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Wednesday, 22 August 2012

Sometimes Fewer Words Are Better

By Johna Ferguson

I have decided it’s time to take a hiatus from essays and instead to write something, but something really short yet filled with lots of feelings.

A few weeks ago I received an email regarding such a story. A college professor told his class to write a story using as few words as possible. Also, the story must contain three elements:

1. Religion
2. Sexuality
3. Mystery

There was only one person who got an A+. That person wrote:

Good God,
I’m pregnant,
I wonder who did it?

That reminded me of the one Ernest Hemingway wrote using only six words:

For sale,
Baby shoes,
Never worn.

Those simple six words evoke such a bounty of feelings.

In my writings, I have tried to make some impression, either through my doings or my ideas, but I find that difficult and yet keep them around 600 words. I have to do a lot of cutting so I often wonder if I’ve missed the true point of my original story and ended up with a dud instead.

Therefore, I decided to try to write a more succinct one and following is my result.

Bronze casket,
Used once,
Free, you pick-up.

Now, does this make you wonder why they are getting rid of the casket? Perhaps this is the new trend - don’t waste, reuse or maybe the body was cremated.

Or why, if it is bronze, is it free? Certainly it set that person or family back a bit to buy it originally.

Or, why must you pick it up and where? Certainly it won’t be at their home - probably at some mortuary or crematory. Is that is why it is practically new?

Oh, what a plethora of thoughts it brings forth. And now back to my usual writings. Hope you enjoyed the change if only for a few moments. (And by the way this on is only 312 words.)

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[INVITATION: All elders, 50 and older, are welcome to submit stories for this blog. They can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, etc. Please read instructions for submitting.]

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