awesome and made me laugh so hard. I think I'll try to make more humorous ones next time. I'm looking forward to seeing yours if you have any. :)
Check out my friend Wahida's attempt, I thought hers were better than mine: http://horrorristic-bombastic.blogspot.com/
No problem.
ReplyDeleteThey still have the book, I went there last month and it's still there. You should get it. I find that even after rereading it so many times, it never stops being entertaining. Gives me ideas to write my own as well, both fictional and autobiographical.
Read your friend's take. Very true to life. Not stories to be told, but more of a commentary of everyday living. A good read. Thanks :)