For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.

That was supposedly what Hemingway penned when asked to write a story in six words. SMITH Magazine used the Hemingway anecdote to inspire its readers to come up with their own six-word memoirs. So far, writers both famous and obscure have submitted enough very (very) short stories to fill three books, with another in the works.  My favorite is Margaret Atwood’s: “Longed for him. Got him. Shit.”

But even more wonderful are those written by teens collected in I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets. Here are a few that I heart:

Hair’s pink to piss you off.

I fulfilled my awkwardness quota today.

My scars: Everybody stares. Nobody asks.

There’s something about paring your life down to six words that makes it more heartfelt and more honest. The exercise is challenging, yet liberating. It’s about making every word count and packing a punch in a small literary package. As for my story, here are a few thoughts:

Not exactly what I was expecting.

From Miami to Austin, so far.

Framed a picture. Changed my life.

Writing as fast as I can.

An anarchist in the knitting circle.

Everybody’s got a story to tell. What’s yours?