Writing Challenge: Write a six-word story

[Selluwud]

We're dying, a bit each day.

We're living, adding more each day.

 

[edamame]

Deadly virus mistaken for common cold.

 

[Naomasa298]

Daddy, why is mummy not moving?

 

[JLT]

I came, I clicked, I posted.

See, now that would never have worked in Latin. Only three words, like "Veni, vidi, Visa:"

Which translates into a nice six-word story:

"I came, I saw, I shopped."

 

[Selluwud]

Problems, progenitor or offspring of another. (that could be a quote!)

 

[Rath Darkblade]

We're living, adding more each day.

Travel through time - but only forwards.

See, now that would never have worked in Latin...

Sure, it can. "Veni, vidi, scripsi" - I came, I saw, I wrote.

(OK, the Romans didn't have a regular postal system, and this quote doesn't have the nice alliteration we're used to. But you can't have everything).

 

[defaux]

the Romans didn't have a regular postal system

But they had other services...

"I saw, I conquered, I came"

 

[Naomasa298]

Oh, well, if we're doing that:

I clicked, I saw, I came. (clicki, vidi, veni)

How you wish to interpret that is entirely up to you.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

OK, fine:

I came, I saw, I demonstrated. (Veni, vidi, vociferari) ;-P

But enough of this barbarian faux-Latin!

 

[Selluwud]

Today's Christmas Adam, Eve came after.

 

[Louanne Learning]

From ignorance hate; from hate knowledge.

 

[Donnie]

I entered, you smiled, we embraced.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

New king crowned; country better immediately. ;-P

From ignorance hate; from hate knowledge.

I'm not sure what you mean, Louanne. Usually, ignorance plus hate equal bigotry. :-( Where does knowledge fit in?

 

[Louanne Learning]

I'm not sure what you mean, Louanne. Usually, ignorance plus hate equal bigotry. :-( Where does knowledge fit in?

the hater is ignorant, the receiver of the hate learns about the hater

 

[GrahamLewis]

Ever slowly darkness faded into light

 

[Donnie]

The stranger heedlessly crossed the street.

 

[JLT]

The stranger heedlessly crossed the street.

Or, perhaps more story-ish:
"He never saw the streetcar coming."

 

[Louanne Learning]

Watered the seed, and love bloomed.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Or, perhaps more story-ish:
"He never saw the streetcar coming."

And thus, Churchill was nearly killed.

(True story: in 1931, Churchill visited New York, didn't look both ways before crossing the street, and was knocked down by a taxicab. He survived (obviously). But what if he didn't? Then Britain would've been led by Lord Halifax in 1940, and might have stayed out of WW2 -- since Halifax, in real life, was willing to explore a negotiated peace with Hitler in 1940. (To give Halifax his due, once war was declared, his desire for peace was overridden by his distrust of Hitler, and he gave Churchill his full support).

And that's another reason to look both ways: if you do, you might save Western Europe).

 

[Naomasa298]

And thus, Churchill was nearly killed.

(True story: in 1931, Churchill visited New York, didn't look both ways before crossing the street, and was knocked down by a taxicab. He survived (obviously). But what if he didn't? Then Britain would've been led by Lord Halifax in 1940, and might have stayed out of WW2 -- since Halifax, in real life, was willing to explore a negotiated peace with Hitler in 1940. (To give Halifax his due, once war was declared, his desire for peace was overridden by his distrust of Hitler, and he gave Churchill his full support).

And that's another reason to look both ways: if you do, you might save Western Europe).

You know, if a story needs to be explained, then there's something missing in it. Stories should be complete in themselves, or provide enough context for the reader to go away and look it up. Otherwise, you're actually using up more words than the form allows.

That's why Hemingway's classic story is a story - "Baby shoes for sale. Never worn." - it provides an entire implied backstory that a reader can pick up through intuition, as well as subtext in what is essentially the conclusion.