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Originally Posted by Burt
Why six words? Why not five? Or Ten?
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That was in the article. Hemmingway wrote a six word story and called it his best work. Thus the Wired staff decided to see how other authors would craft a six-word story.
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And are they supposed to just be original stories or...something linked with themselves?
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They all seem quite original and not necessarily connected to themselves. Shatner's doesn't seem to be a reference to himself or any of his characters. Whedon's has the sort of funny-horror tack that he's known for, but it doesn't relate to any of his created works in any way I can see. I get the impression the staff sent something along the lines of the first two paragraphs to a number of notables and asked them to write their own. No context, no "try to relate to yourself or what you're known for," just write a six word story.
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It is an funny idea though. How much (Or simple) something can boil down to. How someones style can be in just a few words. Or even a TV show/Book/Song/Opera/anything can be in a few words.
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I agree with you and IJD both that it's impressive how much of a writer's voice comes through in just six words. And it's also interesting how often the six words end up being used humorously. They say brevity is the soul of wit, and certainly in fiver-writing as well as other humor, you're normally much more effective at being funny if you keep your jokes brief. But it seems to work the other way too. If you only have a few words to work with, more often than not what you write will end up being humorous. I guess that's due to the fact that other types of story need more build up. You can't get much plot or character development in six words.
IJD, have you heard of
55 Fiction? It's the same concept except you get 55 words to do it in. They have annual contests and select winners in various categories. I once saw a book with a compilation of previous winners and found it an interesting read.
And just for fun, I'm going to try writing a few six word stories.
"Don't eat my frog!" I screamed.
Here's one that hopefully has some character development:
Peter fell, but got back up.
And here's one that hopefully has some plot:
Bomb in tower. 5 minute timer.