Hemingway once wrote a story in just six words ("For sale: baby shoes, never worn.") and is said to have called it his best work. So we asked sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers from the realms of books, TV, movies, and games to take a shot themselves.
quote:
Failed SAT. Lost scholarship. Invented rocket.
- William Shatner
Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer?
- Eileen Gunn
Vacuum collision. Orbits diverge. Farewell, love.
- David Brin
Gown removed carelessly. Head, less so.
- Joss Whedon
Automobile warranty expires. So does engine.
- Stan Lee
Machine. Unexpectedly, I’d invented a time
- Alan Moore
Longed for him. Got him. ****.
- Margaret Atwood
His penis snapped off; he’s pregnant!
- Rudy Rucker
From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings.
- Gregory Maguire
Internet “wakes up?” Ridicu -
no carrier.
- Charles Stross
With bloody hands, I say good-bye.
- Frank Miller
Wasted day. Wasted life. Dessert, please.
- Steven Meretzky
“Cellar?” “Gate to, uh … hell, actually.”
- Ronald D. Moore
Epitaph: Foolish humans, never escaped Earth.
- Vernor Vinge
It cost too much, staying human.
- Bruce Sterling
We kissed. She melted. Mop please!
- James Patrick Kelly
It’s behind you! Hurry before it
- Rockne S. O’Bannon
I’m your future, child. Don’t cry.
- Stephen Baxter
1940: Young Hitler! Such a cantor!
- Michael Moorcock
Lie detector eyeglasses perfected: Civilization collapses.
- Richard Powers
I’m dead. I’ve missed you. Kiss … ?
- Neil Gaiman
The baby’s blood type? Human, mostly.
- Orson Scott Card
Kirby had never eaten toes before.
- Kevin Smith
Rained, rained, rained, and never stopped.
- Howard Waldrop
To save humankind he died again.
- Ben Bova
We went solar; sun went nova.
- Ken MacLeod
Husband, transgenic mistress; wife: “You cow!”
- Paul Di Filippo
“I couldn’t believe she’d shoot me.”
- Howard Chaykin
Don’t marry her. Buy a house.
- Stephen R. Donaldson
Broken heart, 45, WLTM disabled man.
- Mark Millar
TIME MACHINE REACHES FUTURE!!! … nobody there …
- Harry Harrison
Tick tock tick tock tick tick.
- Neal Stephenson
Easy. Just touch the match to
- Ursula K. Le Guin
New genes demand expression -- third eye.
- Greg Bear
K.I.A. Baghdad, Aged 18 - Closed Casket
- Richard K. Morgan
WORLD'S END. Sic transit gloria Monday.
- Gregory Benford
Epitaph: He shouldn't have fed it.
- Brian Herbert
Batman Sues Batsignal: Demands Trademark Royalties.
- Cory Doctorow
Heaven falls. Details at eleven.
- Robert Jordan
Bush told the truth. Hell froze.
- William Gibson
whorl. Help! I'm caught in a time
- Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel
Nevertheless, he tried a third time.
- James P. Blaylock
God to Earth: “Cry more, noobs!”
- Marc Laidlaw
Help! Trapped in a text adventure!
- Marc Laidlaw
Thought I was right. I wasn't.
- Graeme Gibson
Lost, then found. Too bad.
- Graeme Gibson
Three to Iraq. One came back.
- Graeme Gibson
Rapture postponed. Ark demanded! Which one?
- David Brin
Dinosaurs return. Want their oil back.
- David Brin
Bang postponed. Not Big enough. Reboot.
- David Brin
Temporal recursion. I'm dad and mom?
- David Brin
Time Avenger's mistaken! It wasn't me...
- David Brin
Democracy postponed. Whence franchise? Ask Diebold...
- David Brin
Cyborg seeks egg donor, object ___.
- David Brin
Deadline postponed. Five words enough...?
- David Brin
Metrosexuals notwithstanding, quiche still lacks something.
- David Brin
Brevity’s virtue? Wired saves adspace. Subscribe!
- David Brin
Death postponed. Metastasized cells got organized.
- David Brin
Microsoft gave us Word. Fiat lux?
- David Brin
Mind of its own. Damn lawnmower.
- David Brin
Singularity postponed. Datum missing. Query Godoogle?
- David Brin
Please, this is everything, I swear.
- Orson Scott Card
I saw, darling, but do lie.
- Orson Scott Card
Osama’s time machine: President Gore concerned.
- Charles Stross
Sum of all fears: AND patented.
- Charles Stross
Ships fire; princess weeps, between stars.
- Charles Stross
Mozilla devastates Redmond, Google’s nuke implicated.
- Charles Stross
Will this do (lazy writer asked)?
- Ken MacLeod
Cryonics: Disney thawed. Mickey gnawed. Omigawd.
- Eileen Gunn
WIRED stimulates the planet: Utopia blossoms!
- Paul Di Filippo
Clones demand rights: second Emancipation Proclamation.
- Paul Di Filippo
MUD avatars rebel: virtual Independence Day.
- Paul Di Filippo
We crossed the border; they killed us.
- Howard Waldrop
H-bombs dropped; we all died.
- Howard Waldrop
Your house is mine: soft revolution.
- Howard Waldrop
Warskiing; log; prop in face.
- Howard Waldrop
The Axis in WWII: haiku! Gesundheit.
- Howard Waldrop
Salinger story: three koans in fountain.
- Howard Waldrop
Finally, he had no more words.
- Gregory Maguire
There were only six words left.
- Gregory Maguire
In the beginning was the word.
- Gregory Maguire
Commas, see, add, like, nada, okay?
- Gregory Maguire
Weeping, Bush misheard Cheney’s deathbed advice.
- Gregory Maguire
Corpse parts missing. Doctor buys yacht.
- Margaret Atwood
Starlet sex scandal. Giant squid involved.
- Margaret Atwood
He read his obituary with confusion.
- Steven Meretzky
Time traveler's thought: "What's the password?"
- Steven Meretzky
I win lottery. Sun goes nova.
- Steven Meretzky
Steve ignores editor's word limit and
- Steven Meretzky
Leia: "Baby's yours." Luke: "Bad news…"
- Steven Meretzky
Parallel universe. Bush, destitute, joins army.
- Steven Meretzky
Dorothy: "**** it, I'll stay here."
- Steven Meretzky
for some odd reason, while the word "Ganya" was still just a thought-dropping in my head, I thought it'd only be four letters. But apparently it's five. yep.
10-31-2006 07:13 AM
