6 Word Memoir Examples

  



12 thoughts on “ Six-Word Memoirs: Quarantine Edition ” Pia Alliende March 28, 2020 at 9:59 am. The world is with you. The coronavirus not only kills people but is in our brain almost all the time.I hope tomorrow is one of the good connecting days.


Inspired by the book Not Quite What I was Planning: Six Word Memoirs from Writers Famous and Obscure, edited by Penn alumni Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser, the Hub decided to write their own six-word stories.

Have your own six-word contribution? Email us! wh@writing.upenn.edu


Don't contractions count as two words?

Thomas Abers Lourenço

Fretful, but less so when outside.

Bart Hollingsworth

Never let NO-ONE steal your joy!

Stormyweather Banks

Expect and accept unexpected and unacceptable.

Judi Gedcke

Anticipation is not just about ketchup.

Amy Hostetter

Out of everyone, I chose you.

Samantha Yanez-Chavez

you must live through the night

Leslie Loredo

Found a new mountain to scale

Melody Wren

I came, I saw, I conquered!

Sheldon Fredrickson

live. contemplate. learn. keep moving forward.

Grace Juhlin

Never really am where I want.

Irvin P. Delatorre

Ringling Bros. demise - the bookkeeper's balance

Ken Olson

Others seldom rise to my expectations.

Debra Posthumus

A reader longing for the stars.

Rajshri Thakur

Looking ahead. Looking back. No middle.

Gabe Oppenheim

My. pace. is so different…SEE?

Radall Hogue

I love being indoctrinated by you

Violette Carb

So many spaces, so few words.

Greg Djanikian

chocolate chip cookie endowment coming soon

Sarah Arkebauer

pacifist: an enemy of the state

Ken Olson

moved every year then came home.

Allison Harris

So, um, what's up with you?

Sam Donsky Gta vice city pc game code download.

Sometimes I have a good notion.

Al Filreis

I still dance to 'Octopus's Garden.'

Kristen Martin

I am looking for the (g)riot.

Greg Romero

Sounded much better in my head.

Chris Milione

ask me again in a month

Jessica Lowenthal

Striving to remain childLIKE not -ish

Mingo Reynolds

Train Insane or Remain the Same

a student from Mason City Schools

riverrun, Finnegans Wake unread too long the

Ryan Godfrey

Google knows me, therefore I am.

Chris Mustazza

What I didn't expect changed me.

Kathy Lou Schultz

The French: '1987--a bad vintage.'

Max McKenna

Music tastes just as good as

Ben Epstein

This then

is it

is it ?

f.manweiler

It took longer than I thought.

Kerry Sherin Wright

These years writing about those ones.

Jamie-Lee Josselyn

Bastard child of (moon)light laughter. Ha!

Jerry Rudasill

Slightly awkward, clumsy, asks many questions

Tahneer Oksman

Sometimes 'awkward' is a good thing.

Lindsey Rosin

possible. Wishing I could go back. Im

Lee Huttner

The experience was worth the risk.

Arielle Brousse

I can do it in five.

John Carroll

Some talent, big chip on shoulder

Sam Allingham

On second blush, it reads more

Kaegan Sparks

prone to confessions (of a variety)

Trisha Low

no rhyming. loose ends are more

Rivka Fogel

poetic attempts to win your favor

Michelle Newman

I made a choice about business.

Michelle Taransky

幸福一无所有

Jerry Yue Liu| 刘悦

If it's hard, am I missing something?

Chris Rippel

Are my forgotten events, still meaningful?

Chris Rippel

Finding balance between meaning vs. happiness.

Chris Rippel

Thanks for the opportunity. Choose one.

Chris Rippel

Tried not to remember but did.

Paul Hansen

He betrayed me. Married the dog!

Patricia O'Connor

Attention all Fortnite gamers EX DEE

Justin Pelling

Change what you are complaining about.

Doug Beach

A PERSISTENT UNPREDICTABLE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME.

Mohnish Singh

We did not say our farewell.

Peter Schwarz

Waves of grief, drowning the soul.

Paula Wychopen

Books are not just for staring.

Iqra Azam

Constant energy that cannot be focused.

Bryan Hutchins

i see you lurking. watch This.

Trivius Caldwell

Her dreams kept her reality warm.

Lisa Anne Pottle

We all belong only to time.

Wendy Wolff

it was not right with you

Dorothea Lasky

love go up down stop forget

Seth Laracy

How to fit/function/be okay.

Emma Morgenstern

frequently 'awkward' is a good thing

Lindsey Rosin

live and die by your words

Talia Stinson

I should have brought a GPS.

