Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure

by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser

Book Overview

Deceptively simple and surprisingly addictive, Not Quite What I Was Planning is a thousand glimpses of humanity--six words at a time.

One Life. Six Words. What's Yours?

When Hemingway famously wrote, For Sale: baby shoes, never worn, he proved that an entire story can be told using a half dozen words. When the online storytelling magazine SMITH asked readers to submit six-word memoirs, they proved a whole, real life can be told this...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061374059
• ISBN13: 9780061374050
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

Addictive!

Highly addictive. Hard not to read selections out loud to people sitting near you. Equally hard not to think of ways to condense your own life into six words. A bit of an emotional roller coaster, but in the best way.

Entertainment, in brief

These six word memoirs are so fun to browse. It is truly amazing what people can convey in just six words. People have chosen to give a life summary, to explain their philosophies on life or to tell a short story. I have now looked through the book 4 times (looking for my own six words) and come across something new each time. I still haven't found my own though . . .

Worth the money, great bathroom read

As an obscure author of one of the entries I was sent a copy - and what fun it was to read through the thought-provoking, humorous, challenging, emotional, and flippant memoirs that were selected

If I were you, I'd buy six copies.

In short, I love this book. I'd have never imagined you could get so much out of six words. I was wrong. Very, very wrong. From clever and funny to poignant and sad, the breadth of the memoirs in this book is astounding. They truly make every word count. I should warn you, though: It's addictive. Countless times, I found myself sitting down, intending to read merely a few, only to find myself completely engrossed. This is one of those books I think everyone should own. Whether you're on the bus in the morning or reading before bed, it provides the perfect break from the day. It's a wonderful sampling of both established and up-and-coming talent. "Not Quite What I Was Planning" is chock-full of writers you love, writers you've never heard of, and--if six words can be considered a hint of things to come--writers you're soon going to be hearing much, much more about. My six word review? "Buy this book. Seriously, do it."