by Rix Quinn
Today’s readers owe much to an unassuming old guy who roamed the country telling short stories that will live forever.
What can we learn from Aesop?
Around 600 B.C. this Greek slave began to chronicle fables from around the civilized world. He became so famous his master freed him, and he traveled many places to share stories with both kings and commoners.
His stories—like the one about the tortoise and the hare—gave animals human qualities. His fables pointed out people’s good and bad traits, and illustrated critical life lessons.
I always wondered how long his stories were. So, I chose a few at random, and counted the words.
The one about “The Tortoise and the Hare” ran about 172 words in the version I saw. The one titled “The Lion and the Mouse” – the story where the mouse pulls a thorn from a suffering lion’s paw – contained 178 words.
A third one called “The Ant and the Grasshopper” told about the ant who survived the winter much better than the grasshopper because he’d wisely stored food. That version ran only 155 words.
What do these stories have in common? They’ve lived for 2,600 years, and they are all super-short. Each can be read aloud in about one minute or less!
In this age where so many media compete for a person’s time, does it make more sense for a publisher to run one long message…or four short ones in the same spot?
I’m a fan of the abbreviated version…and I’ll tell you why in upcoming columns.
Yes, maybe Aesop invented the Minute Message because he knew we’d need it more than ever today.
Rix Quinn — a former trade magazine publisher — now writes and records audio biographies for business publications. For more details, he can be contacted by e-mail at rix@rixquinn.com, or by phone at 817-920-7999.
