Fiction in Six came about as a result of spacedlaw's kindly pointing out this Wired article on six-word fiction. Chris and I have had a lot of fun writing them on our own; we thought a community devoted to it might be a nifty idea.

Writing a story in six words isn't as easy as it sounds; it isn't simply a matter of writing a clever six-word sentence. The limited word-space forces a writer to think hard about what a story is. A story involves character, narrative tension, theme, and event; something happens, and there is some sort of resolution. Not an easy task in only six words, but not impossible. The thing to remember about the six-word story is that what the words imply is as important as what they say.

That said, it's just a bit of fun. There's no real right or wrong in any of this-- our purpose is to play with the form. Experiment! Fool around! Knock yourself out!

Fiction in Six Guidelines
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The bottle wrecked, our message lost.

(or, "The Coming-of-Age Tale That Terrifies Every Middle Class Parent in America")

Choose:

Doctor.
Lawyer
Salesman.

(penciled-in) Visionary.

Fresh puddles dot the back lane.
Bicycle tires splash water and mud.
Gap-toothed grin spreads on child's face.

Mother can't bring herself to scold,
smiling inwardly at the dripping mess,
remembering her own carefree childhood days.

Write a six word squared poem!

Me zombie...
you zombie...
eh? eh?

Something (someone?) is lurking nearby. "Boo !"

Tell your story - Win a life !

Lilac blossoms awaken forgotten childhood memories.

My wife and I had an interesting conversation last weekend, which resulted in a bit of word play on this community's name. I had wondered aloud if porn could be fit into six words, and spouted off a few attempts.

Then, I knew the community's proper name: Friction In Six.

Once upon a time, I had this brilliant idea.
It was so shiny that I had to turn my back on it: I couldn’t bear the brightness.
By the time I’d found sunglasses, the idea had burst, under too much heat pressure.
And was born again.
Once upon a time…