WARNING: This may be
the most difficult piece of writing you have ever done!
First, view this You Tube Clip
Today we are going to write our story—in autobiographical
form.
The only requirement is that you use only 6 words—not 7, not 8, but exactly 6!
Come on—you can do it!
As you have seen, there is no set pattern
no established
grammatical format
no required parts of speech or
punctuation
or literary device.
Some contain irony:
For sale: Baby
Shoes. Never worn.
--Ernest Hemingway
Such as antithesis…
Bad reputation, such a good girl.
—Erin Oldroyd
Some do not form a
complete sentence:
Bad brakes discovered at high speed.
--Johan Baumeister
Some do:
Ex-wife and contractor now have house.
--Drew Peck
Some describe one’s
whole life:
Quietly cultivating my inner Linda Carter.
--Joanna Sheehan
Some don’t:
She kissed me and said yes!
--Ricardo Saramago
Some define their
past:
My ancestors were accented cow herders.
--Nina Moog
Some define their
vision for the future.
Fourteen years old, story still untold.
—David Gidwani
I’m ten, and have an attitude.
--Tillie Seger
Some are dark:
Revenge is living well, without you.
--Joyce Carol
Oates
Some exude hope:
Slightly psychotic, in a good way.
--Patricia Neelty
Some are humorous
I like big butts; can’t lie.
--Dave Russ
Some are humorous with
a twist.
Liars. Hysterectomy
didn’t improve sex life.
--Joan Rivers
Never really finished anything, except cake.
--Carletta Perkins
Some are cryptic:
Anything’s possible with an extension cord.
--Billy Sirr
Not quite what I was planning…
--Summer Grimes
Some are clear as day:
Secret of life: Marry
an Italian.
--Nora Ephron
Just a rockin’ readin’ knittin’ kitten.
--Emmeline
Friedman
Some are about our
fears:
Mistakenly kills kitten.
Fears anything delicate.
--Susan Henderson
Some aren’t:
Danced in fields of infinite possibilities.
--Deepak Chopra
And all are hopelessly
honest:
Never should have bought that ring.
--Paul Bellows
Not a good Christian, but trying.
--Alexander Tsai
Now it’s your turn.
First, let’s start brainstorming some ideas.
In order to get your wheels turning, try these exercises
below:
Exercise 1:
Begin by jotting down 3 words that others use most often to
describe you:
_______________________ ____________________ ____________________
Exercise 2:
Think back across the timeline of your life. Name 3 events that come close to defining
you. Summarize each in a phrase:
1. ____________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________
Exercise 3:
Circle the word in each row with which you most closely
identify:
1. Intuitive Analytical
2. Optimistic Pessimistic
3. Technology People
4. Fiction Non-fiction
5. Saver Spender
Exercise 4:
(1) What
is the one story about something that happened to you which you tell most
often?
(2) What
is the funniest thing that ever happened to you?
Exercise 5: Identify the “Aha!”
From the above exercises, which one idea, descriptive word,
story, or event resonates most? Use that
as the core of your 6-Word Memoir!
Wait! Wait! You’re
not done---
PART 2: Collage
Next, you are going to enhance your 6-Word Memoir with
image.
Begin by searching through the magazines, photos, pamphlets, and clip out words
and images and colors which, when carefully arranged, will serve to enhance
your memoir.
OPTIONAL exercise
for tomorrow or the next day or the next:
Make it thematic:
Write a 6-Word Memoir about Siblings or your Favorite Meal or your
Holidays or, like Hemingway, try writing
a 6-Word Novel….the possibilities are endless!
***Examples above come
from:
Not Quite What I was
Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers
Famous & Obscure
Published by SMITH Magazine & Harper Perennial; New
York: 2008
Lesson Plan: Copyright 2013, Katherine Harris Szerdy
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