Microformats (I): Say it in six words

(Credit: Smith Magazine)

Legend has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Last year, SMITH Magazine re-ignited the micro-format by asking its readers for their own six-word memoirs. Thousands submitted short life stories, ranging from the bittersweet ("Three marriages. Two divorces. BA .333"), poignant ("Look Mom: I've finally written something"), and sad ("I still make coffee for two") to the inspirational ("Business school? Bah! Pop music? Hurrah") and aspirational ("Next Life Van Morrison Backup singer"). The magazine collected almost 1,000 of these six-word memoirs in the book "Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure," including additions from celebrities including Stephen Colbert, Jane Goodall, Dave Eggers, and more. My six-word memoir is as follows: Blogging keeps me from writing more.