To help you tell a compelling story based on your own life, we turned to bestselling ghostwriters on reedsy to create our practical guide on how to write a memoir. Larry smith is the founder and editor of smith magazine, best known for launching the sixword memoir project. Explain to students that they are going to be writing memoirs of their lives, but theres a catchthey only have six words to portray themselves however they wish and to get a message across. You can only ever write one autobiography, but you can write countless memoirs. Write my memoirs every ordinary life story is extraordinary.
In order to write a successful six word memoir, you as the writer need to tell a complete story in a very small amount of space. I urge them to play around with word order and language choice. We all know of outliers within each genre that have been. Exploring the power of language with sixword memoirs. This can be a great warmup writing prompt or turned into something more formal for those teaching personal branding, pitching, or autobiography. Great tips on how to write your memoir readers digest. They constructed their 6word memoirs, then used the internet to find a photo that matched what they. Sixword immigrant memoirs, book doulas, and more poets.
Coaching and editing stay on task as you write and, as you go along or when youre finished, let us give your book a professional polish. Life stories distilled can you pare the story of your life into just six words. Have students create six word memoirs for characters int he books six word memoir. My best advice, plus memoirs worth reading, all in a free enewsletter. Writing a memoir means youre author and subject, researcher and storyteller, narrator and audience.
Grandpa joe died back in 1992 but his memoir was most recently included in a memory book, lovingly. Sixword memoirs as an introduction to narrative writing. Six words is a bestselling books series, live events program, board game, and form of selfexpression employed to spark selfexpression and hone missions in classrooms, boardrooms and corporate retreats. Its free to use our writing tools and keep your writing safe in your account. In may 2008, smith announced three new sixword memoir book projects. Katie sluiter is currently an 8th english teacher in west michigan. Recently, my ceo group was tasked with considering these questions and writing our own sixword memoirs. In settings such as in boardrooms, classrooms, staff retreats, and conferences, sixword memoirs is a simple concept thats become an effective tool to spark conversation, crystalize goals, and boil anything down to its core. Its a great exercise that will help you hone in on the things that really keep you going. Life at the inflection point describes how authors can change direction from memoir to selfhelp and what that change implies. Process emotions, create a mantra, generate goals, or contemplate your secret to happiness in just six words.
The inspiration for sixword memoirs came courtesy of a legend about ernest hemingway. Its a much less intimidating project if you view it that way. She has taught middle school, high school, and community college and has her masters degree and is currently working on her doctoral degree in teaching english. The six word memoirs project has collaborated with abcs fresh off the boat to collect sixword memoirs about what its like to be an immigrant in america, with contributions from several writers. Writers famous and obscure on love, sex, money, friendship, family, work, and much more sixword memoir larry smith 4. A stepby step guide to help you brainstorm, organize, and write your unique story the writers toolbox series lakin, c. In order to narrow down a life into six words, a writer needs to begin with many words and ideas. The memoir project, born from years of teaching, outlines my system. Follow these instructions to complete a sixword memoir.
If you find that you need help with the writing, you can purchase services provided by. Not quite what i was planning is a collection of sixword memoirs by famous and notsofamous. Whether you curl up with memoirs on a frequent basis or pick one up every now and again, you know powerful memoirs have the capacity to take you, as a reader, for an exhilarating ride. Her idea captured the struggle of helping someone go through lifes. If you want to write a book, you need word processing software thats up to the task. Writing a memoir can not only be a valuable experience for you, but the impact it may have on other people is astounding too. Since space is limited, each word must be wellchosen and thought upon. Six word memoirs from writers famous and obscure, edited by penn alumni larry smith and rachel fershleiser, the hub decided to write their own. See more ideas about 6 word memoirs, six words and six word memoirs. See more ideas about 6 word memoirs, words, six word memoirs. A short, fun video with tips for writing great sixword memoirs from smith magazine, the creators of the sixword memoir project and. Once asked to write a full story in six words, legend has it that novelist ernest hemingway responded. All of these are average book word count ranges and should not be taken as the definitive word count you must reach in your book. Now create a final sixwordmemoir by using these steps.
Microsoft word is universally recognized, and youre probably already familiar with it. Larry smith has spoken at conferences across the world and led workshops in companies such as espn, levis, dell. If you are successful, then anyone who reads your memoir will be able to imagine a deep and rich backstory. With the support of our publisher, harper perennial, weve created two free sixword memoir lesson plans, one for our first book, not quite what i was planning. These minimemoirs should be six words, fit on 5 x 8 index card that. While all memoirs are different, the best memoirs all have. Inspired by the book not quite what i was planning. When i teach people how to write and sell memoir, we talk about how to tell a compelling story. Sixword memoirs as an introduction to narrative writing september 24, 2017 sixword memoirs are not a new thing. The first in smiths sixword memoir book series, not quite what i was planning. Spark your students sixword memoirs is an easy, inspirational entry point for all students. And other sixword memoirs by writers ob kindle edition by smith, larry, fershleiser, rachel, fershleiser, rachel, smith, larry.