Editorial standards
Six Word Story is an open community with an editorial point of view. Reader reaction determines visibility, while these standards determine what belongs in the collection.
Edited by Doug Weller · Editorial standards
Published and editorially reviewed 2 August 2026
What we look for
A publishable submission contains exactly six written words and works as a complete creative piece. It may be a story, poem, memoir or joke, but it should create more than a slogan, isolated observation or familiar quotation.
- Exactly six words
- Original writing
- A discernible idea, image or turn
- Deliberate, intelligible language
- An appropriate genre and attribution
- No hidden seventh word in a title
Original work and AI
Use the original-submission route only for work you created and have the right to publish. Copied quotations and close imitations may be declined or removed. The collection celebrates human writing, so stories generated substantially by artificial intelligence are not accepted.
Sourced stories and attribution
Readers may add a six-word story found elsewhere by supplying its web source and any known creator. Sourced stories normally publish immediately with a community-supplied source label. Automated checks reject invalid links, duplicate stories, obvious advertising and excessive submissions; suspicious or potentially abusive material is held for editorial review before it can enter the public collection. Outbound source links are marked as user-generated and do not imply endorsement. Authors, publishers and readers can request a correction or removal through the reporting route.
What may be declined or removed
We may decline, hide or remove work that is not six words, is substantially unoriginal, is advertising or spam, contains private information, infringes rights, targets an individual with abuse, promotes hatred or violence, or is otherwise unlawful. Difficult, dark and provocative subjects are not automatically disqualifying; context, craft and likely harm matter.
Editing and genre decisions
We may normalize obvious spacing, punctuation, capitalization or genre errors without changing a story's creative meaning. Material changes should be referred back to the writer where practical. Genres are browsing aids, not permanent literary verdicts, and a story may be moved when another collection is a better fit.
Rankings and editorial judgment
Reader rankings decide how prominently community stories appear. They do not determine whether a submission meets these standards, and popularity is not the only measure of literary quality. Curated collections may use independent editorial judgment. Read the full ranking methodology.
Corrections, reports and removal
Writers may request a correction or removal of their work. Readers can use the Report button to hide a story immediately while it enters the editorial holding pen, or email doug@sixwordstory.net with supporting details. Review determines whether the story is restored, corrected or permanently removed.
Independence and endorsement
Publication means a work was considered suitable for this community; it does not mean Six Word Story endorses every idea expressed. Community rankings are separate from the Six Word Wonder Contest, and publication here does not enter a story into that contest.
Open to surprise. Serious about standards.