DoFH Beta Key Launch Competition: the Six-Word Story

[Alex Walz]

Sadly, our last fan fiction competition only gathered two entries. So I looked back at the requirements and thought we might try toning things down a bit. Let’s say, a six word max?

Before you react, imagine this: you want to get published in a newspaper ad. You’ve got the material, only problem is, it costs 30 cents a word. You’re a struggling author; you don't want to pay for every word in your great saga. Condense it. “Flash fiction” is a great way to get your point across clearly and concisely and works great for those of us with a shorter-than-average attention span. The great American writer Ernest Hemingway wrote one of the most famous pieces of “flash fiction” comprising of only six words: “For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.”

Want some more inspiration? Wired asked popular sci-fi writers to create six-word stories. Here are some of the results:

The baby’s blood type? Human, mostly. — Orson Scott Card

I’m your future, child. Don’t cry. — Stephen Baxter

Epitaph: Foolish humans, never escaped Earth. — Vernor Vinge

With bloody hands, I say good-bye. — Frank Miller

Automobile warranty expires. So does engine. — Stan Lee

Failed SAT. Lost scholarship. Invented rocket. — William Shatner

Not so hard, is it? Oh, and one more thing, it must be related to Dawn of Fantasy.

Here's what I came up with: “Orc meet Elf, Elf meet defeat.”

Think you can do better? Post a six-word story by October 12, 12:59 PM EST in this thread. After the deadline, the entries will be judged by DoFH Staff and the author of the winning entry will be presented with a key to the second closed beta.

Articles (a, an, the) do not need to add to the word count, but can if you need it to get to six.