Some time ago, I read that (according to the author), the shortest story on record was:
“As the last man on Earth sat alone in his house, he heard a knock at the front door.”
Jon Steel, in Truth, Lies and Advertising, writes that he thinks the record for shortest story is the sign often held by homeless people, “Will Work For Food,” which he thinks packs more meaning into four words than you realize at first:
- I’m desperate but not crazy
- I’m not begging, I’m willing to work
- I need to eat, I’m not asking for cash for drugs or alcohol
To me, both are examples of Occam’s Razor applied. According to Wikipedia, William of Ockham was an English friar and philosopher seen as one of the great minds of Medeival thought; his Occam’s Razor is often stated as:
“entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.”
How could applying Occam’s Razor help your writing be brief and direct? How could it immediately engage your audiences’ imaginations?
What can a 14th century friar teach you about telling a better story?
