Six-Word Airport Games, Getting Your Book Done, and Why Taylor Swift Is Just. Like. Us.
.... because six is the number of the summer
Planes, Trains, and Six Word Games
We may tell ourselves life is about the journey not the destination, but when it comes to summer travel I, for one, wish I could just beam myself to the beach. Somehow in just one fast week of vacation, I will be using all the modes of transportation. As such, I’ll be invoking the spirit of my favorite Substack, Rob Walker’s excellent The Art of Noticing, and play my favorite Six-Word game to help pass the time. And, mostly, amuse myself. It’s called, “What Are They Arguing About?” and it works like this:
• You or your travel companion(s) start by scanning the airport, train or bus station, or car next to you for two people traveling together.
• Once you’ve found a good pair, ask the question: What are they arguing about?
• Everyone takes a few minutes to come up with a six word answer — think of it as a headline to their major or minor arguments or the title of their episode on Esther Perel’s relationships podcast.
• Everyone shares their six words, and then, together, you come up with the backstory to their disagreement.
The best part? There are no winners or losers, just lots of fun — and, of course, snarky — conversations. Traveling alone? Interrupt a friend who, unfortunately, is not with you and text a description of the couple along with your six words. Then, ask them to help you come up with a backstory.
“My Life’s a Taylor Swift Song” (Hers, Too)
One of my favorite things about the Six-Word Memoir Project is how democratic it is. After all, the same two rules apply to everyone: 1. You have exactly six words to describe your life in any way you like; 2. Those six words should be true and written only by you. That’s it. Whether you are Taylor Van Auken, a thirteen-year-old describing her life for an eighth grade illustrated Six-Word Memoir assignment or Taylor Swift accepting an invitation to contribute a Six-Word Memoir to a book of teen Six-Word Memoirs back when she was a teen, you each get six words. In my book, the storytelling playing field should be a level one. And yet it’s still pretty cool when your storytelling world and one of your hero’s worlds collide. Just ask Taylor Van Auken, whose illustrated Six-Word Memoir is below.
Classroom of the Month: Kansas City Art Institute’s Annual “Image and Form” Assignment
One of my favorite moments of spring is when an email arrives from Professor John Ferry with the subject line: “This year’s student illustrations.” After hearing my voice waft through his airwaves on an NPR segment, the Kansas City Art Institute decided to teach the Six-Word Memoirs format in his “Image and Form” class and has shared his students’ work ever since. “While all of my students may not consider themselves writers,” says Ferry, “the six word form has proven to be a tool to help them express themselves in ways that many never expected.” Here are a few selections from Ferry’s seventh incredible season of teaching six words to students.
Short Cuts: Six-Word Reviews
From the World: When Irish-born musical artist Andrew Jon Hozier-Byrne, better known as Hozier, first leaked a teaser segment of “Eat Your Young” on TikTok in late February, many listeners interpreted his lyrics as a love song. The opening lines “I’m starvin’, darlin’ / Let me put my lips to something” implies an infatuated devotion that’s represented in a number of his other songs (think Hozier’s popular “Work Song” which describes the singer-songwriter crawling out of his grave to be with his love).
But when the single was officially released in late March, listeners found that his full song told a very different story. Instead, the song illustrates biting critiques of wealth inequality and the military industrial complex. The chorus features lyrics like “Skinnin’ the children for a war drum / Puttin’ food on the table selling bombs and guns.” Hozier’s lyrics also have several references to “A Modest Proposal” — a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift in 1729 suggesting that the Irish ease their economic struggles by eating their own children (“Seven new ways that you can eat your young”). The musical styling of the piece is upbeat and jazzy in complete contrast to the message of his lyrics. This dichotomy between instrumentation and lyricism creates musical irony, echoing the satire of the essay the song draws inspiration from.
“Eat Your Young” is more than a song — it’s a brutal yet captivating depiction of the state of our current world and a testimony to Hozier’s storytelling talents.
