Not Quite What I Was Planning

35. Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure Edited by Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith, SMITH Magazine (4.5/5)

The perfect book for summer or indeterminate periods of waiting. Reading six-word memoirs is addictive, and some reveal quite a bit. Some faves:

Afraid of everything. Did it anyway. -Ayse Erginer
So it goes, a tad askew. - Michael Dickter
Quietly cultivating my inner Lynda Carter. -Joanna Sheehan
I couldn't possibly fuck him again. -Theodore Bouloukos

I love that the book has an index with entries like daddy issues, hippies, and nerdy. Several entries are accompanied by artwork or photos which break the quotes up nicely.

Though it's easy to focus solely on the memoirs, I read everyone's names as well because I felt like this was something someone I knew would participate in. I was right; my old film partner from undergrad had an entry. Though other people might have his name, I knew it was him because of what he wrote.

You can submit your own six-word memoir here to be considered for the next book. I wrote myriad memoirs in six word increments while reading Not Quite What I Was Planning, a fun writing exercise to be sure, but I've yet to settle on just one to submit. What would yours be?


A year ago on TTaT: I miss audioblogger; My health insurance actually did something nice for me; Damn your revisionist history, George Lucas!