Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure

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	• Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure Larry Smith, Rachel Fershleiser Harper Perennial, 2008 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 39 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

When I'm bored, I pick up Six Word Memoirs

I am a writer myself, when I get a moment I grab this book. I read a few six word memoirs, get a few chuckles and I can put it down without worrying if I'll forget what I was reading. It's perfect for a flight or
when you have some time for yourself.

Very funny and thought provoking!

I read it and thought about so many of the memoirs. Some really told a story and some left you wondering, but it is well worth the reading time.

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Tell your story. Make it brief.

In November 2006, Smith Magazine challenged readers to write their memoirs in six words--no more, no less. One thousand of the submissions are printed here, with more to be found on their website. Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure is not an easy book to review, so don't think of this as an actual review; think of it a challenge. Here is a sampling of six-word memoirs from the book to provide inspiration.

Some writers tell their stories with humor and self-deprecation:

>> Woman Seeks Men--High Pain Threshold.
>> My first concert: Zappa. Explains everything.
>> Aging late bloomer yearns for do-over.

As you would expect, there are many bitter or bittersweet references to relationships gone bad:

>> Girlfriend is pregnant, my husband said.
>> Just in: boyfriend's gay. Merry Christmas.
>> Let's just be friends, she said.

Some lucky people sent memoirs that radiate contentment.

>> Alone at home, cat on lap.
>> Hope my obituary spells "debonair" correctly.
>> Wasn't born a redhead; fixed that.

There is the contingent who describe themselves without judgment:

>> Gave commencement address, became sex columnist.
>> Mormon economist marries feminist. Worlds collide.
>> Still lost on road less traveled.

And last but not least, the philosophers who distill life experience into a greater truth:

>> Palindromic novels fall apart halfway through.
>> Cheese is the essence of life.
>> Wandering imagination opens doors to paradise.

We're all busy people, each with a story to tell. C'mon, what's yours?

Linda Bulger, 2008

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Brevity lives

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, and I loaned it to my daughter's 8th Grade English teacher who promptly assigned the entire class to write their own 6-word memoirs. It's fun to write a few of your own, and you could also apply the 6-word description to a vacation or other event. My memoir? Life improves with age and experience.

Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure

As with MOST of the books and a lot of the music I purchase, I "heard it on NPR!" I mean, really!! Listening to the awesome interviews of authors and musicians discussing their work is the very best way to find out about them. I presented a copy of the Memoir book to each of several friends at dinner recently, and they immediately responded EXACTLY the way I expected and hoped -- they started reading aloud as they paged through the book. My moment was complete!! I, of course, have a copy for myself and plan to continue to enjoy it. The other reaction that folks have is to try to write their OWN six-word memoirs. Really great idea!!! Kudos to those who compiled the book!!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Deceptively simple and surprisingly addictive, Not Quite What I Was Planning is a thousand glimpses of humanity?six words at a time.

One Life. Six Words. What's Yours?

When Hemingway famously wrote, "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn," he proved that an entire story can be told using a half dozen words. When the online storytelling magazine SMITH asked readers to submit six-word memoirs, they proved a whole, real life can be told this way too. The results are fascinating, hilarious, shocking, and moving.

From small sagas of bittersweet romance ("Found true love, married someone else") to proud achievements and stinging regrets ("After Harvard, had baby with crackhead"), these terse true tales relate the diversity of human experience in tasty bite-sized pieces. From authors Jonathan Lethem and Richard Ford to comedians Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris, to ordinary folks around the world, everyone has a six-word story to tell.

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