I was listening to my local NPR station the other day and they were talking to the creators of SMITH Magazine and the "six word memoir" project they had started and I was fascinated listening to peoples' stories. Some were laugh out loud funny others gave me pause because they were either sad or really gave me an a-ha! moment.
The project was born from the legend that has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn." 
While I am too wordy to write my memoir in six words or less, the idea of it has been rolling around in my head since I read about it. It is a challenge I will pass along to writers in the groups that I lead. The six words can be used (I think) to either write your own life story or even to succinctly describe a book project you are working on. Everyone hears about the elevator speech you should have prepared in the event you run into an editor in an enclosed space (please, though, not the restroom!).
Try it. Take the idea you have for a book, memoir, novel, nonfiction project and try to break it down to its most basic parts -- six words... try ten words if you need it. Think about it, though, if you know what your book is about in such minute detail, you really have your focus narrowed down and you are ready to begin writing!
Days of Whines and Runny Noses (memoir)
Posted by: christa Allan | February 12, 2008 at 08:12 PM