What are 6 word life memoirs?
In a 6 word life memoir, the author tells their life story in only six words. They are a form of creative writing to sum up an event or feeling or an entire lifetime.
In this post, we share a selection of 6 word life memoirs across different themes: Happy 6 word memoirs, Romantic 6 word memoirs, Sad 6 word memoirs – and learn how to write your own sentences to sum up a life.
Examples of happy 6 word life memoirs
Joyful stories and memoirs told in six words to put a smile on your face.
Learned to sing before I spoke.
Tasted freedom, and it tasted sweet.
Lottery number. Checked three times. Collapsed.
After so much darkness, finally, light!
Another year passed. I’m still here.
adapted from Sondheim
Little by little, I’m becoming me.
Third child. Just getting started
I made REALITY from my DREAMS
Clouds cleared. First sun breaks through.
Examples of Romantic 6 word life memoirs
Forget Mills & Boone, we can do love in just 6 words right here. Romantic nuggets like these can be racy, soppy, sentimental, what ever best reflects your mood. They’re often poetic, and sometimes a bit cheesy – just like love, I guess.
You put the ZING in AMAZING!
Hot breath, warm nights, cool sheets.
Can’t stop wanting to kiss you.
Want to lay beside you forever
You’re mine. I’m yours. Truly. Forever.
If you’re a bird, me too.
adapted from The Notebook
Here, you can find another 33 six word romances, perfect for valentines or to share with the love of your life.
Examples of sad six word life memoirs
Crack open your tissues, and have a good weep to this selection of sad little stories.
My heart didn’t break, it shattered
Chocking on the lies you fed.
I can’t ever be me again
Said I’m sorry, but can’t forgive.
Drank your poison, now its goodbye.
Only yesterday, we still had today.
How to write your life in six words
There are many reasons why someone would want to write their life story. For some, it’s a way of preserving memories and making sense of their past while for others it’s an act of self-discovery.
It may seem like an impossible task to write your life story in six words, but it can be done. Remember, this is a exploration into yourself. Your truth. To summarise your life in just a few words, there are some tricks that can help. One of them is to focus on the most important event in your life and describe it in detail while also including the emotions that you felt at that time.
The goal of this exercise is to get you thinking about the details that are most important to you, and then distilling them into a sentence or two. Remember, you aren’t limited to writing one memoir. If there’s more you want to say, write more. Some people have written over a thousand tiny stories.
Six steps to writing your 6 word life memoirs
- Write about what you know – think about the things most important to you in your internal and external life
- Experiment with different ideas – don’t worry if you don’t have exactly six words at first. Think about what you want to express first.
- Picture the story in your head – what are the most important and striking images you see. Get them on paper.
- Try out different words – don’t be afraid to tools like a thesaurus or dictionary to help find the perfect description.
- Consider the poetry of the words – are you satisfied with the rhythm, style, interest of your mini-masterpiece?
- Revise and Edit – don’t accept your first draft as final (and that it is a 6 word life memoir you’ve created).
Also, be sure to read lots of other six word stories and memoirs. The Six Word Wonder homepage is a great place to start.
What to do with the life stories you’ve created
Some people might argue that writing your life story is pointless because you can’t change what happened in the past. However, there are many benefits to writing your life story such as having something to leave behind for your loved ones or even just understanding yourself better.
Once you’ve written the perfect memoir to sum up how you feel and think, there’s no need to put it away and forget about it. There are plenty of ways to use and share your creation. Here are a few ideas of what to do next with your writing.
What do you want to do with them? Do you want to publish them? Do you want to give them away for free? ep them for yourself?
10 ideas for how to use your 6 word life story
There are many ways that writers and authors can use their life stories. They can write them as memoirs or they can turn them into novels or short stories. They could also create a screenplay out of it, or even turn it into a stage play.
- Share it with the people closest to you – include in a valentine’s day card, or a post-it note
- Share it with the world – use Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to share your little story
- Enter in into the Six Word Wonder contest – get your story published.
- Put it on a t-shirt – consider a company like Zazzle
- Make a hanging plaque sign – try Etsy for a great bespoke hanging plaque.
- Add it to a mug or tote bag – Canva lets you design your own custom mugs
- Use as a writing prompt to create a longer autobiographical or fictional narrative
- Send a message in a bottle – go fully retro and write your message in a bottle and cast it out to sea.
- Add it to your email footer – if this becomes your life motto, remind everyone when you message them.
- Create a Pinterest board with your stories
There are tons of other ways to share your creations. Why not let us know any inspirational ideas in the comments below?