Friends of Hemingway's once challenged him to write an entire story in 6 words. Not being one to back down from a challenge - and confident in his minimalist, tight prose abilities - Hemingway unleashed this beauty: "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn." He said it was his best work.
In six words, Hemingway manages to evoke a full, poignant narrative arc.
WIRED magazine challenged readers to attempt the same feat - the very, very short story. Most read like epitaphs; some read like Hallmark cards for scorned lovers.
I can't wait to try this exercise with my class. I'd love to see what 6-words they can come up with as their compact (but pregnant) memoir or even just as a super-short fictional story.
No comments:
Post a Comment