Like animals, Six Word Wonders come in many different types. So what are the many types – so you can recognise them in the wild? What are the common forms of Six Word Wonder?
Here, I’ve tried to summarise the main forms of Six Word Wonder. These categories are loose and may overlap, but hopefully they give some structure to help you.
[toc]Common Forms of Six Word Wonder
There are six common forms of Six Word Wonder. Here, we are going to learn a bit more about each type. You will also have a chance to experiment with each type of Wonder as we go. Six Word Wonders can be: Funny, Serious, Light, Dark, Playful, Poetic, Absurd, or any combination of these.
The Six Common Forms of Six Word Wonder:
Six Word Stories
In a Six Word Story, you try to tell a narrative in six words, with a beginning, middle and an end.
Probably the most famous six word story of all time is
For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never Worn
Six Word Jokes
The focus of a Six Word Joke is to deliver a laugh (or a groan) from your reader. They are meant to be amusing, droll, sarcastic or cheeky.
An example of a Six Word Joke would be:
Camping during an earthquake? In tents.
Most Six Word Jokes have some for of set up and punchline.
Six Word Poems
Six Word Poems are intended to evoke emotion through the power of language.
An example of the emotional resonance of a Six Word Poem might be:
You, became we, became a family.
This story elicits thoughts of love and relationships. It also has a rhyming frame, and builds from one word, to two words, to three words.
Six Word Memoirs
Six Word Memoirs are mini-autobiographies. They are a tiny summary of the person you are, inside or out. Writing on tombstone is optional.
An example of a Six Word Memoir might be:
First act as president? Ban scissors!
This is a personal fantasy that sums up an element of the authors life. In this case, Jane Smith hates getting her hair cut enough to want the practice outlawed.
Six Word Advice
Capture an astute piece of advice in only six words.
An example of Six Word Advice would be:
Always accept an offer of toothpaste.
This playful story let’s us ponder why somebody would be offering you toothpaste, and how to fix your halitosis problem. You can find a bunch of examples of six word memoirs and how to write them here.
Six Word Riddle
In a Six Word Riddle, you play with language, format and word order to set up a little riddle or puzzle for the reader to solve within the words.
An example of a six word riddle might be:
Race horse had had horse race
This Six Word riddle is an example of
The Six Word Wonder collections
So, that’s the main types of Six Word Wonder: Stories, memoirs, jokes, poems, advice, and riddles.
There are, of course, many sub-categories and hybrid forms – like Six Word Jobs and Six Word History. And more story films will come, because six words turns out to be a surprisingly flexible way to be creative.
Really, the only rule is to write six words that offer some kind of surprise, story or emotion. Why not try writing a few?
Find out more about Six Word Wonders, or even enter the Six Word Wonder contest. Contest offers a prize of $100, and the chance to be published, and perhaps most importantly, it is free to enter!
And if you’d like to read some six word wonders, why not check out the books, Six Word Wonder and Six Word Story?
