President Abraham Lincoln’s 278-word, two-minute Gettysburg Address earned a place in history above the 13,675-word, two-hour oration by Edward Everett. Why? Brief messages get to the point quickly and are more easily remembered. You can be sure, on Judgment Day, people will have to account for every word carelessly spoken.
— Matthew 12:36 EWS
  • Make Your Stories Memorable

President Lincoln has been reported to have penned his famous speech on the back of an envelope while riding the train to the battlefield, but that was not the case. A number of drafts on White House writing paper have been found. Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) once apologized for his long letter, saying, “I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time.” Extra time is needed to make a story clear and concise, but it’s worth the effort.

  • Short Shorts

The shorter the story, the more each word must count. Here are a few very short stories, only six words, yet each one has a beginning, middle, and end.

  1. I came. I saw. I conquered.
  2. God spoke. Light appeared. Very good.
  3. Christ died. Now we live. Forever.
  4. Body found. Lengthy investigation. Murderer imprisoned.
  5. Sent stories. Ignored rejections. Got published.
  6. Five stones. One shot. Dead giant.
  7. Daniel prayed in lion’s den. Slept.
  8. Loved people. Pleased God. No shame.
  • An Impatient Audience

Today’s society has Attention Deficit Disorder. If the first words don’t grab attention, people will leave for something else. Vignettes and devotionals are popular because of their important messages contained in less than 250 words.

For a 385-word story shortened to 161, then 114 and 6 words, Click Here.