Six word memoir

Write your memoir in 6 words and submit it to Smith magazine for potential inclusion in a book to be published in 2008 by HarperCollins.

Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in six words. The result was "For sale: baby shoes, never used."

Since SMITH [magazine] celebrates the personal side of storytelling, our twist on this classic concept is the six-word memoir--the short, short true story of your life.

It could be the title of your autobiography, or maybe your epitaph. Shorter than haiku and meatier that a one-liner, it truly makes you take stock of who you are. Try it.

Here are some examples from the website:

Barrister, barista, what’s the diff, Mom?
– Abigail Moorhouse

"What? Lemony Snicket? Lemony Snicket? What?"
– Daniel Handler

"My spiritual path is 100 proof."
– John House

"He wore dresses. This caused messes."
– Josh Kilmer-Purcell

"Yes to every date, met mate."
– Maria Dahvana Headley

"Shy Jersey kid, overcompensating ever since."
– Ariel Kaminer

"Take a left turn, then fly."
– Hillary Carlip

"Haunting dad, spotlight mom, retrieving marriage."
– Nell Casey

"Big hair, big heart, big hurry."
– Larry Smith

Eight thousand orgasms. Only one baby.
– Neal Pollack

I still make coffee for two.
– Zak Nelson

"On the seventh word, he rested."
– Stephen J. Dubner