Six-Word Story Writing Contest Winners!

We were thrilled to receive so many creative entries to our Six-Word Story contest! Perhaps the age of Twitter has honed your skills in the brevity department.

Our number-one criterion was for the entries to tell a complete story in just six words, not needing a title or the prompt to set the scene. Still it was tough to choose just six winners out of nearly 300 stories…so we didn’t! We cheated on our own rules and picked seven, plus some honorable mentions. ‘Hope you don’t mind too much. 

 

Spilled white out erased his life. by KRHolbrook
A  vivid reminder that characters depend on the writer for their existence, which could be very tenuous in the pre-digital era. (What’s the modern equivalent?)  

Into the wedding dress, he wept. by tk_omalley
Love how this one makes a single, heartbreaking scene so vivid, like snapping a picture.

Batman: flying rodent exterminator. Call now! by Cazza3000
Made us chuckle – who would Batman think he was if all he had was a name?

Fixed machine. Goodbye cellphones, hello dinosaurs. by ChelseaHaynes
We applaud this one for being complete, yet ambiguous - with the prompt off the page, the meaning of “machine” expands.

I kissed Anna, and whispered, "Jane." by jwryt
Endlessly intriguing. Mistake or mourning? Jane Doe or Jane Eyre? We’d love to read a Six-Word Sequel… 

Loving stagnation, Erica jumps into pictures by JudahSpecal
Not quite sure which prompt sparked this one—is Erica an author? A character? A superhero? A lovelorn lady with a weakness for boring relationships? Who knows, but who needs to know. This one is so engaging that it wins a copy of Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure, edited by Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith.

And, because we loved its dark humor that much, we decided to give away a bonus copy to this edgy riff on Hemingway’s original:
New baby for sale. Needs shoes. by Waxwing

Congratulations, winners! You’ll be hearing from us with details on claiming your prizes. In the meantime, here’s a list of ten honorable mentions that win fame and glory.

Mayan deadline's here. Sun won't set. by emergen

My underpants on the outside. Why? by Riis_Marshall

Fractured phalange; manuscript overdue. Help wanted. by Southerner

Control my characters? That is fantasy. by Peetz

I got used to wearing togas. by May_Winner

Breasts of plastic, heart of gold. by NobodysHorse

Went back. Killed Mother. Return impossible. by Leo1

Writer's block? Hit head here. rf98ifeoghiodkifg8ty9ihu by M_Farris

Sorry, my dog always comes first. by Jvd9

Types last word. Pause. Ctrl-A, delete. by AreannaLuckett

Need still more six-word fun? Leave a comment – tell us which one was YOUR favorite, or write a new one of your own. And if you’re feeling long-winded, enter our new contest: write a 6+294-word story inspired by the Titanic’s 100^th anniversary.

 

Comments

[Leisa Dreps]

That six word story "I kissed Anna, and whispered, "Jane." caught my attention the most. To make it short, how about a sequel of "Jane saw me kissing Ana yesterday"? LOL. I can get used to this six word storytelling.

[rolex mariner]

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[High School Diploma]

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[Beats By dr.dre]

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