This image is the cover for the book Very Short Stories

Very Short Stories

Inspired by an experiment on Twitter, these 300 moving stories are no bigger than a sentence or two, on themes like love, death, and family.

In this one-of-a-kind collection, author Sean Hill has crafted hundreds of engaging stories that conjure an entire novel in just a sentence or two. Sometimes sad, often humorous and always creative, these tales touch on a wide range of life experiences from romance and family to death and sex.

Nana rocked in her old wooden rocking chair. “Timmy, you have always been my favorite,” she said. He looked at her. “Nana, I’m Bobby.”

Read your diary, discovered your secret. I thought I loved you, but now I’m not sure. Don’t know what to do, you look so human.

Clowning was Daryl’s profession, cooking was his passion. Stella thought he was perfect. She liked to laugh and never learned to cook.

Alex bought Sharon a ring for Valentine’s Day, which she sold to buy the gun that stopped him from loving her.

In 2009, Sean Hill combined his love of writing and technology by creating @VeryShortStory, a Twitter feed where he interacts with his readers and shares his 140-character stories.

Praise for Very Short Stories

“Some are touching, some ring true, but most are laugh-out-loud funny.” —Seattle Times

“The book is a treasure-trove of fascinating exploration into the craft of language and storytelling.” —Summit Daily

“Story telling is his bag, pure and simple.” —Austin American Statesman

“The best of the stories might rival Hemingway's classic six word story in their descriptive brevity and their ability to tell a complete and affecting tale.” —Short and Sweet NYC

“Witty, well-crafted and always thought-provoking.” —Salt Lake Tribune

Sean Hill

Sean Hill is a writer, speaker, and creativity consultant. He was overexposed to a potent combination of Twilight Zone and Monty Python as a child. This lead him down a dark path from which he never fully recovered and bound him with a passion to storytelling.   Sean has spent much of his life combining creativity with work. Starting at age 19, he designed and programmed award-winning video games until he discovered improvisation, where ideas could be expressed as fast as they could be thought. He is the Founder of the Hideout Theatre, the premier venue in Austin, Texas, for helping people expand their creativity through the study of improv comedy, storytelling, and the art of creating in the moment.  In 2009, Sean combined his love of writing and technology by creating @VeryShortStory, a Twitter feed where over 100,000 followers read the short stories he creates in 140-characters. When not writing, Sean teaches creativity, communication, collaboration, and innovation, workshops to clients such as Motorola and the University of Texas MBA program. Sean lives happily in Austin, Texas, with his wife, four children, and a lot of dogs. He can often be found performing improv comedy around town with his friends.

Ulysses Press