Abridged Too Far?

A colleague of mine brought my attention to a recent article in the Houston Chronicle called, "Short on Words, Deep in Meaning." The story referred to a legendary challenge to novelist Ernest Hemingway to write a novel in only six words. His worthy response was, "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." I think that's pretty fantastic...and more difficult than you'd think, to come up with provoking ideas in a mere handful of words. The examples in the article were profound and hilarious and tragic. Just like a real novel, if you're lucky. One example was, "Being a monk stunk. Better gay." And also, "Was father, boys died, still sad." I think my friend was urging me to pick up the gauntlet and give it a try, which intrigued me. You'd be amazed at how frustrating it is to come up with deep, insightful thoughts and then condense them to only six words without sacrificing the meaning you're trying to convey. My first attempt was: "Writer's block. Found Double Stuf Oreos." Okay, stay on target.... How about: "What's so bad about television? Gilligan." Or, "Love anonymity but who am I?" Now I'm on a roll. "Courage is overrated. Fear moves you." I like that one. I guess my favorite submission would be: "Valentine's Day today. Filed for divorce." True story...but that's another blog entry. To my friend who issued the challenge, I'd love to hear what you think about my feeble attempts at six word novels and....I'd really love to read yours. Thanks for the inspiration.