There’s a legend that Hemingway once was egged on at a bar to write a six-word story on a napkin. His friends said he couldn’t do it, and they offered a bet to see it happen. Hemingway grabbed a napkin and jotted:
For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
Then he passed it around to his friends as they choked on their bet. Over the years, Hemingway’s legend transformed into a new style of writing, a style that has flown under the radar yet attracts a core following who attempt to mimic Hemingway. The zhong was born.
Maybe there’s more to it than mimicry… Back in the 1600s in Japan, there was a new style of poetry brewing, spurred by the two poets Matsuo Basho and Ueshima Onitsura. They sparred back and forth and founded what is today known as the timeless poetic structure of haiku.
What Is the Zhong?
The word “zhong” itself is Chinese and has several meanings depending on its context. Zhong most commonly means “middle” or “centered” and “bullseye” or “to hit the mark.” Occasionally, it can mean “heaviness.” It’s pronounced “jhoong.”
The zhong can better help writers convey their thoughts more clearly and concisely. In this day in age we see so much jargon streaming on social media outlets, we want to bring a new meaning to posting. Zhong may seem restricting with the number of characters, but on the other hand it challenges you to think outside the box. For aspiring novelists and writers out there it will definitely churn their creative juices. Reading zhongs often spark the imagination and drive to post something of substance, which will then effect your own following. It’s a chain affect of creative writing!
How Can the Zhong Help You Write Better Novels?
Zhong can help writers to:
- Condense writing to more powerful sentences
- Broaden vocabulary
- Gain freedom to express any thoughts
- Spark thought provoking pieces of work
The zhong is a great tool for college students majoring in literature and philosophy to test their writing. The zhong can serve as a way for teachers to engage student activity. How many times do professors call on students who are not interested or engaged in a topic and are speechless when called on to partake in class?
Examples of the Zhong
Here are some examples of zhong:
Embrace the gratitude, kick the entitlement.
Played my cards but didn’t fold.
I dream, in which, life’s eternal.
BANG! Lightning struck, thunder was stolen.
The Zhong App
To further explore the potential of this form, we decided to build the fun new app Zhong. As we were building, we considered how we could evolve the zhong into its own style of poetry, like the birth of Haiku in the 1600s. Building on the notion that most social networks discourage creativity, we felt it was important to distinguish the Zhong app from its poetic style. Zhong, as we portray it, is merely a style of poetry that must be written across in no more or less than six words. Users of Zhong can express themselves however they’d like: stories, flash fiction, comedy, biographies, quips, memoirs, and more.
Zhongs can leave you feeling various emotions, whether they’re joyous, sad, reminiscent, or funny. The potential responses are innumerable. One of the greatest outcomes is meeting complete strangers who resonate with you. Your’e only limited by your imagination.
Feel free to play around with Zhong. The developers welcome all feedback and appreciate anyone who would just like to get in touch.
Tell me your opinion: Do you think the zhong form could help you write better novels? How?
