Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs By Writers Famous & Obscure
Synopsis:
From the SMITH Magazine Press Release:
Legend has it that Hemingway once wrote a novel in six words—“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” In this confessional, voyeuristic age, the six-word story has evolved into the six-word memoir—the short, short form applied to real lives. What started as a contest on www.SMITHmag.net, an online magazine about personal storytelling, is now NOT QUITE WHAT I WAS PLANNING: Six-Word Memoirs By Writers Famous and Obscure
Most are contest entries by regular folks from around the country and the world; others are from celebrity contributors like George Saunders, Richard Ford, Jonathan Lethem, Dave Eggers, David Rakoff, Sebastian Junger, Amy Sedaris, Elizabeth Gilbert, Joan Rivers, Aimee Mann, and Stephen Colbert.
As exciting as any bestselling writer’s submission, though, are the relationships formed with the rest of the 800 contributors, most of whom have never been published. They followed up their six words with long letters, photos of their children, personalized comic strips, and even origami animals. Some sen updates on developments in their lives that changes their memoirs daily—trying to conceive, lifethreatening illnesses, or just new hockey skates.
The six-word memoir has captured the public imagination. Submissions still come in by the thousands; teachers assign them to first-grade students and MFA candidates; families share them across holiday tables; bloggers collect them from friends; and animal-lovers even write them for their pets. Suspiciously addictive and deceptively simple NOT QUITE WHAT I WAS PLANNING is an illustrated collection that is funny, strange, sad, and uplifting. From the bittersweet (“Cursed withcancer, blessed with friends”) and poignant (“I still make coffee for two”) to the inspirational (“Business school? Bah! Pop music? Hurrah”) and secretive (“I like big butts, can’t lie”), it is both a moving peek at the minutia of humanity and the hippest, most literary toilet reading you’ll ever find.
Book Excerpt:
I can't do it.
My excerpt is only 6 damn words long, folks. I will say that my memoir is carefully embedded on my Red Room page somewhere--it's just a matter of whether or not you've paid attention to my Member Page or not. Otherwise, I'm on page 144 in the book.
This book is amazing though--simply for some of the truly creative responses.
Author Comment:
Originally, I had seen the call for submissions for this project on MySpace. I had totally forgotten that I had made one of those late-night, drunken submissions where you kind of look at the screen and snort (yes, I snort) this sort of, "There, that'll show you!" kind of submission. I got picked. I think it's because I use ellipses and no one else did.
Topics/Categories:
Autobiography, culture, Life, Writing
Genre:
Autobiography, Memoir, Popular Culture
Type of Work:
Publishers:
Harper Perrenial Smith Magazine
Purchase From:
Six Word Memoirs at SMITH Magazine
Original Publish Date:
2008-02-05
ISBNs:
0061374059 978-0061374050
Formats:
Paperback
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