Many beginning writers have trouble knowing when they have written enough.  The better question to ask, however, is “have I written too much.”  Writing isn’t about fluff, it isn’t about length, or the amount of chapters you can fill.  Writing is about telling your reader as much as you can in the fewest amount of words.  Making you reader feel a certain way is tricky enough as is, the longer it takes you to do it the more likely they are to lose their emotions while reading.

A 6 word flash fiction story, that is often attributed to Ernest Hemingway, shows us how powerful words are. “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”  There is a lot of detail missing from this story leaving the reader to fill in the rest himself.  However, the point that is being made is clear and powerful.  By leaving the reader with missing details, she immediately connects with the story by filling in those details with people, places, and emotions she already knows.

Next time you are saying to yourself you need at least 5 pages to explain your newest character, ask yourself seriously why you need more than 6 words.   Not everything should nor can be written in 6 words, but chances are most of what we write could and should be written in a lot less.

Can you write a complete story in 10 words or less?  Here is mine “He rushed to the hospital, was pushed to the morgue.”

Try submitting one of your stories to Review Fuse and let our community tell you what they think about your ability to say more with less.

steve