Your Life In Just Six Words

Legend has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Some say he called it his best work. Others dismiss the anecdote as a literary folktale. Either way, the six-word story was born, and it's been popping around the writing world for years. So begins the introduction to Not Quite What I Was Planning, Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure.

The book is exactly what its name says. It's a collection of six-word memoirs (yes, just six words to summarize your life) from people you've heard of like Stephen Colbert and Joan Rivers and a lot of people you probably never have. These lifetime synopses range from the comic, to the clever, to the tragic.

It's tough to get me to smile early on a Monday morning, much less laugh, but I did both repeatedly after cracking the cover on this book today. Happened upon it at the library in the new releases (just came out in February) and am using it to keep my daily bus commute amusing. There's plenty of light-hearted, six-word humor that a DIY-er could relate to. Try this one: Made a mess. Cleaned it up.

Or this one: Boy, if I had a hammer. Or this gem: Anything's possible with an extension cord. (Ain't it the truth?!)

I'm nearly halfway through the book and I think my favorite so far is one I can truly relate to (and many of you can, too): Now I blog and drink wine.

And to all my Catholic school chums, some of whom have kids of their own in Catholic school, there's this one: Catholic school backfired. Sin is in!

Want to try your hand at your own six-word memoir? Here's a few I'm considering:

• Lifetime Struggling With This D*mn House
• Loved. Lost. Got a Yorkshire Terrier.
• J.K. Rowling Beat Me To It.
• Sometimes There Just Aren't Enough Rocks. (If you've seen the movie Forrest Gump, particularly more than once, you'll get this.)
• Best Friends Made It All Worthwhile.