Dale Tanner’s Six-Word Review: “Brilliant musical satire, playing on repeat.”
From Substack: If you’ve ever thought about starting a diary or picking up an old journal, the newsletter Noted examines the habitual and insightful approach on note-taking. New York City author and English professor, Jillian Hess, offers a unique look into artists, authors, musicians, directors, and others through their handwritten notes. She guides readers through Beatrix Potter’s cryptic and illustrative journals and Jim Morrison’s drunk poetic ramblings in his two dozen notebooks. Hess also offers insight on the writer’s state of mind and historical context if necessary. For instance, she highlights Oscar Wilde’s early draft of The Picture of Dorian Gray with crossed-out paragraphs and numerous edits, and explains why Wilde deliberately censored his language. At the end of each newsletter, Hess offers advice on organization, note-taking, and the importance on finding one’s voice.
Danielle Shum’s Six-Word Review: “Spiral-bound or hardcover: handwritten legacy tells.”
Craft of Writing #17: Mellow Out the Metaphor
You know that feeling when you walk away from a book feeling impressed by the writing but unsatisfied with the story? That’s what happens when you use rhetorical devices that aren’t in service of the story.
One of the worst perpetrators of this problem is the excessive use of metaphor. Using metaphor in itself can be a great way to convey information to a reader in an aesthetic manner, but the issue begins when the aesthetics of the writing become a greater priority than the story. Make sure that any metaphors you use aid in conveying your story, instead of getting in the way of your meaning.
It’s okay to say exactly what you mean, and in fact, using metaphors more sparsely can make them even more impactful. A great guideline to keep in mind is that metaphor should primarily be used to either help readers understand something that cannot be stated explicitly or to make readers pay particular attention to that portion of the text.
Here are some great six word examples of either using metaphor in service of the story or foregoing metaphor and using direct statements. —Dale Tanner
“I prefer my courage medium-rare.” — enginethatcould
“Do you think I’m better now?” — Vncent
“I became invisible in the crowd.” — Raechel
“My eyes, they deceive me daily.” — Aidendillpickle
“My home was never your house.” — bevd
“Each box worth a house’s memories.” — coatatopotato
Who Wants to Write and Publish a Book?
I’m holding my fourth free “Six Secrets to Self-Publishing” workshop on June 29. The first three have been as invigorating for me as they seemed to be for those who joined. Why? Because I love when I can sense that a stuck, frustrated, or confused writer begins to feel unstuck, inspired, and motivated to take the next step to get their book done. After answering questions about the writing and publishing process from friends, parents of friends, third cousins once removed, and the occasional stranger on a train, I decided to offer this free workshop to answer these questions in an organized way. We’ll spend a little over an hour going through some tricks to get “unstuck” and then I’ll detail four paths to publishing. At the end of our time, you’ll get a discount to publish your book with Six Words’ publishing partner, AuthorHouse, which includes book coaching by me. The next webinar is June 29, 12pm PT/3pm EST and limited to 25 people so there’s time for everyone’s questions at the end. RSVP here.
p.s. My colleague, Tyler Chernesky, leads a “Self-Publishing in the Faith & Spirituality Space” this week on June 21.
End Note: RIP Robert Gottlieb
"The avid reader got it done."
Those six words are part of a wonderful tribute to publishing legend Robert Gottlieb. That this is one of a number of times an obit has included the person's Six-Word Memoir feels meaningful in a both sad and beautiful way.
The Gottlieb piece concludes: "In a 2016 PW interview on the publication of his memoir Avid Reader: A Life, Gottlieb was invited to play the famous Six-Word Memoir game. The words he chose to sum up his life and work: 'The avid reader got it done.' "
Guess why I would edit “what are they arguing about?” into something like “what are they possibly arguing about?” or “guess what are they arguing about” or even “what are they arguing about, huh?” (Rule of 6 rules the world!)