Sneak Peak of our Pandemic Book; Six-Word Novel Contest; Olympic Celebrity Challenge
Sneak Peak: Our Six-Word Pandemic Book
The tenth book in the Six-Word Memoir series tells the story of a world we never expected to be in and can’t stop talking about. Told through the lens of students, teachers, and parents, A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year features hundreds of inspirational, playful, and profound takes on life during the pandemic. For some, this book will be a window. For others, a mirror of their own experience. For all of us, A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year is a time capsule to be read, shared, and discussed and is certain to prompt friends, family, and neighbors to ask each other: “What’s your six-word pandemic story?”
A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year comes out this fall. Stayed tuned for advance orders with a discount for our Substack readers.
Draw It in Six! Illustrated Memoirs
Our forthcoming book features illustrated Six-Word Memoirs about the pandemic. And our site features illustrations about all things all the time. Check out our illustration gallery and get inspired to create your own work of six-word art.
Contest: Write a Novel in Six Words
In honor of Hemingway's 122nd birthday, we're going all the way back to our original story and issuing the same challenge inspired by Papa’s original six! Legend has it that this American writer was challenged to tell a whole story in just six words. As the story goes, he wrote: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Can you pen a novel in only six words? Sixers have shared stories about unrequited love (“I love you. I... thank you.”), and spontaneous propositions (“Liquid courage prompted spurious marriage proposal.”). Some revised well known stories (“Serpent tempts. Eve resists. Paradise unLost.”), and others gave their spin on Hemingway’s original six (“For Sale: Birthday Suit. Slightly Wrinkled.”). Are you up for the challenge? One short-form scribe who submits by August 29th will win the Six-Word Memoir book of their choice.
Celebrity Six Challenge: Olympics Edition
Every two years, the world comes together to compete or root for their country at the Olympics. As the Tokyo games come to a close one year late, we are asking you to pick one of the amazing athletes for our celebrity six contest. Who is your favorite Olympian, past or present? What would their Six-Word Memoir be? Leave your Olympic Sixes in the comments below this post on our Substack page.
Craft of Writing: From Teachers!
You’ve heard some of the Six-Word team’s tips on writing, but now let’s hear from the the professional writing tip-givers: teachers. Here’s what they’ve said after using Six-Word Memoirs in their classrooms of all ages:
“The limitation of six words forces students to break big ideas down to smaller bites, think deeper about their stories, and unlock personal expression. I’ve seen kids work through writer's block; in just thirty minutes they feel like they have accomplished something.”
—Terry Ashkinos, middle school humanities teacher, Children's Day School, San Francisco“I have seen the many powerful ways that this ‘American Haiku’ format can unlock students' creativity. Year after year, incorporating these lessons has really helped our teachers understand how the students feel.”
—Julie Taylor, Director of K-12 Curriculum and Federal Programs Ashe County Schools, North Carolina“Every student of mine can write six words. Everybody can’t write six hundred or six thousand… but they can all write six; the form is accessible to kids of varying levels.”
—Michelle Wolff, Freshman English teacher, L'Anse Creuse High School, Township, Michigan
Stay tuned for some big news about our new “Six in Schools” project!
Short Cuts: Six-Word Reviews
From Substack: New Zealand journalist and filmmaker David Farrier knows how to weave a captivating story. You might recognize Farrier from Netflix's Dark Tourist, a series which examines surreal cultural practices around the world. His Substack newsletter, Webworm, delivers a catalog of his digital investigations into global affairs, stunning headlines, and unexpected conspiracy theories.
Six-Word Memoirs' Danielle Shum's Six-Word Review: "Relentless investigative journalist traverses conspiratorial machinations."
From the World: The app Headspace has a slew of great bedtime stories called “Sleepcasts,” long audio stories full of meaningless details meant to lull you to sleep. Explore a Scottish loch-side lodge, embark on a long journey down a jungle river, or enter into the warm glow of the “Midnight Launderette” (as I do almost every night). Each story is peaceful, narrated by a calming voice, and wonderfully written so you can drift off to sleep in some far away place.
Six-Word Memoir Community Manager Hannah’s Six-Word Review: “Newly insomniac: my sweet dreams guaranteed.”