This was such a fun read. A full story in 6 words.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Undertaker paused when he heard tapping.

She’s right, but has no rights.

[Sentenced removed by the Truth Department]

Such a creative author! And he has several versions of these books.

A very lightweight compilation that provoked interest and amusement. I love the way the author provides instructions for how to write similar stories; could easily be used in a creative writing course.

Some authors take hundreds of pages to tell a single story. Doug Weller has written a book full of stories made up of just six words. Some tales are funny, some are profound, and some can be interpreted in more than one way.

This is such an interesting format. There is so much power and emotion packed into so few words. I look forward to reading more books like this one!

This is a really cool idea, having a whole book made up of random 6-word stories. Some are cute, some are funny, and some are twisted. I really enjoyed reading these fun little stories.

A fun, quick read, good for gifting, especially if you're not sure of the recipient's tastes in books. Will likely inspire the reader to come up with their own six word stories!

#SixWordStory #NetGalley

I so appreciate Mr. Doug Weller. Six Word Story is a delight. Some stories are silly and some serious and heartfelt. I was surprised how easily I was able to laugh or be moved to stop and reflect on what I had read. Sometimes, six simple words are not that simple. Would recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hebe Publications for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Six Word Story by Doug Weller is a collection of micro-fiction. The short stories have different genres, like thrillers, memoirs, humour and drama. It was a joy to read this creative collection,

I truly loved this a bunch. 6 word stories in all shapes and sizes. Found myself being pulled emotionally with each story. The format was a bit hectic but other than that i would love more

4★

“Under floorboards. Staying quiet. Footsteps above.”

Okay, that’s not a whole story, but it’s certainly the first chapter of one. This is the second in a book of six-word stories, and it includes some the author selected from those sent in by readers for the 2020 competition. He does credit them in the book. I've selected a few. (I don't know who wrote what).

Some are scary, like that one, while some could be a proposed rom-com script.

“Attempted sobriety. Tiny drink. Woke married!”

Some are sad, like the famous six-word story the author refers to that so many of us know. It is often attributed to Ernest Hemingway, but I don’t know if anyone knows for sure.

“For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.”

This is one along those lines:

“Proud mother. Heroic son. Folded flag.”

How about this one - the colonial history of so many countries?

“Boat docked. Explorers thrilled. Locals killed.”

It’s tempting to think up an answering one, isn’t it? But instead, I’ll give something along completely different lines. It tickled me because it reminded me of a famous incident in Australian politics a few years ago.

Tony Abbot became the Prime Minister of Australia, but while he was Health Minister, (2005 or so) the story broke that, in his youth, he had fathered a child who was adopted out. He stayed in touch with the child’s mother, and when the identity was revealed of the child, we learned he was now a young man working as a sound recordist in Parliament and had often worked in or around Tony Abbott.

Poignant, yes? Yes, until another of the mother’s boyfriends saw the young man’s photo in the news and recognised the resemblance to his own four kids! Guess what? DNA testing showed he was right. The mother really wanted Abbott to be the father, but, such is life.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/abbotts-love-child-turns-into-shaggy-dog-story-20050322-gdkz77.html

The six-word story that prompted my memory:

“School reunion. Her son resembled me.”

This is fun, and there’s a 2021 competition.

“This is the place for you to enter your six word stories, memoirs, poems, and jokes, with the chance of winning $100, and being named the Six Word Wonder 2021!”
https://www.dougweller.net/six-word-wonder-contest/

[The address in my preview copy was wrong, so I hope it’s been fixed in the real book!]

Thanks to NetGalley and Hebe Publications for the entertaining preview copy.

I love the "micro-fiction" format and have bought several print books that were topically curated (six words on romance, on death, on one's own epitaph, etc.) --so I eagerly requested this advance readers copy from NetGalley.

Was a bit disappointed. It seemed so scant -- in both quantity and quality. The content reminded me of a parlor game, where people spew out the first phrases that fit the format. It seldom felt as if there was any polishing or deep thought involved.

The publisher's blurb says there are more than 500 entries here, but it seemed like such a quick, insubstantial read to me that I actually counted the stories (I know, too much), and I got a count of 271, for what it's worth. The books I already own are quite thick and have 700 or more stories, just for comparison

I had mixed feelings about the commentary that was interspersed among sections of stories. One of the author's comments referenced the iconic six-word story often attributed to Hemingway: "For Sale. Baby shoes. Never Worn." The author, Doug Weller, draws a parallel between the "baby shoes" structure and the title of Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea."

"Note that, similar to Baby Shoes, every word in the title is one syllable long," Heller wrote. Of course, both baby and never are two-syllable words.

In fact quite a few of the entries in this book were take-offs on the Hemingway theme: For Sale: Baby sheep. Never Shorn. For Sale: used parachute. Never opened. For sale: healthy kidney. Slightly used. And so on. I think there were 8 or 10 variants.

If you fault me for giving such a close reading to a manuscript that was meant to me merely fun, I cop to that. Thanks to NetGalley and Hebe Publications for an ARC.

Title: Six Word Story
Author: Doug Weller
Pages: 109
Publication Date: 2/18/2021

Six-Word Stories is a collection of microfiction that includes horror tales, drama, comedic stories and memoirs. While I had heard of the concept of microfiction before, I had never really read much. This book was an excellent exposure to the range of stories possible. If you swipe, I have included a variety of the author’s six-word stories so you can get the idea of what it is.

