We had so much fun with bookkeeper last week—the word with six legs and three pairs of double letters—that we decided to keep the wordplay going. This week, we’re going in the opposite direction.
If bookkeeper is a marvel of structure, symmetry, and repetition, today’s word is a masterclass in restraint.
Go.
That’s it. One syllable. Two letters. And a complete, grammatically sound sentence.
It has a subject—implied, as in “You go.”
It has a verb.
It needs nothing else.
It’s not poetic or philosophical. It’s not flowery. But in the right moment, go says more than pages of explanation ever could.
The Sentence That Moves
There’s something quietly compelling about a sentence that takes no time to read but leaves an echo behind. Go is direct. It’s lean. It doesn’t pause for applause or clarification. It simply points—and moves.
We hear it in small moments:
A parent nudging a child into the classroom on the first day of school.
A coach at the starting line.
A friend letting go at the airport gate.
It can be kind. It can be harsh.
It can mean “you’re free now,” or “I can’t stop you.”
Sometimes, it means “I believe in you.”
There’s weight behind the word that isn’t in the letters themselves. What matters is not how it looks on the page—but what it sets in motion.
Why It Works
Writers love to chase strong sentences. Some do it with rhythm. Others use detail, voice, or imagery. But the shortest sentence in the English language reminds us that none of those things are required.
Sometimes, what matters most is clarity.
And go has no room for confusion.
It’s one of the few English sentences that carries both precision and force in a single syllable. You don’t have to explain it. You don’t even have to read it twice. It’s already underway.
Language at Its Leanest
We tend to associate great writing with depth, complexity, or cleverness. And those things have their place. But brevity has its own beauty.
Go sits alongside other small but mighty sentences:
“Jesus wept.”
“Time passed.”
“I do.”
Each one leaves space. Space for meaning. Space for feeling. Space for the reader to step into the moment.
When the sentence is short, it forces the writer to trust the reader. To let the words stand on their own.
The Echo of “Go”
There’s no shortage of uses. We go to work, go home, go on, go off, go for it.
But when it stands alone, go isn’t descriptive—it’s decisive.
It’s the kind of sentence that shows up when something is ending or about to begin. It doesn’t explain. It releases.
Maybe that’s why it lingers a little longer than expected. Not because it was loud, but because it left room for something else to start.
So we gave it a go.
The shortest sentence.
Two letters.
One verb.
Everything it needs.
Nothing it doesn’t.
And like all good trivia, it made us smile—quietly. The way language sometimes does when it surprises us not with how much it can hold… but with how little it needs.
Help Us Spread the Word
If this trivia made you smile or taught you something new, why not pass it on? Readers love curious facts—and writers do too. Here’s how you can help:
- Share the post on Facebook or in a book club group
- Forward it to someone who enjoys little-known stories
- Talk about it at your next book club meeting
Invite others to join us here:
www.publicationconsultants.com/newsletter
We’re growing a book-loving community one great story at a time. Your share might be why someone falls back in love with reading—or dares to start writing.
Author Campaign Method (ACM) for Authorpreneurs
This is Publication Consultants’ motivation for constantly striving to assist authors sell and market their books. Author Campaign Method (ACM) of sales and marketing is Publication Consultants’ plan to accomplish this so that our authors’ books have a reasonable opportunity for success. We know the difference between motion and direction. ACM is direction! ACM is the process for authorpreneurs who are serious about bringing their books to market. ACM is a boon for them.
Release Party
Web Presence
Book Signings
Amazon Author Page
Facebook Profile and Facebook Page
Active Social Media Participation
Ebook Cards
The Great Alaska Book Fair: October 8, 2016
Costco Book Signings
eBook Cards
Benjamin Franklin Award
Jim Misko Book Signing at Barnes and Noble
Cortex is for serious authors and will probably not be of interest to hobbyists. We recorded our Cortex training and information meeting. If you’re a serious author, and did not attend the meeting, and would like to review the training information, kindly let us know. Authors are required to have a Facebook author page to use Cortex.
Correction:
We take the quote by Marcella Smith, Small Press Business Manager, Barnes & Noble seriously: “The author is essential to the success of the book, giving energy behind the book to make it something that a customer will come in and ask for. That is what makes the difference in a book that sells, that develops legs, and has a life of its own. Otherwise the book goes on the shelf and stays there for three months. Then it gets returned.”
This is Publication Consultants’ motivation for constantly striving to assist authors sell and market their books. ACM is Publication Consultants’ plan to accomplish this so that our authors’ books have a reasonable opportunity for success. We know the difference between motion and direction. ACM is direction! ACM is the process for authors who are serious about bringing their books to market. ACM is a boon for serious authors, but a burden for hobbyist. We don’t recommend ACM for hobbyists.
We’re the only publisher we know of that provides authors with book signing opportunities. Book signing are appropriate for hobbyist and essential for serious authors. To schedule a book signing kindly go to our website, <
An Author Page on Amazon Author Central is a serious author ACM requirement and desirable for the hobbyist. Author Central is a free resource designed to help authors become more active participants in the promotion of their books. In Author Central you can manage an Author Page, update information about your books, and view Customer Reviews and sales information for your bibliography. If you don’t already have an Author Page on 
We hear authors complain about all the personal stuff on Facebook. Most of these complaints are because the author doesn’t understand the difference difference between a Facebook profile and a Facebook page. Simply put, a profile is for personal things for friends and family; a page is for business. If your book is just a hobby, then it’s fine to have only a Facebook profile and make your posts for friends and family; however, if you’re serious about your writing, and it’s a business with you, or you want it to be business, then you need a Facebook page as an author. It’s simple to tell if it’s a page or a profile. A profile shows how many friends and a page shows how many likes. Here’s a link <> to a straight forward description on how to set up your author Facebook page.
Active Social Media Participation
Mosquito Books has a new location in the Anchorage international airport and is available for signings with 21 days notice. Jim Misko had a signing there yesterday. His signing report included these words, “Had the best day ever at the airport . . ..”
The Lyin Kings: The Wannabe World Leaders
Time and Tide
ReadAlaska 2014
Readerlink and Book Signings
2014 Independent Publisher Book Awards Results
Bonnye Matthews Radio Interview
Rick Mystrom Radio Interview
When he published those overseas blogs as the book The Innocents Abroad, it would become a hit. But you couldn’t find it in bookstores.
More NetGalley
Mary Ann Poll
Bumppo
Computer Spell Checkers
Seven Things I Learned From a Foreign Email
2014 Spirit of Youth Awards
Book Signings
Blog Talk Radio
Publication Consultants Blog
Book Signings
Don and Lanna Langdok
Ron Walden
Book Signings Are Fun
Release Party Video
Erin’s book, 
Heather’s book, 
New Books