Granted, the first time I heard about this, I thought it poignant and it does, indeed, tell a story or at least makes the reader think longer about the 6 words.
Years later, someone posted a challenge online to try their hand at making one it actually inspired me to write a few.
It seems pretty easy at first but I find they are harder than one would think.
The beauty of Hemingway's shoe story is that it's very final and the reader can make whatever assumptions about this story in their head that can fill in the blanks with their own questions.
- Why are those baby shoes for sale?
- Why were they never worn?
- Why were they bought in the first place and now being sold so soon?
Even before we even know his intent was to create a sad story, our mind automatically thinks that something tragic happened to the baby who those shoes were intended for.
I gave it a go modeling my 6 word story close to the shoe story, sad and final.
A single bassinet survived the flames.
Shower gifts returned.
Funeral invites sent.
Then I just started writing a lot more because I found it to be a great exercise in story telling and brevity.
No one survived the final bomb.
Books aflame kills lives within it.
Pregnancy Application Denied: IQ not met
500 years, atrocities forgotten are repeated...
Healthy, SWF turned 65: Termination Approved
I came up with a few duds like this:
Her life expired; Not her legacy.
(It doesn't quite tell that much of a story, IMHO)
She doesn't remember - kidnapped too young.
Her struggle ended; the boundary crossed.
I thought that these stories lacked substance and weren't as final as the others but still, fun to come up with and write.
I encourage you to create a few because it's a quick writing project but still challenging.
No comments:
Post a Comment