Karen Rile

Felled by dreams, saved by friends

Sylvie Beauvais

Eat. Shit. Fuck. Laugh. Cry. Die.

Peter Nichols

It's simpler than they tell you.

Josh Kruger

I came. I saw. I sat.

Eric Karlan

there's always something to laugh about.

Kirsten Thorpe

So many discards before sending this.

Moira Moody

This is my life right here.

Kristen Gallagher

Please do not sit on me.

Richard Lawrence

rarely lives up to her name.

Grace Ambrose

finding a way without being sorry.

Blair Borish

I stole codes reversed, ocelots. I!

Nick Montfort

I am not so easily summarized

Kayl Cecchini

At least friendships don't require visas

Janine Catalano

Brighter light makes the shadow darker.

Cindia Huang

Make lemonade when life presents them

Lyneisha Dickenson

the hits just keep on coming

Erin Gautsche

i'm not so good at following rules

Adrian Khacthu

life's an itch I can't scratch

Caitlin Hennessy

What the hell is going on?

Daniel Melamed

Never give up the struggle.

Irving Jones

I still do not regret anything.

Katie Antonsson

Yes, I have made maple syrup.

Kristen Pearson

Whats The Worst That Could Happen?

Mike VanHelder

Too many impulses, too little caffeine

Dani Blum

I must finally complete my Pokédex.

Amanda Silberling

is it love or spinal meningitis

Kimberly Lu

Be impressed, I stayed my hand.

Justin Purnell-Anglin

Click here

Danny Snelson

One box of tissues wasn't enough.

Neha J.

Please, Time, I am not ready.

Valentina Raman

Start Faster Faster Slower Slower Stop

Chris Rippel

When will I figure it out?

Chris Rippel

If it's easy, am I missing something?

Chris Rippel

A decision was made, I complied.

Lucy Dematti

What you define as love, isn’t.

Marjorie Maine

Too happy, suicidal on the inside

Anonymous

My life, lived inside my head.

M. Mazloumian

What to do with word seven.

John Meo

I am this now and always.

Anita Avent

Talking without action is just complaining

Kevin Wold

Bathed dead baby while parents wept.

Kathleen Tillman RN

Teachers eating misery. Misery eating students.

Cristóbal Tabilo

Too much vanilla, not enough chocolate.

Nina Maruca

So young, and yet so damaged.

Shane Sovik

Aorta tears again and again. Reflection.

Joe Pergola

live a little, love a lot

Katie French

Afraid to write the wrong poems.

Syra Ortiz-Blanes

Kid gets magic set, pursues dream.

Gerry Katzman

new language. consulting the urban dictionary.

Ken Olson

Love, pray, wait on God's time.

Kelly Bonnickson

I never believed this would happen.

Kailey Zitaner

Still searching for that silver lining.

H.A. Nima

For sale: Wait…no I’m not!

Michele Parker Randall

Wings on feet, story in hand.

Gionni Ponce

Saved by grace, free at last.

Angela Vertucci

Dorms are weird(er) in your thirties.

Jamie-Lee Josselyn

Woof, woof! I live in Hill!

Primo

Left to seal my bastion fate

Maxwell Bolno

Oh, shit. Where are my keys?

OR

Let go of it--it's gone.

OR

Words were everything. Words fall apart.

Patricia Mary

Crying under a table in Commons

Peter LaBerge

Pulled between past, present, and future.

Alexandra Bousquet

That evening the sun didn't set.

Zoe Stoller

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

OR

Not much has changed since then.

Santiago Cortes

Maybe art school was a mistake.

Holiday Campanella

Each year balder than the last.

Donald Antenen

this is just another story! cheers!

Pablo Abrante

Always happiest with the bare minimum.

Maya Levine

Up and showered, God bless steroids!!

Deirdre McCarthy

Someday soon recognizing that inaction decides.

Lauren Shapiro

Worst of all, it goes on.

Steph Barron

Wait, where did the weekend go?

Jamie Seah

Searching for profound moments of pleasure.

Montana Buss

This time, I actually hit send.

Naomi Tsai

Keep up the fight! Never qui

David Poplar

scary men become boys - superbowl champs

Ken Olson

Often, it's not what it seems.

Pallavi Wakharkar

Robin, Dylan & Poetry make me joyful.

Eric Alan Weinstein

Peer pressure made me do it

Marlene Vargas

Oh is it really time to

Bob Perelman

Used Britta, still get stomach aches

Adam Shapiro

handshakes are good, hugs are better

Sammy Krouse

Have yet to figure it out!

