Robert Swartwood coined the term and published a book with a hundred such stories by known and unknown authors. The result is quite random, here are a few of the more interesting ones...
'They buried him deep. Again.' Joe Lansdale
'Broke and desperate, I kidnapped myself. Ransom notes were sent to interested parties. Later, I sent hair and fingernails, too. They insisted on an ear.' Stuart Dybek
'The school bus picks us up first so we claim the back seats. Make the white kids sit up front.' Gwendolyn Joyce Mintz
I plan to have a go myself but the shorter the story, the harder it is to write...
Mark Twain once received this telegram from a publisher:
NEED 2 PAGE SHORT STORY TWO DAYS.
He responded:
NO CAN DO 2 PAGES TWO DAYS.
CAN DO 30 PAGES 2 DAYS.
NEED 30 DAYS TO DO 2 PAGES.
Talking of telegrams...
The novelist Victor Hugo, anxious to know about sales of his newly-published Les Misérables, sent one to his publisher.
It simply read: “?”
The reply was: “!”
It doesn't get more succinct than that.
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