According to a legend, Ernest Hemingway was challenged to write a novel in only six words. His response was: For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.
The Los Angeles Times online magazine, SMITH, invited the world to e-mail their true-life, six-word memoirs. They posted examples from names they figured most readers would know, such as Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert (“Me see world! Me write stories.”) and celebrity chef Mario Batali (He sent seven, each enlightening, but none as pitch-perfect as “Brought it to boil, often.”)
More than 15,000 submissions later, SMITH editors are struck by what proves possible in only six words. The short, short life stories keep coming in. Read/submit your memoirs at smithmag.net if you’d like to see it online.
Now your challenge is to create your own six-word memoir. Post yours here.
For additional reading, check out www.npr.com and search topics for 6-Word Memoirs.
