Day 242. A Challenge

How’s this for something completely different?  Today’s post has nothing to do with me.  It’s all about you.  At least that’s what I’m hoping for.  Confused?  Don’t be.  It’s really simple.

Yesterday I wrote about six-word memoirs.  Inspired by how many of you took the time to add your six-word memoirs to “Comments”, when I went to bed last night I thought about how much fun it would be if, somehow, we got the message out to all WordPress bloggers.

If, somehow, we could get thousands and thousands of WordPress bloggers engaged enough in the idea, to submit six-word memoirs of their own.

Make it go viral, in other words.

When I woke up this morning, I was still excited about the idea.  And if I’ve learned anything during my time on this planet, I’ve learned to follow my gut.  When I have a thought, or an idea, that just won’t go away I have to
do something about it.  Or it tortures me forever.

So here goes.  I am issuing the challenge.  It’s a two-fold challenge, actually.

First, you, my readers and followers, have to be willing to play.  Come up with a six-word memoir of your own.  Let’s make it really interesting:

• It can be autobiographical.
• It can explain what compels you to write, or paint, or take photographs.
• It can be about the joys of being creative.
• It can be about the challenges.

Next, post the challenge on your blog, so all of your readers and followers get the message.  Become engaged.  Participate.  And pass it on.  And on.  And on.  Until WordPress is literally flooded with six-word essays.

Express yourselves only with words.  Six of them, remember.  Not less.  Not more.  Or include visuals, just like the students did, for Larry Smith’s most recent book.  If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, read my post from yesterday.  I talk about his latest book.  And if you don’t know who Larry Smith is, he started the whole six-word memoir craze, several years back.

He was inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s response to a similar challenge he was given.  You should also know Larry Smith has now published four books, filled with six-word memoirs or different six-word challenges he’s come up with.  Many of which have been submitted by famous people.  So if you think this is a screwball idea, we’d be in really good company.

Perhaps someone from WordPress will read this, think it’s a cool idea and make it the subject of a WordPress Daily Post.  You never know, right?  The whole idea is to get the ‘community’ involved.

Dream big, or don’t bother, I say.  So think about how neat it would be to end up with thousands and thousands of them.  We could send them to Larry Smith.  And who knows.  He might be inspired enough to publish another book.  About all of us.  The WordPress six-word bloggers.

As for me, I’m sticking with my six-word memoir from yesterday:  “I lived.  I wrote.  I rewrote.”  It’s definitely the story of my life.

Can I count on you?  Let’s have some fun.