Cami Potter

Fighting to resist the seventh word..unsuccessfully.

Julia Levitan

The cold never bothered me anyway.

Nathaniel McLeod

Alone, stiller than a swallowed breath.

Kaitlin Moore

Blueprint as a tangle of vines.

Gina DeCagna

Please pay in coffee, chocolate, books.

Andie Davidson

Have yet to figure it out!

Cami Potter

the cucumber is full of pearls

Leah Baxter

growing up failed expectations. stay young

Harry Thu

I am not defined by words.

Sarah Di Fede

Old soul, young spirit, hopeful heart.

Sarah Di Fede

Beats by Dre, Capital by Marx

Max Karpinski Autocad 2013 activation code xforce 64 bit.

Survived dog attack, Beatlemania and egomania.

Catherine Palmer

Transfigurations all days, only for fun.

Gerardo Manuel Padrón Ortiz

You can, you can't, you can.

Georgia Renouf

Giving killing loving educated believed succeeded.

Selema Molopa

Dream it. Believe it. Build it.

Anthony LaFlamme

Plenty diapers, smiles, hugs, and kisses.

Megan Coleman, Teen Mom​

Too much life. Too few words.

Mr. Phil

Now only no past no future

Maude Bigelow

He forgot the coffee, she imploded.

Sashi Grayndler

The egg, the sperm, and then..

Larry Hoover

Explore the world, discover true beauty.

Halee McDonald

ONLY POOR COOKS CAN BE EATEN.

Volodymyr Knyr

Brother to guilt, lover of freedom

Elliott Walker

I don't think I understand Greek.

Elliott Glynn

Small dog; silent, mighty, deadly, farts.

Gabriela Valinho

Leave it not, Life is divine

Dr.EZHUMATTOOR RAJARAJAVARMA

Reality became a really sick joke.

Olivia Steber

Let's hope it's just a dream.

Kat Mason

I accidentally fed the dog twice.

Ashlyn Dixon

In the center of it all.

Malia Jeffers

Education: formal, informal, advance up ladder.

Doris Knibbs Stienstra

Boy, girl, marriage, honeymoon, pregnancy, miscarriage.

Darrell Davis

My beer tastes like saw dust.

Will Wright

Devasted daughter wanted pancakes, not waffles.

Jen Mayberry

Together,
we can makechange
NOW.

Martha Wessell

Be ultimately stronger than your excuses.

Omar Obaidullah

Some dreams suffer a slow death.

Danette Mitchell

Karma, it will get you everytime

Alivia Lozano

'I know. You were the one.'

Damiana Andonova

People like to push my buttons.

Nfs most wanted 2005 full gameplay. Kevin B. Saunders

The waterproof mascara was a lie.

Tianyi Huang

Is this insomnia or God's will?

Victoria Llanos

Rhythm and poetry defeats all genres.

Jynaiya Grizzle

'She moves, but is she alive?'

Emily French

'Is God on a lunch break?'

Kristen St Louis

  • 6 Word Memoirs: Life stories in six words Lack the attention span for 500-page bios? Check out these speedy life stories from Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs By Writers Famous.
  • You could write a 6 word memoir. Once asked to write a full story in six words, legend has it that novelist Ernest Hemingway responded: 'For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.' Below are some other examples of 6 word memoirs from famous people: 'Life is one big editorial meeting' - Activist Gloria Steinem.
  • The first of the two memoir examples is titled, ‘When I Ran Out of Money.’ As you can notice, it is a six-word title of memoir. The excerpt below has only 250 words, so it qualifies as a short memoir.

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Danny Snelson

Memoir

Writing a memoir is about more than describing events that have happened in your life; it's also an exercise in writing on a theme. These three powerful memoir examples will demonstrate how to draw people into a stranger's life story. Along with our sample, they will help you craft your own memoir to engage readers and share insights from your life.

Powerful Memoir Examples

Three Memoir Examples to Inspire

A good memoir relays real-life events in an engaging way. Studying memoirs can help you write a personal essay for a college application or an assignment, and it can improve your own storytelling abilities.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a famous memoir by poet Maya Angelou, available from Penguin Classics. It chronicles her experience of growing up amid racial bigotry and personal challenge. It's not just her heartwrenching tale but also the vivid imagery that makes it a page-turner.

The dress I wore was lavender taffeta, and each time I breathed it rustled, and now that I was sucking in air to breathe out shame it sounded like crepe paper on the back of hearses.

