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.
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 nightLeslie Loredo Found a new mountain to scaleMelody 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 balanceKen 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 youViolette Carb So many spaces, so few words.Greg Djanikian chocolate chip cookie endowment coming soonSarah Arkebauer pacifist: an enemy of the stateKen 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 monthJessica Lowenthal Striving to remain childLIKE not -ishMingo Reynolds Train Insane or Remain the Samea student from Mason City Schools riverrun, Finnegans Wake unread too long theRyan 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 asBen Epstein This thenis itis 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 questionsTahneer Oksman Sometimes 'awkward' is a good thing.Lindsey Rosin possible. Wishing I could go back. ImLee Huttner The experience was worth the risk.Arielle Brousse I can do it in five.John Carroll Some talent, big chip on shoulderSam Allingham On second blush, it reads moreKaegan Sparks prone to confessions (of a variety)Trisha Low no rhyming. loose ends are moreRivka Fogel | poetic attempts to win your favorMichelle 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 DEEJustin 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 youDorothea Lasky love go up down stop forgetSeth Laracy How to fit/function/be okay.Emma Morgenstern frequently 'awkward' is a good thingLindsey Rosin live and die by your wordsTalia Stinson I should have brought a GPS.Karen Rile Felled by dreams, saved by friendsSylvie 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 summarizedKayl Cecchini At least friendships don't require visasJanine Catalano Brighter light makes the shadow darker.Cindia Huang Make lemonade when life presents themLyneisha Dickenson the hits just keep on comingErin Gautsche i'm not so good at following rulesAdrian Khacthu life's an itch I can't scratchCaitlin 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 caffeineDani Blum I must finally complete my Pokédex.Amanda Silberling is it love or spinal meningitisKimberly Lu Be impressed, I stayed my hand.Justin Purnell-Anglin Click hereDanny Snelson | One box of tissues wasn't enough.Neha J. Please, Time, I am not ready.Valentina Raman Start Faster Faster Slower Slower StopChris 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 insideAnonymous 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 complainingKevin 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 lotKatie 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 fateMaxwell Bolno Oh, shit. Where are my keys?ORLet go of it--it's gone.ORWords were everything. Words fall apart.Patricia Mary Crying under a table in CommonsPeter LaBerge Pulled between past, present, and future.Alexandra Bousquet That evening the sun didn't set.Zoe Stoller Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.ORNot 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 quiDavid Poplar scary men become boys - superbowl champsKen Olson Often, it's not what it seems.Pallavi Wakharkar Robin, Dylan & Poetry make me joyful.Eric Alan Weinstein Peer pressure made me do itMarlene Vargas | Oh is it really time toBob Perelman Used Britta, still get stomach achesAdam Shapiro handshakes are good, hugs are betterSammy 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 pearlsLeah Baxter growing up failed expectations. stay youngHarry Thu I am not defined by words.Sarah Di Fede Old soul, young spirit, hopeful heart.Sarah Di Fede Beats by Dre, Capital by MarxMax 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 futureMaude 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 freedomElliott Walker I don't think I understand Greek.Elliott Glynn Small dog; silent, mighty, deadly, farts.Gabriela Valinho Leave it not, Life is divineDr.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, |
- 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
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.
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
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- You remember a previous experience knocking on the door of a house and having it slammed in your face.
- You walk up to the house and are greeted by a grumpy old woman.
- You make the sale.
- 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:
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