A writing process by which students end up with a six-word memoir

1. Writing a six-word
memoir...
In order to narrow down a life into
six words, a writer needs to begin
with many words and ideas.
Follow these instructions to
complete a six-word memoir.

2. Start with a list
List as many
words, topics, memories, or
personality traits as you can about
yourself – activities you
do, items, belongings, places you
like, and feelings you have. Don’t
edit, cross out, change, or rewrite
words. Don’t worry about spelling –
just write. You are going for
quantity, so write as much as you can
in about three minutes. You should fill
at least one full page.

3. Example list:
Singer, writer, happy, tired, overworked,
camping, colorful, shoes, sea shore,
dragons, faeries, teacher, Spanish,
Internet, laughing, cartoons, 70s, rock
music, Jeep, teddy bears, church, baths,
jingles, gum, crayons, super heroes,
technology, legos, reading, Saturday
morning, dancing, weight lifting, Ziggy,
more shoes, sunrises, mother,
daughters, snakes, dogs, mythology,
thinking, dreamer, fries…

4. Now, circle the two or three
words that stand out for you,
the ones that you could say
more about.

5. Example list:
Singer, writer, happy, tired, overworke
d, camping, colorful, shoes, sea
shore, dragons, faeries, teacher, Spani
sh, Internet, laughing, cartoons, 70s, r
ock music, Jeep, teddy
bears, church, long
baths, jingles, gum, crayons, super
heroes, technology, legos, reading, Sa
turday morning, dancing, weight
lifting, Ziggy, more
shoes, sunrises, mother, daughters, s
nakes, dogs, mythology, thinking, drea
mer, fries

6. Pick one item and freewrite about the
thought. That means you just start writing
about that idea, object, role, or event. The only
rule is don’t stop writing for at least two or three
minutes. Whatever comes to mind is fair game.
mother

7. I’ve been a mother for
14 years and have 3 ½ kids. This
means that one is a step-child. She
does not want me to be her
mother, but she wants her mother to
be me. This is a difficult situation that
will never be resolved. As for my
other three children, I have a son and
two daughters. I have learned that
being a parent is by far the hardest
thing I have ever done. I am not only
responsible...
Freewrite example…

8. ...for myself but also for the lives
of three other people. I can only
control so much of what they do and
no matter how much I think something
is right or wrong, they will end up doing
what they want. Sometimes they are
right, but sometimes they aren’t so
right. Then the consequences
hurt, especially when they have to pay
for choices that I might have been able
to help them avoid.
Freewrite continued…

9. Now, go back to the
freewrite…
Re-craft the freewrite into an effective 5-
step paragraph that offers an engaging
first sentence, explains the topic more,
offers at least two specific, and detailed
examples, and concludes with a
sentence that captures the memoir’s
meaning.

10. Example paragraph written about
another topic…adoption:
Being adopted as a child gave me a different perspective on
what it means to feel at home. I discovered early on that
biology has nothing to do with belonging or not belonging. I
am constantly seeking a sense of balance throughout my
life, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Balance can be
found in a piece of literature or music that helps make sense
of the world, often in interactions with family and friends. At
other times this sense has been present in the give and take
of a relationship or assisting others in need. In a most basic
form, a sense of balance can be present amid silence, the
simplicity of waves crashing on a shoreline, or a breathtaking
sunrise away from the chaos of the world. I have discovered
that balance and the feeling of home can be both internal and
external and often is present in the unlikeliest of places.

11. Now, circle the most important
words in the paragraph
Being adopted as a child gave me a different perspective on
what it means to feel at home. I discovered early on that
biology has nothing to do with belonging or not belonging. I
am constantly seeking a sense of balance throughout my
life, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Balance can be
found in a piece of literature or music that helps make sense
of the world, often in interactions with family and friends. At
other times this sense has been present in the give and take
of a relationship or assisting others in need. In a most basic
form, a sense of balance can be present amid silence, the
simplicity of waves crashing on a shoreline, or a breathtaking
sunrise away from the chaos of the world. I have discovered
that balance and the feeling of home can be both internal and
external and often is present in the unlikeliest of places.

12. Choose six words, or
rewrite some words from
your paragraph, to create a
six-word memoir based on
your theme:
Seeking home, balance, in
a turbulent world

13. Seeking home, balance in a
turbulent world
Create a single PowerPoint slide, drawing or poster
that captures you.

14. Six-word memoirs...
Dolores Tuffin
Free falling, ready for my future
Jennifer Boire
Spiritual being having a human experience
Snabors
Taking each step tenaciously and joyfully
Cindy Starry
Flow within your heart's joy forever
danisue1
Hula hooping life, looking for balance
leslie_bal
nobody loves you like your mother!?!?!?!
samiam_am
Searching, finding, winning, losing, happy, sad!