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Six-word memoirs
 
Feb 11, 2008  02:13 PM
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The six-word stories have been wildly successful (see thread), but now I hear via the internet grapevines that six-word memoirs are all the rage.

Here’s mine:
Writer, not as funny in person.

Others I’ve seen:
Famous on-line, for what that’s worth.
In and out of hot water.

Wanna write yours?

 
Reply #1 • Feb 11, 2008  02:59 PM
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I came. I saw. I photographed.

(Edited: 11 February 2008 11:55 PM by zen)
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“Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, and does it improve on the silence? - Shirdi Sai Baba

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Reply #2 • Feb 13, 2008  12:09 AM
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Hoping my neuroses are considered charming.

 
Reply #3 • Feb 13, 2008  11:02 AM
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Not bad, once you add coffee.

 
Reply #4 • Feb 13, 2008  12:17 PM
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My failure to plan ahead caused

 
Reply #5 • Feb 13, 2008  02:06 PM
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a lone wolf in sheep’s clothing

 
Reply #6 • Feb 13, 2008  05:13 PM
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LOL brebro!!  It reminds me of other self-fulfilling sentences such as: This sentence no verb.

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“Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, and does it improve on the silence? - Shirdi Sai Baba

my photoblog, zenography
my word blog zenscription
17,000+ photos of mine at my Flickr site

 
Reply #7 • Feb 13, 2008  05:16 PM
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Chronic nonconformity exacerbated by independent thought.

 
Reply #8 • Feb 13, 2008  05:44 PM
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I heart the burden of proof.

 
Reply #9 • Feb 13, 2008  08:24 PM
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took the road less traveled by ...

 
Reply #10 • Feb 18, 2008  08:14 AM
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i want to change mine … :)

she learned how but questioned, “why?”

 
Reply #11 • Feb 18, 2008  02:08 PM
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very apropos, Lumina!

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“Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, and does it improve on the silence? - Shirdi Sai Baba

my photoblog, zenography
my word blog zenscription
17,000+ photos of mine at my Flickr site

 
Reply #12 • Feb 19, 2008  07:37 PM
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Still unsure after all that’s transpired.

Do contractions count as two words?

 
Reply #13 • Feb 20, 2008  07:43 AM
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from running the 6 word story group on Flickr, here’s what we’ve come up with:

A single word is any entry in the dictionary.

Hyphenated words shouldn’t count as a single word because you can fit many words into a description. “Crazy-like-a-monkey” isn’t a single word, it’s a one-thought-adjective such as we use for the personal age adjective in “twelve-year-old boy.” However, there are single words with hyphens They usually have prefixes like ex- (ex-husband), re- (re-entry), all- (all-inclusive) or self- (self-evident). Best to avoid hyphenation if you have any doubts. Or, let it fly and see how we count it.

Contractions count as single words, so if you’re really seeking word economy (as you should be), keep this in mind. If you write, “He will jump,” it’s three words. But if you write, “He’ll jump,” it’s only two. Very economical. By the same token, any contraction that’s a shortened form of a word is also counted as a full word. Like using ‘em for them (as in “I’ll get ‘em!”

An initial also counts as a word (L.L. Bean, e.e. cummings, etc.) since it’s basically an abbreviation of a full word. The only exception is when it’s part of an acronym like MSN, NASA, or IBM. The reasoning here is that the wide use of these acronyms has in effect made them into single words.

Numbers count as words, too, expressed as either numerals (8, 28, 500, or 1984), or as words (eight, twenty-eight, etc.). But keep in mind our potential hyphenated-word rule. “Twenty-eight” is two words when written out, but only one when expressed as 28. Don’t cheat yourself out of an extra word that you may need.

Any punctuation or no punctuation is allowed, and no punctuation marks count as words, so don’t worry about being miserly with them if they work to some effect.

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“Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, and does it improve on the silence? - Shirdi Sai Baba

my photoblog, zenography
my word blog zenscription
17,000+ photos of mine at my Flickr site

 
Reply #14 • Feb 20, 2008  09:00 AM
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4 dessert, I 8 a π.