It's said everyone has a book in them - but, for people of few words, a short story contest could be just the thing.
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And Armidale Regional Libraries has launched the shortest of them all: the tales must be no more than six words long.
It's the third year the event has run, inspired by the apocryphal story of Ernest Hemingway being put up to the same challenge for a bet.
The American author supposedly wrote: "For sale: baby shoes. Never worn."
The first event in 2017 attracted 350 stories, some of the top entries including: "Her last words were her first," by Jess Cochrane and "That bag is ticking. Call Martin," by William Bennett.
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In 2018, among the best of the 400-plus entries were: "All they found was her tooth," by Anna Gooley and "We do not serve your kind," by Zaiden Kennedy.
Armidale regional mayor Simon Murray said the competition "attracted amazing quality and quantity of entries in the first two years".
"Everyone has a story to tell, and this competition is a great way to explore how people tell their stories in just six words."
There are three categories: primary students, high school students and people aged 18-plus.
