I read an interesting and powerful story today about Ernest Hemingway. Yes, I checked it out on scopes.com and it is unverified…could be true, might not be. True or not, the point still remains.

The story goes something like this: Hemingway bets a group of fellow writers—while sitting in a bar—that he can write a great short story in six words or less. They all pony up $10 and Hemingway writes this story:

For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.

He won the pot. Not only is this technically a story (with a beginning, middle, and end) but it tells a powerful story because we fill in the sad details.

It’s powerful because it’s brief and makes us think. We process the story…we fill in the blanks (sometimes with our own life experiences). This is a lesson I am trying to learn and put into practice in my own life. Too often I prattle on beyond what’s necessary.

I will take this lesson from one of our modern-day masters…there is power in brevity…I don’t have to say it all.