The above is an example of "flash fiction," a six word short story by Ernest Hemingway (the great man considered this one of his favorite works). This story and others like it are evoked in this Wired article from 2006.
Personal fave: Machine. Unexpectedly, I’d invented a time
- Alan Moore
Some are funny, some are strange, but all strive to create a powerful, evocative context with just a handful of words.
Flash fiction is illustrative for students of the five minute sitcom. You've got five minutes in which to tell a story, and the little boxes you're streaming in hamper the audience's ability to read lips. Keeping lines short and potent helps you keep your final cut lean and mean, and keep your points, message and humor vibrant and punchy.
As the Simpsons say, "Brevity is... wit." Most jokes benefit from taking words out of the setup and stressing the punchline.
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