Do you have a six-word memoir? Can you write one? When I saw the 225-page book Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure, I grabbed a copy off the bookstore shelf. And finished reading it in one sitting.
SMITH magazine launched the six-word memoir online in 2006, and they’ve now compiled them into a book published this year. It is personal storytelling that soon created a storm across the Internet.
The book collects over 1,000 six-word memoirs on themes such as frustration, aspiration, secrets, and more. Not all entries on the website made their way into print, but you can read them here. The book also features illustrations submitted by the writers themselves.
Not Quite What I Was Planning is an inspiring and entertaining read. It’s amazing to see how six words can tell the story of one’s life. Here are some of my favourites:
Found true love, married someone else. – Bjorn Stromberg
Blogging is easy. Writing is hard. – Jennifer Shreve
And he nerded as never before. – Jon Thysell
Not a good Christian, but trying. – Alexander Tsai
I take photographs. I see life. – Daniel James
Boys liked her. She preferred books. – Anneliese Cuttle
Carbohydrates call my name every day. – Mary Petersdorf
Business school? Bah! Pop music? Hurrah! – Max Robins
Happy now that I know myself. – Anne Maiwald
