Oh the Glory!!!

I once went FOUR years with a song stuck in my head. I couldn't necessarily remember the lyrics, or the title, or even the artist (or type of artist). All I could remember was about a measure and a half of the melody. And when finally I discovered it, by stroke of God or luck or what have you, it was glorious (Badly Drawn Boy, The Shining). Today, I had a similar, perhaps even greater experience.

I've gone SIX years now, with this vague notion of what my memory recalled as "the shortest short story ever written." I've googled it, I searched, I inquired - all I could remember was that A) it was short (probably one sentence) and 2) that it had to do with a baby.

Today, as I let 30 minutes dwindle away before I could leave for the day, I picked up a writing book from my college days (my non-fiction writing class actually - amazing book, amazing class). And as I was leafing through, skipping from section to section, I paused to read the section entitled "Elminate Words." Each section focuses on a different way to spark creativity, break down the wall, and revive the flow of language through the pen. And there it was.

Someone once challenged Ernest Hemmingway to write a short story with as few words as possible - he did it in 6 words:


For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.