Talk of the Nation, February 7, 2008 ·

Once asked to write a full story in six words, legend has it that novelist Ernest Hemingway responded: "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn."

In this spirit of simple yet profound brevity, the online magazine Smith asked readers to write the story of their own lives in a single sentence. The result is Not Quite What I Was Planning, a collection of six-word memoirs by famous and not-so-famous writers, artists and musicians. Their stories are sometimes sad, often funny — and always concise.

The book is full of well-known names — from writer Dave Eggers (Fifteen years since last professional haircut), to singer Aimee Mann (Couldn't cope so I wrote songs), to comedian Stephen Colbert (Well, I thought it was funny).

The collection has plenty of six-word insights from everyday folks as well: Love me or leave me alone was scrawled on a hand dryer in a public bathroom; I still make coffee for two was penned by a 27-year-old who had just been dumped.

Larry Smith, founding editor of Smith magazine, and Rachel Fershleiser, Smith's memoir editor, talk about the experience of capturing real-life stories in six words — no more, no less.

Fershleiser's six-word memoir? Bespectacled, besneakered, read and ran around. And Smith's: Big hair, big heart, big hurry.
Copyright 2008 NPR

Excerpt from : Not Quite What I was Planning

After Harvard, had baby with crackhead.
- Robin Templeton

70 years, few tears, hairy ears.
- Bill Querengesser

Watching quietly from every door frame.
- Nicole Resseguie

Catholic school backfired. Sin is in!
- Nikki Beland

Savior complex makes for many disappointments.
- Alanna Schubach

Nobody cared, then they did. Why?
- Chuck Klosterman

Some cross-eyed kid, forgotten then found.
- Diana Welch

She said she was negative. Damn.
- Ryan McRae

Born in the desert, still thirsty.
- Georgene Nunn

A sake mom, not soccer mom.
- Shawna Hausman

I asked. They answered. I wrote.
- Sebastian Junger

No future, no past. Not lost.
- Matt Brensilver

Extremely responsible, secretly longed for spontaneity.
- Sabra Jennings

Joined Army. Came out. Got booted.
- Johan Baumeister

Almost a victim of my family
- Chuck Sangster

The psychic said I'd be richer.
- Elizabeth Bernstein

Grumpy old soundman needs love, too.
- Lennie Rosengard

Mom died, Dad screwed us over.
- Lesley Kysely

Painful nerd kid, happy nerd adult.
- Linda Williamson

Write about sex, learn about love.
- Martha Garvey

Excerpted from Not Quite What I Was Planning from Smith magazine, edited by Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith. Copyright 2008.

What would be your six-word memoir?

Threw up college,same in life

Was born then did some stuff.

Never fall in love on internet.

This reminds me of a site I was looking at the other day called "One Sentence: True stories, told in one sentence."

http://www.onesentence.org/

This one stood out...

"I slammed my body into the hood of my truck on the night you died and the dent is still there."

"life and dreams, down the crapper"

UK trip, promises love, and friendship

Imago said:

no clue what i'm doing here

Anxiety said:

Anx, your signature could also be used...it is six words!

cubic61052 said:

it's seven words

I got Imago with meatspin again.

Stymie said:

At first glance, I thought this said "Never fall in love on ointment"

2the9s said:

i liked that site! I submitted a sentence!



i hope it gets published.

2Jay said:

i could start a haiku!

I held my tongue for you.

life with time only gets better

2the9s said:

yes you did you fucking asshole

Imago said:

Anxiety said:

Anxiety said:

I'm blonde and educated in the South...I can't count....

I emailed this to some friends, and one of them wrote:

"Got married. Made mistake. Now fucked."

Yikes....

heybaby said:

Beautiful words.

Mine would be "The walls are just too high."

Just six words?? I submitted this to a similar site:
"Sis was always smarter, but I'm not the one who put her tongue on the freezer and got it stuck."

(she actually did that, too, high honor roll and all, She had to rip it off.)

xplnyrslf said:

For me:

Embraced My INTJ Nature; Got Happy.

So then I was a barista.

CarrieMpls said:

CarrieMpls said:

A double espresso, please. With sugar.