Be Concise - Writing tip

I remember when I couldn’t write “Hello” without using 500 words and there are those who still call me long-winded. But it’s real good discipline and will serve you well in the future if you can learn to write short. Hemingway once bet someone he could write an entire short story in six words.

According to some, he was very drunk at the time and the other writers who hung around at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West were certain they would win.

“You need plot, a character who changes, and a resolution,” they warned, naming the elements necessary to every story. Hard to do in six words. Everyone agreed it couldn’t be done and put a lot of money on that. Hemingway who had been telling someone with writer's block that he could find stories anywhere, pointed to the classified section of the newspaper — and he collected his bet.

The ad said, “For sale. Baby shoes. Never Used.”