Six-words is a concept my girlfriend exposed me to in the fall of 2007. Having only recently moved to Maine, quite like myself, Julie was starting a new position teaching sixth grade in the small peninsular community of Georgetown in Midcoast Maine. So very peninsular that there were only 9 kids in her class. To be accepted by such a small community Julie really had to focus on finding creative and productive curriculum that also allowed the class to bond as a whole, including the new teacher who hails from five thousand miles away.
While searching for this new material, Julie came across Smith.com, a website asking people to write their memoirs in six words. Right off the bat this just screams brilliance, from concept to product. Six words is something that can really be grasped and elaborated on by anyone who can, well, put six words together. If you want to think more complexly, the proof is in the pudding. But if you’re just blowing the froth off of the top of the boiling pot then it’s an equally perfect outlet.
On the site people have entered thousands of entries that cover the gamut of serious to silly, pith to prose, real to fantastic. This storytelling site has steered the 6 words project toward different subjects, for example: love and heartbreak, America, the green life, etc. Really you can take it wherever you want to go with it. For me, everyday is an adventure that holds some new experience, be it simply buying a new battery for my camera or meeting cousins at 30 that I never knew that I had. If your mind works that way then you get it. Smith has a plethora of other writing prompts and queries that, after a quick once-over, start to gnaw at the back of your brain like that song whose five-seconds get stuck with you for an entire day.
So now I’ve added my six-words in a running format, so check them out. Otherwise, if your a six-word wanderer, I’m registered at Smith.com under Sonotino.
sono.tino 