I just know this guy's entry will be too long
[Update: Bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard is now helping to judge this contest.]
Recently I spotted this for-sale ad on Craigslist: “Nike Triax c3 heart rate monitor and watch, used one time only.”
Which of course brought to mind Hemingway’s famous six-word story, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
Thinking I can’t be the only person who digs this sort of novel-in-a-nutshell, I am now herein and forthwith announcing The First Annual John Shore 10-Word Short Story Contest. The rules to this contest are as follows:
As a comment to this post, submit a story consisting of no more than 10 (ten, diez, X) words.
Submit as many stories as you like or think you can get away before other people would wish you’d stop already.
The best of the submitted short stories will be chosen by a panel of illustrious literary illuminati consisting primarily, exclusively and peremptorily of me.
The author of the mega-short story deemed the best will win an autographed and inscribed copy of the near-bestselling book I co-authored, Comma Sense: A FUNdemental Guide to Punctuation (which Lynn Truss, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, called “a clear, entertaining, and just plain helpful guide to the American rules of punctuation”).
More than one story may be named winner, though I’m so sure.
All stories must be submitted by midnight, September 30, 2009. Winner(s) will be announced on the morning of Friday, October 2, 2045 09
Good luck. And don’t forget the motto of The John Shore 10-Word Short Story Contest: Achieving attentiveness through anal retentiveness.
![John Shore on The Huffington Post](http://johnshore.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/huffpost.jpg?w=120 "John Shore on The Huffington Post\")
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Trillions of worlds, infinite lives, and God is with me.
Well, goodbye then. (Read: I love you)
“The Pen is BLUE!”, shouted Wendel. Francklin’s rebuttle “Hell Naw!”
At two he was terrible, at sixty-two much worse.
Wei-hsin: I LOVE this one! If it had come in on time (I am sorry, but the contest is now closed), I might have picked this one as the winner.
She left without any desire.
She was my best friend until she stole my husband.
The man drove away as the town burned behind him
an angel getting rejected caused the forest fires in california.
Chris: Good, but STOP. You're too late.
if god is merciful then why do people have to die?
if he loved her truly, then why did he hurt her so.
The mirror that was you.
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