25 words

Sara jumped right in to the 25 word story hashtag on twitter, and I am totally jealous of her writing ability. I wish I was that creative and that crafty with words. I've been thinking and composing for some time with a 25 word story in mind, but I'm not courageous enough to post to twitter. So here, tonight, I'm cranking through some stories. Maybe I'll grow more confident as I continue to try, and actually publish them.

Story: It wasn’t just sillybandz arrayed across her desk, it was also her hope for a future: an airplane, the sun, seashells, high heals, a sailboat.

Memoir: One image from my evening: sitting cross legged in my living room, munching on corn-on-the-cob, watching soccer, and monitoring the tweet stream. 

Story: It wasn’t the sourness of the pickle that caused her face to screw-up. He did really just say, “I think I shat my pants.”

Memoir: Size fourteens are strewn about in every room of the house, testimony to tired feet and lazy legs. Exhaustion means I can fall asleep anywhere.

Story: She couldn’t understand the words he chose. She knew it was coming. She actually thought she felt the same. But his words left her unsettled.

Story: Her back was turned and no one else would tell. They quickly exchanged papers. This time, he got the A and she got the D.

Story: He wouldn’t call it greed, poor judgment, or dishonesty. He would call it bad luck or blame it on someone else. He would never learn.

I think I'm going to try this out with my students. I've done $2 summaries, where every word "cost" 10 cents, so they basically have 20 words to write a summary of the learning for the day. But a 25 word story is challenging because they've got to be creative with the language, not just summarize. I guess I think both activities are good for being precise in the use of language--summarizing is an important skill, but so is telling a story.