It may be apocryphal, but the story goes that Ernest Hemingway won a bet by writing a short story that ran fewer than ten words. One version of the story places the bet at the famed Algonquin round table. Whether true or not, there is an actual bet-winning short story attributed to Hemingway:
For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.
You have to admit it's pretty good. It builds, and there's a whole world of background and emotion lurking beneath those words.
We made a similar bet with our audience. Write a great short story in ten words or fewer. (You may use a title or not, but the title goes into the word count.)
Competition was intense, with one thousand and one people entering the contest. We thought it was appropriate to give you the ten best. The winner receives a free Gotham class, of any type. The finalists get recognition.
Winner
The city burned. Alice lit up, watched. She'd quit later.
Ingrid Bohnenkamp
Springfield, Missouri
Finalists
Used to be orthodox. Then Mardi Gras. Tzitzit. Beads. Whatever.
Eric Baron
Langhorne, Pennsylvania
"Mercy"
Shoot us, the mother begged. No machete. Please.
Rois Beal
Hoeilaart, Belgium
Fired? Rhonda and John? You're kidding! On whose desk?!!
Judith De Leo
New York, New York
Back rubs. Hot baths. Foot rubs. Who created this devil?
Katie Erdahl
Plymouth, Minnesota
"Pastel Summer"
Dear DadIts done. Coming home. Love, Rob(in)
Linda Martucci
Pennington, New Jersey
The inmate always called, wrote back, easily her best boyfriend.
Dan Moreau
Chicago, Illinois
We went there we saw it then we left
Malcolm Price
Easton Maryland
"Directions"
The map was accurate. He waited at the edge.
Lynne Schappert
Sacramento, California
Glenn slow-danced with Tracey in the pizzeria. She stopped crying.
Therese Lanigan Schmidt
Saugerties, New York
