A Woman of a Few Words

Six-word memoirs

Some writers are in love with their words to the point of distraction — a narcissistic love that is draining for most editors. Okay, maybe that’s too much of a generalization, but will you at least consider cutting down on overdressing your stories and show us the meat already? No pun intended.

I’m a woman of a few words both online and offline and the same applies to the writer and editor in me. When I was in school, I was one of those students who wrote short essays, despite guidelines stating stories should be at least three pages long. On Medium, I never write articles longer than three to four-minute reads. As an editor, my worst nightmare is editing any piece that exceeds seven minutes. I mean, it has to be superb and even then I’ll struggle!

Say more with less — that’s my motto in life. Another great one is “Have more than you show, speak less than you know.” Readers and, well, people in general, have short attention spans (even more so now, thanks to Tik Tok). We have to give them a reason to click through and stick around!

One of the best websites I found that supports this type of writing format is Six Word Memoirs. Now here’s the real challenge: How much are you able to say in six words? Cut the fluff and say it like it is, bullshit free. You somehow have to fit a setup, climax and conclusion in just a few words. Or tell your life story. Or anything you want, basically.

There’s an urban legend about Ernest Hemingway and a ten-dollar bet. He was challenged to write a novel in only six words. After penning the famous line “For sale, baby shoes, never worn” on a napkin, he passed it around the table, and collected his winnings. He knew the essence lies in the right choice of words!

If you can relate, I encourage you to explore this website. I’ve already written three memoirs: “Crushed soul lit up in flames”, “What texture is pain made of?” and “I sent a question into space.” The best part is that there is an active group of people on there that you can interact with and possibly refer to Medium. While classic social media platforms are great, I think we all have better chances at gaining traction from websites that have an established, active community of writers.

Good luck!

It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book. Friedrich Nietzsche

I recommed reading Peter Wright Storytelling’s work. His poetry is inspiring. Here’s a soulful poem from him that I think you will enjoy: