And, oh, yeah. . . Ernest Hemingway is said to have written the shortest short story in the English language, "For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn!". According to legend, Hemingway wrote the six-word story after being challenged to create a short story in that length at lunch with other writers. He won the bet, and later claimed the line was the best thing he'd ever written. Hemingway was a pioneer of the short story genre, known for his economical writing style.
Brevity is a wonderful practice. I just read Naomi Shihab Nye's collection of "up to 1000-word" short stories, There Is No Long Distance Now, and enjoyed the craft and impact immensely. And of course, a leaf's life continues after it hits the ground. Perhaps trajectory is opposite: our life starts on the ground!
I usually just write vignettes, based on a current feeling, or something that agitates me, or to express some personal change that I didn't expect..feelings like my lost Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holidays. Age, distance and death have swept them away, save in memory.
And then this leaf, complete in its previous incarnation, went on to nurture the forest of trees that surrounded it... (wish I could attach a photo of the wonderful maples that I observed as this line came to me, but perhaps your imagination can conjure it just as well).
And, oh, yeah. . . Ernest Hemingway is said to have written the shortest short story in the English language, "For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn!". According to legend, Hemingway wrote the six-word story after being challenged to create a short story in that length at lunch with other writers. He won the bet, and later claimed the line was the best thing he'd ever written. Hemingway was a pioneer of the short story genre, known for his economical writing style.
Brevity is a wonderful practice. I just read Naomi Shihab Nye's collection of "up to 1000-word" short stories, There Is No Long Distance Now, and enjoyed the craft and impact immensely. And of course, a leaf's life continues after it hits the ground. Perhaps trajectory is opposite: our life starts on the ground!
I usually just write vignettes, based on a current feeling, or something that agitates me, or to express some personal change that I didn't expect..feelings like my lost Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holidays. Age, distance and death have swept them away, save in memory.
So beautiful and in line with the season! 🍁❤️
And then this leaf, complete in its previous incarnation, went on to nurture the forest of trees that surrounded it... (wish I could attach a photo of the wonderful maples that I observed as this line came to me, but perhaps your imagination can conjure it just as well).