Six words. Endless ways to fail brilliantly.

Some winning entries are funny. Some are moving. Some are eerie, strange, or beautifully simple. There is no single formula. But there are definitely ways to improve your odds.

10 ways to improve your chances of winning

1. Read more six word wonders

Reading other people’s stories is one of the fastest ways to improve your own. You start to feel what works, what lingers, what surprises, and what falls flat.

The best place to begin is by reading widely across the Six Word Wonder books. Together they contain well over a thousand tiny stories and will quickly sharpen your sense of what this form can do.

You can also browse previous contest entries here. Fair warning: these are the entries that did not make the shortlist, which makes them useful in a different way.

2. Consider your genre

Are you writing a story, a poem, a memoir, or a joke? All are welcome, but each works differently. A joke needs punch. A poem needs music. A memoir needs honesty. A story needs movement.

It also helps to think smaller within the category. Is your piece horror, romance, mystery, satire, tragedy, or something harder to classify?

The clearer you are about what kind of piece you are writing, the more likely it is to land properly.

3. Revise and edit properly

Your first draft is rarely your strongest. In a six word piece, even one weak word can drag the whole thing down.

Try different word orders. Swap abstract words for sharper ones. Move the most interesting word to the end. Test punctuation. Remove anything that is merely explaining. Tiny stories often become good in revision.

Every word earns its place. Or leaves.

4. Get a second opinion

Once you have a handful of entries, show them to someone whose taste you trust. A fresh pair of eyes can often spot the strongest entry instantly, and can usually tell you which ones are clever but empty, or moving but unclear.

Because the form is so short, feedback is quick. Use that to your advantage.

5. Use writing prompts

If your ideas feel familiar, prompts can help you break out of your usual habits. A good prompt can push you toward fresher images, stranger situations, and more original entries.

Original, striking stories catch the judges’ attention. Stretch the form. Surprise yourself first.

6. Proofread your entry

This sounds obvious, but it matters. Check spelling, punctuation, grammar, and clarity. British and American English are both fine, but mistakes that look accidental can make an entry feel careless.

If a judge has to stop and untangle what you meant, the moment is lost.

7. Get topical, if it suits the story

Stories that connect with the world people are actually living in can feel especially alive. The environment, politics, technology, grief, loneliness, hope, cultural anxieties, and whatever else is pressing on people right now can all give a story extra relevance.

That said, topical does not mean forced. Only do this if it makes the story better.

8. Use all six entries

Each contestant gets six entries, and many people do not use them all. That is a missed opportunity.

Use all six slots. You can try different moods, different genres, or different versions of a promising idea. One of your more unusual entries may be the one that stands out.

One pattern from judging is that later entries are often weaker, as if writers run out of energy by number five or six. Keep your standards high all the way through.

9. Only use six words

You would be amazed how many entries fail this most basic test. If your entry is not six words long, it is not a six word wonder.

Please count your words before you submit. Then count them again.

Count first. Regret less. Submit smarter.

10. Be sure to actually enter the contest

The only guaranteed way not to win is not to enter at all.

In the 2021/22 contest, over 100 writers had their stories featured in the book Six Word Stories. The odds of being shortlisted are better than many people assume. Based on the figures on the site, around 1 in 7 people who entered were shortlisted.

Quick checklist before you submit

What next?

I hope these tips help you write stronger entries and improve your chances of success in the Six Word Wonder contest.

If you want to keep improving, explore the home of the Six Word Wonder, browse more six word stories, or try the tools for authors on the site.