Every word you write is a step towards your literary dreams—keep moving forward!
The best way to finish a project is to limit its scope. This is the equivalent of lowering a basketball hoop to practice layups. A six-word story is a challenge in brevity, but its bite-sized nature is perfect for this newsletter.
Strategy:
This exercise is designed to finish a project quickly by focusing on the simplest project possible, the six-word story. It stretches creative muscles by exploring the brevity and depth of the six-word story across various thematic elements and narrative tenses. Our focus will not be on ideation or editing, however. The focus is on experimentation, iteration, and the refinement of ideas. Instead of carefully taking steps in a small space, we will be jumping.
Instructions:
Topic Exploration: Begin by writing a six-word story for the six following story topics: character, setting, object, event, action, and experience.
Format Variation: Write a six-word story for the six following discourse formats: present time, past, future, description, dialogue, and introspection.
Creative Challenge: Select one of the stories you have written. Now, write six different variations of this story without reusing any of the words from the original. If you start to feel stuck, it’s okay to fail gracefully and reuse a few words.
Word Swap: Review all the variations you’ve created. Pick and choose the parts that resonate with you the most and recombine them to create your final six-word story.
Disjointed Tales (optional): As an optional challenge, write a six-word story where the words do not form traditional sentence structure or phrases, but still convey a compelling narrative.
Daily Log (optional): Keep a notebook or digital document with you for the rest of the day. Commit to writing a certain number of six-word stories today. Whether you choose 15, 50, or 100, the practice will develop your ability to think concisely and creatively.
Tags: finishing projects, flash fiction, micro-story, creativity, brevity, writing challenge
Category: Manage Projects > Define your Objectives
Example:
Topic Exploration:
Character: "Astronaut dreams, Earth's glow fades away."
Setting: "Abandoned house whispers with wind's secrets."
Object: "Lonely diary, last entry, tear-stained."
Event: "Lost ring found, old love reignited."
Action: "Strangers' eyes meet, futures suddenly entwined."
Experience: "Heartbreak, silent tears in the rain."
Format Variation:
Present Time: "Lightning strikes; blackout engulfs the city."
Past: "Dinosaurs roamed; now only fossils whisper."
Future: "Mars colonists build nostalgia for Earth."
Description: "Desert sunsets, a symphony in red."
Dialogue: "Leaving so soon? Not soon enough."
Introspection: "Mirror reflects less detail than yesterday."
Creative Challenge:
"Eyes lock, two paths merge here."
"Glances collide, destiny's threads intertwine swiftly."
"Passing gaze, lifelines knit silently together."
"Brief look, different tomorrows blend unexpectedly."
"Sudden view, separate journeys unite instantaneously."
"Quick peek, shared fates link rapidly."
Word Swap: I like the idea of pairing "eyes lock" with "lifelines knit together" since some needles have eyes.
Eyes catch. Lifelines knit together, snags.
Disjointed Tales (optional):
cold stone etched traces fingertip BELOVED
Daily Log (optional):
Alarm nags, nags, nags… daylight, crap!
Morning coffee brews; new day stirring.
Sunrise commute, city squinting into distance.
"Desk awaits, drowned in fluorescent lighting."
"Endless emails. Sipping tea, time crawls."
"Marathon meeting; minds wander, clocks tick."
"Lunch escape, park bench, sandwich savored."
"Afternoon slump, chocolate stash discovered, relieved."
"Deadline looms, typing frenzy, satisfaction grows."
"Work ends, homeward bound, relief sighs."
"Family reunion, warm hugs, day melts."
"Dinner chatter, clinking forks, laughter bubbles."
"Sunset from porch, day's tension fades."
"Children's stories, eyelids droop, shuts book."
"Nightly ritual, soft pillow, dreams beckon."
Further Resources:
The six-word story is often attributed to Ernest Hemingway. He purportedly claimed that he could write a complete story in only six words, which resulted in the story of a mother who realized after her purchase that babies don’t need shoes, because they don’t walk.
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."
In essence, the six-word story is an exercise in economy, precision, and suggestion, often leading to a variety of emotional responses and deep engagement from the reader as they contemplate the implications of the brief tale. It's a creative challenge that combines the art of storytelling with the discipline of word choice and has grown in popularity, especially in the digital age where concise, impactful communication is highly valued.
Here are some places you can see and publish six-word stories.
Smith Magazine: Smith Magazine launched the concept of "Six-Word Memoirs" and has published several collections of these brief tales, such as "Not Quite What I Was Planning" and "It All Changed in an Instant." They continue to encourage submissions and publish them on their website.
Reddit: There are subreddits dedicated to six-word stories, such as r/sixwordstories, where people post and share their creations regularly.
Mastodon, Twitter/X, etc.: With its character limit, Twitter has become a natural home for microfiction including six-word stories. Various hashtags are used to share such stories, and some accounts specialize in curating and sharing them.
Doug Weller: "Six Word Wonder" and its sequels contain hundreds of six-word stories, showcasing the variety and creativity possible within the format. Doug also runs the Six-Word Wonder contest.