Twitter Writing Contest

            A Mashable article informed me that writer and actor BJ Novak is holding a writing contest for aspiring writers via Twitter. Contestants are allowed to tweet a 140 character story along with the hashtag #MashReads. The deadline is Friday, and you can enter up to five stories.

            It might seem easy to write a story that short, but it certainly isn’t. Telling a story in 140 characters requires a lot of creativity and precision in choosing words. An example of Novak’s is “I was sad that summer was over. But I was happy that it was over for my enemies, too.” The story doesn’t require much explanation, but rather allows readers to read between the lines. And in my opinion, that is the best kind of writing: the kind that makes you think.

            This writing contest reminds me of something I learned in one of my journalism classes. Ernest Hemmingway once wrote a six-word story: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” It shows true talent if a story can be told in only six words. It also lets the reader determine the meaning of the story, which is what would probably also happen if a writer is limited to a tweet-length to write his or her story.

            I really enjoy creative writing, and I think it’s interesting that Twitter provides a medium for writers to showcase their work. I’ve tried writing a six-word story, but I haven’t been able to. Maybe writing a 140-character story will be easier for me. If I come up with anything in the next two days, I’ll be sure to enter into the contest!