I loved the variety of stories that are included in this book. I particularly loved the horror and dramatic stories the best. It is impressive how six words can deliver such a punch!

What I did not like was that the book intermixed the humorous stories with the more dramatic stories. I felt like I was hoping from dad jokes to Shakespearean tragedy. I would have preferred the author to group them and given the reader a bit more breathing room.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to check out microfiction. I will definitely be diving into this genre a bit more in the future.

#sixwordstory #netgalley

Six Word Story by Doug Weller is a super fun read!! I loved the idea that all the stories were told in just six words. All the stories were super creative and most of them left me wanting.more. It was a very quick read and I found myself trying to figure out if I could write a whole story in just six words, it is not as easy as it sounds. Highly recommend!!

Six Word Story by Doug Weller, 88 pages. Hebe Publications, 2021. $7.
Language: PG (2 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Weller tells several stories with only six words each, inviting every genre -- suspense, comedy, tragedy, and more. Not meant to be rushed through, Weller invites readers to think on the stories to peel back the layers to find the double meanings often hidden. Weller also includes submissions from the 2020 competition and invites readers to submit six word stories of their own for the next one!
The six word stories are intriguing as an idea, but I was disappointed by reading a whole book of them. I think I was disappointed because they didn’t feel as profound when they were side by side for comparison. Some of the stories were clever, but the majority of them were average. The mature content rating is for innuendo and mention of sex.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

To be honest, this book got old for me really fast. I love Hemingway's original 6 word story and I love succinct writing like haikus where you have to pack a lot of meaning into a few words so I thought this would be right up my alley. I kept feeling like it would be better as a Twitter feed where you saw one a day or something. Many of "stories" (sentences) were instantly forgettable, and the format made it a lot like sitting down to read a book of quotes. As another reviewer mentioned, many felt like filler. That said, it is a fun project and others are likely to enjoy the books.

My 6 word review: Too much monotony for six words.

I read a temporary ARC of this book for review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is my honest review.

Six-word stories can run the gamut from incredibly clever and poignant to tacky and cliche. Some of the six-word stories in this collection did truly create a full story, and I enjoyed them. The majority were a bit lackluster though and left me wanting. These included some that were just quippy one-liners that I'd definitely heard before.

Overall, the collection left me wanting, but it was a quick read. This would probably be best used as a coffee table book or a bathroom reader. Just something quick to pick up that you can easily put down to get on with the rest of your life.

Read. Laugh. Read. Think. Read. Reread.

This book was a welcome change from my usual lean towards fiction and mystery. It’s a collection of six word stories submitted to and collated by the author. I loved the idea of seeing how much a person can convey in just six words. It turns out to be a lot. Aside from being enjoyable and quick reading, I think this would make a great educational experience in the classroom setting. The format inspires creativity and pushes the writer to scrutinize word choice. It is also the kind of book you could have sitting around on a table as a conversation starter for a party.

Among these six word stories, some are powerful, some funny, some depressing, some mysterious. Some of them I read several times and didn’t quite understand. My only criticism is that some six word stories were coupled with others that were unrelated, making it seem like a twelve word story. It took me some time to realize there was some kind of stylistic presentation going on with some of them in this way. Maybe if an author submitted more than one story they were put together? Or maybe I just missed something obvious about those ones.

I received a free book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Doug Weller for this sneak preview. I think I need to find the original Six Word Wonder now to see where it all began!

Six Word Story is Doug Weller's second compilation of this unique and fascinating method of short-story writing that's been around for some time.

How do you tell a complete meaningful story with a beginning, middle, and end in only six words? That is the challenge and this book will show you a wide variety of clever and diverse examples which can be surprisingly emotive. Bet after reading this, you'll want to try it yourself!

My thanks to NetGalley and Hebe Publications for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book which is scheduled to be published on 2/18/21. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Six Word Story is the second collection of very short stories made by twenty-five contributors to this interesting project, assembled by American author, Doug Weller. Some are spooky, some are thought-provoking, some are poignant, most are clever and imaginative, and by definition all are, of course, succinct. There’s plenty of humour within these covers, much of it quite black.
Favourites for this reader are:
BMX Bandit became Mobility Scooter Man.
[Sentence removed by the Truth Department]
Cats can speak, but choose silence.
‘Wait, you’re pregnant how?’ asked Joseph.
“Keen on tattoos,” the mortician noted.
Left the veterinarians Pet carrier empty.
School reunion. Her son resembled me.
Poacher outsmarted ranger. But not elephant.
Gardener quits. Throws in the trowel.
Distraught child. Missing goldfish. Purring cat.
Roof left down today, Mr Kennedy?
Her last words went to voicemail.

From that sample it’s easy to see that they range across genres: stories, memoirs and jokes, and everything from romance, to horror, right through to philosophy and poetry. Probably the best-known six-word-story is “For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never Worn.” and in case this one inspires readers to try for themselves, Weller includes tips on how to create these little gems. This is a short read, but entertaining and well worth the time required.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Hebe Publications

Smiled my way through the entire book. Creative yet insightful stories all told in six words.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Doug Weller for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Wow I mean... This might have been the kind of different writing tmmy quarentined brain was craving. This miniimalist storytelling was a first for me, one that I was hally to experience. Join stories that range from heart warming humor to gut wrenching pain. In 6 words. I didn't know this was an actual thing. The only reason this won't get 5 stars is because formatting on kindle was just terrible (but it might just be an ARC thing I really hope they fix)
Thanks to all the people involved in letting me read this :) it really made my day and I hope it makes someone else's.