Student Question | Can You Sum Up a Recent News Event in Just Six Words?

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A vigil for the dead gorilla outside the Cincinnati Zoo on May 31. Related Article Credit John Minchillo/Associated Press
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Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.

This piece is one of many we are featuring this month that was conceived and written by members of our teenage Student Council.

Have you ever heard of the concept of the six-word story? The most famous is this one, attributed to Ernest Hemingway:

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

As you can see, it is possible to make six meager words paint a clear image and hint at a rich story.

Do you think you can do it? If so, we invite you to take any recent news story — from the presidential race to the recent shooting of a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo to anything else in The Times that interests you — and create a six-word story out of it.

Want some inspiration?

The Times has written about the six-word story in the past, and once even sponsored a Six-Word “Momoirs” Contest in which participants were challenged to “explain your mother, someone else’s mother or motherhood in general in just six words.” Here are a few of the ones they honored:

  • She is a force of nurture.
  • There’s love in her green enchiladas.
  • Thought ‘LOL’ meant ‘lots of love.’
  • Gone suddenly. Things left to say.
  • Answered my questions. Questioned my answers.
  • Arms across my chest. Human seatbelt.
  • Friends finally. But not on Facebook.

More examples? Read some of Smith Magazine’s six-word memoirs by teenagers, over 347,960 of which have been received, according to the site. As they put it, “Writing in Six Words is a simple, creative way to get to the essence of anything — from the breaking news of the day to your own life and the way you live it.”

Note that one key to writing excellent stories this way lies in choosing only words that are completely essential, and eliminating words that are not. Words like “and” and “the” are usually a waste of spaces that can be filled with more potent words. Punctuation is crucial as well: Notice that in the story attributed to Hemingway there is a colon, a comma and a period. Punctuation can often be what bridges the gap between a six-word story that’s difficult to understand and a great one.

So try your hand and make a story out of any recent news item. Post them below, and, if we get enough, we’ll honor some favorites on the blog.

Some topics you might consider:

The race for the presidency

Transgender students and bathrooms

The Zika virus

The refugee crisis

The Golden State Warriors

Beyoncé’s “Lemonade”

Prince’s death

Students: Post your six-word story about the recent news event of your choice below. If we receive enough, the writer of this post will choose favorites and announce them here.


Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. All comments are moderated by Learning Network staff members, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.