Angela's Ashes

Frank McCourt's Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, Angela's Ashes, tells the story of his upbringing in the Irish slums during the era of the Great Depression. Published by Simon and Schuster, this memoir reads like a novel as Frank somehow manages to withstand an unspeakably difficult childhood.

6 Word Memoir Examples For Kids

When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while.

All Creatures Great and Small

James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small proves that a memoir doesn't have to deal with triumph over adversity; it can also be about finding wisdom and joy in the everyday. This beloved classic, published by MacMillan, tells the tale of Herriot's life as a country veterinarian in the Yorkshire Dales.

I lay face down on the cobbled floor in a pool of nameless muck, my arm deep inside the straining cow, my feet scrabbling for a toe hold between the stones.

Writing a Memoir: An Example

6 Word Memoir Examples About The Past

Imagine you want to write a memoir about your experience as a shy child who had just moved to a rural community. This process can help.

List Real Life Facts

Start with a list of facts and experiences that you may want to include:

  • You had no friends except your dog.
  • Your dad left your family the previous year.
  • Your mom made you join Girl Scouts, and you needed to sell cookies door-to-door.
  • People in this town were suspicious of outsiders.
  • Because you had just joined the Girl Scouts, you didn't have very many badges yet.

Identify a Theme and Conflict

Before you begin writing, you need to know your theme. What do you want readers to learn from your memoir? You also need a central conflict. Study the types of conflicts in stories and decide which one you want to use.

  • Theme - People aren't always what they seem.
  • Conflict - You must face your fears in order to grow stronger.

Organize the Story to Build Tension

Examples

Now that you know the conflict and the theme you want the reader to understand, you need to organize the story so the tension builds toward the conflict. This is something you can do in a memoir that does not ordinarily happen in an autobiography.

In this example, you could arrange the events as follows:

  1. The Girl Scout troop leader hands out the cookies and says that if you sell 24 boxes, you will earn a badge for your uniform. You really want the badge.
  2. You load the cookies in your wagon and set off to make some sales. As you stand in front of the first house, you are afraid to knock.
  3. You remember a previous experience knocking on the door of a house and having it slammed in your face.
  4. You walk up to the house and are greeted by a grumpy old woman.
  5. You make the sale.
  6. Eventually, you receive your badge for selling 24 boxes.

Sample Memoir Excerpt

6 Word Memoir Generator

Putting all these pieces together, here is an example of how the narrative outlined above might play out in the actual text of the memoir:

6 Word Memoir Examples

The gravel crunched under the wheels of my red wagon. My father had bought it for me the week before he left us, and I'd never used it before. I hadn't wanted to use it, not even today, but I needed something to haul the cookies.

I stopped in front of Mrs. Nelson's house. I could feel her looking at me through the lace curtains, even though I couldn't see her. Now that I wasn't pulling the wagon, everything was silent. There was no wind. Even the birds had stopped their chirping. The curtain in Mrs. Nelson's front window moved a little bit.

Last year, the same month my dad had driven away, I'd had to sell chocolate bars for my old school. Dad had promised to take me, but he didn't. So while Mom was at work, I'd packed up the chocolate bars and knocked on the door across the street. When the door opened, I began to talk about my school. Before I'd even explained why I was there, the lady had slammed the door in my face. I was the only kid who didn't sell any chocolate bars that year.

Now, I took a deep breath and pulled the wagon up Mrs. Nelson's front walk. The paint was peeling on her railing, and her front door was a dirty white. I knocked, and the sound seemed to echo.

She opened the door a crack and grumbled, 'What do you want?'

Difference Between a Memoir and an Autobiography

Both memoirs and autobiographies involve a person writing about his or her own life, but that's where the similarities stop. These are a few of the key differences:

  • Scope - An autobiography covers a set period of time in a person's life or often, the entire life. A memoir may skip around or only cover one or two events.
  • Purpose - An autobiography's purpose is to inform a reader or record events. A memoir's purpose is to explore a theme and pass on insights.
  • Length - An autobiography is generally a book-length manuscript. A memoir can be any length, from a personal essay of a few pages to an entire book.
  • Tone - Because the purpose is different, the tone may be different too. An autobiography is often more formal and factual sounding, while a memoir may employ more humor and casual writing.

6 Word Memoir Examples

Get Inspiration From Fiction Too

Rather than just relaying the facts, a memoir is about telling a great story. It needs to have a central conflict or theme, and then arrange the story so the tension builds. In addition to reviewing memoir examples, take a look at some examples of short stories for inspiration. You'll find that even though they are factual, memoirs have a lot in common with fiction.

B.A. English