Write your own six word stories

Storytelling does not have to be hard. Based on the tips below, you will also be able to write your own six word stories- engaging short stories of no more than six words - in no time. Besides a fun writing exercise, this is also a creative way to clear your head and improve your focus. But beware; once you start there is no way back!

What are six word stories?

As the name already suggests, six word stories are short stories consisting of no more than six words. It seems impossible; telling a story in such few words, but truly anyone can do it. Six word stories are a popular exercise to get to the essence of a story; it challenges you to look differently at a text and it triggers your fantasy. Or it can encourage you to take that big step and finally start writing. Once you are more experienced in these tiny stories it will get easier to take the next step and start writing longer stories. But even if you have zero writing ambitions, this will be an excellent exercise to improve your focus and apply your mind in a different way. Besides all this, it is off course a fun way to puzzle with words.

How do you start?

Find a relaxed spot, take pen and paper and possibly certain tools like coloured pens or pencils, word cards, games with letters or inspiring images. It can also be helpful to put on music that gets you in the right mood. In the first place start with asking yourself a few questions to find the right direction. Like for instance: what are your favourite subjects? Which style do you like best? Which stories do you like to read yourself? And try to imagine what kind of feeling or message you want to bring across.

1. Pick a genre

For your story you can choose from different kind of genres or go for a specific angle. For example, consider the following options:

• Children's story or even a fairytale
• Fantasy and science fiction
• Historical or a biography
• Scary, dark and gloomy, or even a horror story
• Romantic, tragic or a drama
• Funny or even a joke

2. Pick a method

There are different ways to write a six word story . Below I will describe the two main methods: from short to long or from long to short. For the first way, from short to long, you start with one or more keywords. Write down the words that first come to mind. Now try to create cohesion between these words by adding conjunctions and punctuation.

The second way is to start with a long story and bring this back to a short story. Keep summarizing and reducing totdat je tot de kern komt. Laat hierbij vervolgens onnodige adjectieven, lidwoorden en voegwoorden weg. Het kan ook goed werken om te fragmenteren: deel je verhaal op in kleine stukjes en ‘plak’ deze vervolgens aan elkaar.

3. Build suspense

A good story always contains a few important aspects that create a certain suspense. What could have happened? Also in a short story -and even in six words - you can mimic the feel of a complete story by adding the following elements.

In the first place, every story needs a main character or even a real hero. This can also be a more abstract person - that doesn't reveal many details - or it could for example be a group of persons. The main thing is that this main character has to conquer certain obstacles, like a tricky situation, a dilemma or a conflict. Next, you can build suspense further by adding a specific movement to the story, like a significant action, a big turn of events, meaningful timing or a comforting 'everything will be fine'-moment.

4. Play with words

The most important thing to know is that there are no real rules; play with words and let your fantasy run wild. A six word story can be poetic in style. so do not hesitate to experiment with word order, sentence structure and conventional language and textual rules. Think critically: which words are essential for communicating your story and which aren't? Does your story, for example, need a full stop at the end? And finally, remember the art of omission; create a certain mystery by not revealing everything. This will make your readers ask questions and that is what will make your story interesting.

Practical applications

Six word stories are off course a fun and creative writing exercise, but these tiny stories are also well suited for several practical situations:

• For job interviews: write a biography about yourself in six words that you can use in your cv or during an interview ('can you describe yourself in a few words?')
• Titles of blogs, articles or even slogans.
• Social media: Twitter is off course the main platform which encourages you to communicate your message in as little words as possible. But on other platforms it is also advisable to keep it short and sweet.
• Positive and inspirational catch phrases, which can be useful to coaches and similar professions.

Get started!

Hopefully the tips and examples mentioned above have inspired you to start working on your own six word stories. Proud of your creations? Share them below in the comments!

See more examples on my Pinterest page.

Are you interested in following a workshop about learning to write six word stories? Ask me for the options!