Hint fiction

A few months back, I heard a piece on NPR about "Hint Fiction"--a book that celebrates the really short story. Short as in 25 words or less. Inspired by Ernest Hemingway's "For sale: baby shoes, never worn,"  Robert Swartwood's "Hint Fiction" is an anthology of text message-length fiction.

They read 10 or 12 of the chosen short stories during the radio piece. I found it fascinating. I guess critics worry that this uber short fiction just plays into the public's ever shortening attention span. Is this fiction anything more than a tweet some wonder.

But, c'mon, that Hemingway "story" above? Genius.

And what about this one:

Blind Date
She walks in and heads turn. I'm stunned. This is my setup? She looks sixteen. Course, it's hard to tell, through the scope.

Pretty powerful.

I think Jacquie would be especially good at this. Her Facebook posts are always so clever and pithy.

I find it really hard to do. I'll get an idea about what the story should be about, but to lay it out in 25 words or less. It's hard for me.

There's no place like home
The blood tasted like rust in her mouth. There was no choice about staying this time. Was there?

Okay, this one was a little easier:

Friday
Ice, lime, pure spirits. Where is Ellie with the blender?

Yes, pure horseshit, but fun nonetheless.

How about you give it a try?