For sale: baby shoes, never used.

12/28/2008
—Ernest Hemingway

The original short short story and the inspiration for this website. In the 1920s, Ernest Hemingway’s colleagues bet him that he couldn’t write a complete story in just six words. They paid up. Hemingway is said to have considered it his best work.

Random Next »

148 Responses to “For sale: baby shoes, never used.”

Pages: « 6 5 4 3 2 [1] Show All

  1. 1/15/200914 year old cryptic girl says:

    or that dangit!

  2. 1/15/200914 year old cryptic girl says:

    and neither was that, thank you.

  3. 1/15/200914 year old cryptic girl says:

    that was not a quote btw

  4. 1/15/200914 year old cryptic girl says:

    sorry, i meant quizilla.com not quibblo

  5. 1/15/2009Peter Kantor says:

    Origami party society. Lighter not invited.

  6. 1/14/2009Christopher Blea says:

    So we gasped. She just floundered

  7. 1/14/2009Prattle Assassin says:

    See that unloaded gun? Oops, sorry!

  8. 1/14/2009OMG! WTF? » Blog Archive » I Found Something Cool Online Again says:

    [...] This is a collection of short short stories consisting of just six words. It was inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s famous challenge. [...]

  9. 1/14/2009Aaron Levine says:

    Yes? No? Shut the fuck up

  10. 1/13/2009Nicole Hunt says:

    Remembered his name. Made it hers.

  11. 1/12/2009Aaron Minchau says:

    Broken before the bell tolls twelve

  12. 1/12/2009Aaron Minchau says:

    Always, nothing more than a human

  13. 1/12/2009Joe Nardi says:

    Her whispers echoed through his life.

  14. 1/11/2009Ulv! Ulv! » Blog Archive » Kort som faen says:

    [...] Forrige innlegg var om kort tekst. For to dager siden fikk jeg et tips om Six Words Stories fra Gunnar. Det er en slags spontane beskrivelser blir haikuhistorier. Seks enkel ord skal gi deg hele dramaet. De lenker til Flash Fiction og siterer Hemingway:  For sale: baby shoes, never used.  [...]

  15. 1/11/2009paul marnul says:

    Mexico. Soul mates. New York…..Chicago.

  16. 1/10/2009Nazara dilworth says:

    Wait. Eww this tastes like poetry.

  17. 1/10/2009Hoagie says:

    Drunk driving, oak tree, closed casket.

  18. 1/10/2009Gracie Paduano says:

    three kids. one tutor. one teenager.

  19. 1/9/2009Hasan Karadayı says:

    Existence of existence should be exist.

  20. 1/9/2009M.W. Paris says:

    I remember when…ooh, something shiny!

  21. 1/8/2009Sara Toussaint says:

    Demented. Decadent. She could only hope.

  22. 1/8/2009Kathy Willhoite says:

    She wished she could. No talent.

  23. 1/7/2009Sarah says:

    Thin ghost of innocence drowning.

  24. 1/7/2009Nicole says:

    Hands on the Bible
    scared like a child
    God holds you liable
    for what you’ve done

    homicidal
    stared down your idols
    a pretty baby
    never born

    you cant believe it
    you didnt mean it
    but they saw you do it
    and they know your name

    rats in the attic
    toys in the cellar
    she’s an addict
    he wants to learn

    hands on the bible
    egomaniacal
    as you screw yourself into oblivion
    worn and faded
    stoned and jaded
    you’ll have to face it
    on your own
    smashed on the pavement
    stunned in amazement
    everything you make comes crawling back to you

    you can’t believe it
    you didn’t mean it
    but they saw you do it
    and they know your name

    so hands on the bible
    scared like a child
    God holds you liable
    for what you’ve done

    homicidal
    stared down your idols
    a pretty baby never to be born

    you can’t pretend that you don’t know the reason
    for the reaping that you sow

    hands on the bible
    hands on the bible
    hands on the bible
    hands on the bible

  25. 12/29/2008Stories told in just six words. « Six Word Stories says:

    [...] of short short stories consisting of just six words. It was inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s famous challenge. It will include stories by famous writers, reader submissions, myself, and the Internet at [...]

Pages: « 6 5 4 3 2 [1] Show All

Leave a Reply