By David Peel
Hemingway famously once won a bet that he could write a complete story in just six words.
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
He won the bet. It is said he later called it his best work.
As someone who tells my clients’ stories for a living, this a fascinating art form. I once heard that until you can state your case, or tell your story, on a fortune cookie, you don’t really know it yet. Can you write a story in six words?
Others have taken a shot at this art form:
“Dad left. A flag came back.”
“It’s our fiftieth. Table for one.”
“Sticks…Spears…Swords…Guns…Nukes…Sticks.”
“What’s your return policy on rings?”
“He bottle-fed his wife’s killer.”
“Failed SAT. Lost scholarship. Invented rocket.” – William Shatner
“Automobile warranty expires. So does engine.” – Stan Lee
“TIME MACHINE REACHES FUTURE!!! … nobody there …”- Harry Harrison
“Ever seen chalk outlines that small?”
“Goodbye Mission Control. Thanks for trying.”
“Introduced myself to Mom again today.
“I look like Dad’s college roommate.”
“K.I.A. Baghdad, Aged 18 – Closed Casket” – Richard K. Morgan
Epitaph: “He shouldn’t have fed it.” – Brian Herbert
“Siri, Delete Dad from my contacts.”
“The smallest coffin is the heaviest.”
“He hit ‘send,’ then the tree.”
Holding up a nub: “Safety third.”
“Kill yourself,” they said. She did.
“They lived happily ever after. Apart.”
“The only child. Never the favorite.”
“Three to Iraq. One came back.” – Graeme Gibson
“He read his obituary with confusion.”- Steven Meretzky
“Just married” the shattered window read.”
“Passengers, this isn’t your captain speaking.”
“Strangers…Friends…Best Friends…Lovers…Strangers.”
“I met my soulmate. She didn’t.”
“Mom taught me how to shave.”
Peel seeks justice for those injured in tractor trailer and car accidents, medical malpractice, and disability. He often addresses churches, clubs and groups without charge.Peel may be reached through PeelLawFirm.com wherein other articles may be accessed.
