Can You Tell Me about Yourself?
Twitter, personal ads, classified ads–all encourage the streamlined use of language. What Spanx are to fat, tech gadgets are to verbosity. Reign it in! Less is more! Slim down! Welcome the era of the skinny letter!
Let’s look at some of the avenues for this truncated mode of expression. Twitter helps us stay in touch. Personal profiles help us find love. Classifieds help us buy, sell, and swap items we loathe for those we love. These venues all insist we keep tight control of our need to gab. In the 21ST century we encounter ample challenges for limiting our communication to as few words as possible. These brief blasts of communication manifest on our various techie tools. We LOL with our peeps! G8! A DWM looks for SWF-NK with SOH. OMG! We rant at the MIL! WTF!
On the down side, techie talk has rendered parts of speech such as adjectives, adverbs and pronouns practically obsolete. Ironically, we reach out more frequently, but we connect less. Not surprising, in that streamlining of words, the incidents of miscommunication multiply.
Yet, not all brevity is negative. Think about a Haiku with its 17 syllables. The discipline required by this form and the simplicity of the words, sharpens the message and hones the writer’s skills. It is in that spirit, that I ask you to consider the Six Word Memoir and share it in this blog.
I cannot take credit for this form of expression. In truth, it is not even a new idea. Back in 1998, Smithmagazine asked readers to compose a six word memoir. The results are published in, Not Quite What I was Planning . Now, before you go clicking those links to peek at what others wrote, sit with the idea, roll it around in your head, take a couple of shots at it. Write your own.
Think of it as short-hand psychotherapy or drive-through analysis…
“Can you tell me about yourself?”
I heard of this idea about three years ago. Immediately, I began writing six word memoirs in my head–in the shower or while driving the car or falling asleep. The idea intrigued me. It is not surprising that each attempt brought six different words. I wish I had written them down. It seems a remarkably compact way to keep a journal of a life.
And I could even tweet it to my BFF’s.
TTYL,
Donna
exquisite Journey from self-consciousness into consciousness
born
learn
love
strive
achieve
rest
Every dream realized now bucket list
Confidence
Curiousity
Contentment
Radiating joy, beauty, laughter, love, peace.
Contentment achieved, with and through love.
Organized
Curious
Motivated
Determined
Passionate
Loyal
Delete, Move on and Smile Please
Ready for close up Mr. DeMille
Ok. Since some of you have asked…here’s my latest attempt.
Rejected, Ranted, Rebelled, Reflected, Reframed…Tired.
Working toward why I am here.
Great exercise; many versions
Daughter, Wife, Mother, Teacher, Seeker, Self
Dream, Believe, Settle, Search, Despair, Reflect
What you see is all camouflage
Dylan, Lennon, Lightfoot, Simon, Harris, Raitt
I am a work in progress.
I am the real thing here.
shy – introverted – isolated – depressed -divorced – reawakening!
Found: soul. great condition. inquire within.
today is the yesterday of tomorrow.
Who are you? And I’m who?
1. I
2. Fear
3. My
4. Comments
5. Are
6. Uninspired.
I AM NOT DONE YET GOD
Once feared alone: now crave it!
Plump, chubby, chunky, frumpy, boney, gravity
My lack of self-confidence turned cocky