Hemingway, 6-word story and branding

There's an urban legend about Ernest Hemingway sitting in a Florida bar. He argued with a person there that he could write a whole novel in just six words. The bar visitor had read Hemingway's books and liked them. He didn't think Hemingway could create the same deep feelings in only six words. Hemingway disagreed and to prove his point, he took a napkin from the bar, wrote six words on it, and won the bet. And the unforgettable 6 words are:

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

This story is popularly attributed to Ernest Hemingway, although the link to him is unlikely.

Was it really Hemingway?

The story has been around since at least 1906. In 1910, a newspaper called The Spokane Press had an article about a sad incident related to selling clothes after a baby's death.

In 1917, a writer named William R. Kane talked about a woman who was very sad because she lost her baby. He even had a title for the story, "Little Shoes, Never Worn." He said the shoes were given away, not sold, to help the owner feel a bit better.

By 1921, people were making fun versions of the story. In a magazine called Judge, they changed the story to be about a baby carriage instead of shoes. In that version, the person contacting the seller learned that twins were born, not just one child.

The story's connection to Hemingway wasn't known until 1991, which is 30 years after he died.

In 1992, the term "flash fiction" was used to describe telling a story using very few words.

Flash fiction, also called minimalist fiction, is a fictional work of extreme brevity that still offers character and plot development.

A specific version of this is the Six-Word Memoirs. This idea became popular, and in 2008, a book was published by Smith Magazine containing a collection of these six-word stories. Two more books with similar stories were published in 2009.

Hemingway's (or someone else's) clever six-word story is dark, but what makes it brilliant is that we can put ourselves in the story and imagine how the death happened. It's emotional. We can feel the mother's pain as she writes an ad for the unused baby shoes.

Because we are naturally inclined to tell stories, our minds are skilled at completing missing information. The story tells more by what it's left out, leaving it to our imagination.

How to use this in branding?

Creating a brand story is like mastering short storytelling. It's very hard to convey a meaningful message, let alone a whole little story, and evoke emotions in such a few words. Once mastering this mini format, short brand stories can serve as starting points for longer ones.

These tiny tales are one of the best forms of creative writing in very few words. So, how could you try it out?

1. Think of a captivating story Craft a short story with a conflict that sparks curiosity, described using vivid words. Make sure to start with a clear subject and a action-packed verb. Finish with a satisfying resolution.
2. Build a mini adventureTo write your own six-word story, start with an original idea, trim away all unnecessary words, and keep only the most important ones. This makes a complete and interesting story, like a tiny roller coaster ride.
3. Engage the reader's imaginationUse only six words to make a strong story that stirs feelings. Let the reader's imagination play a part – hint at things that aren't explicitly stated. These unspoken parts of the story will engage them even more, creating a complete experience.
4. Carefully choose your wordsYou've got only six spaces, so every word counts. Pick powerful words that drive your story forward. Use contractions to save space for essential nouns and verbs. Get creative with punctuation like colons and em dashes to link phrases without needing extra words.
5. Tell your personal taleDraw from your own life for inspiration. Think of a big moment and condense it into six words that capture your feelings and experience. It's like creating a tiny memoir that speaks volumes.

This exercise is very useful for business's brand storytelling, as well as for personal creative writing.

Can you create an interesting six-word story for your business? It makes you at least think, right? It's a great approach and exercise to make your brand story clear, simple, and impactful. To share my own:

Pressing problems. Real results. Sincere smiles.

P.S. And I will probably think of a few more in the coming days, which I will find much better than this.