Short Stories

My ex-boss, the great Alex Lim, once introduced me to some of the world's shortest stories. When written well, he highlighted, just one or two short sentences would tell a whole lot more than what was on the page. Take this one from Hemingway for example. Only 6 words long, it is said to be his best work - and it goes like this:

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

Reading deeper, it speaks of a father (or mother) advertising to sell the shoes of a baby that had died. Less I ruin this amazing work, I shall say no more. You read. You imagine. You feel.

Another one I like is also just 6 words long. Written by Margaret Atwood, a Canadian writer, poet, novelist, it goes like this:

Longed for him. Got him. s**t.

We laugh. It rings a bell in all of us. It's the story of love in real life. I'm pretty sure many women out there have said or thought this at some point in their relationship - my wife included. Hoho. Great stuff!

Of course, not everything has to be 6 words. Here's something longer inspired by Stanley Bubien. I've modified it without his permission but credit goes to him. The story goes:

There once lived a man who loved to dress as a bear. His final words were, "Don't shoot."

This has inspired me to write my own short stories. Here's one:

She smiled sadly. At the altar, the love of her life kissed his bride.

Of course, short stories can also be a little weird. Here's another one by me:

She refused to rise from the dining table. "But officer," she said, "I warned him to stop calling me crazy". That said, she continued nibbling on the last bit of her husband's fried finger.

Sadly, that last one was inspired by a NEWS ARTICLE. Gah!

Funny, sad, horrifying... short stories can pack a punch. Go write. I'd love to read some of yours. :)