Image: Getty Silver Screen Collection
Eighteen words to capture a life. Our new Minimoir™ Challenge proves small stories can reveal the biggest truths.
As we age, and in this age of short attention spans, I wondered if I could write my memoir in 18 words.
I called it a minimoir.
Why 18?
The number 18 is the numerical value of the Hebrew word “chai,” which means “life.” It’s also the age at which you’re considered an adult by most states and countries, a symbol of happiness, blessings, and love in numerology, and a lucky number in Chinese tradition.
Memoirs don’t always focus on your whole life—sometimes they’re about just a portion of it. They average 250–450 pages (around 75,000–135,000 words), but some go way beyond that. Barbra Streisand’s is nearly 1,000 pages (around 300,000 words). Cher’s is so big, it’s in two parts, and only one part (her life through the ’80s) has been released so far. Clearly, these memoirs took a while to write.
For my 18 word minimoir, I figured I could get it done while eating lunch.
Not So Fast, Missy
It turns out that choosing the right words to tell the story of your life, when you have so few to spare, isn’t as easy as it seems. How do you sum up 64 years—or even a fraction of them—in just 18 words? Inspired by poet Mary Oliver, I asked myself what I had done so far with my “one wild and precious life,” and which part of that life was truly worthy of words.
Within an hour, my minimoir became two minimoirs. Maybe it’s the Gemini in me. Maybe it’s the nature of a minimoir. One was cute, one felt more like an epitaph. I started over and wondered what someone else’s minimoir might look like.
The Minimoir Challenge
That’s when I flipped the mirror and asked people in Facebookland to take the Minimoir Challenge.
The submissions surprised me. As individual as we all are, themes emerged. Some were more tours of life. Some held a spotlight on one aspect of it and how it changed their life. One person credited her mother for her life and said nothing about herself. Others were broad and lighter.
To help provide some insight into how events shape our view of life when we look back, I turned to psychologist Dr. Barbara Greenberg. “It varies from person to person,” she said. “We all develop narratives of our lives. Some of our narratives include pivotal events that shaped how we experience life. Some people refer to important events that encouraged them to be more resilient. Others describe encouraging moments that lead them to success. I must say that it is rarely a single event that shapes an entire life. There are so many factors . . . We are all very nuanced.”
It’s Showtime
There were many interesting submissions. I’m sharing some here, grouped by theme (and by me).
Childhood
The abuse I suffered as a child tried to define my life. Until I didn’t let it anymore.—Julianne Wolf
She was a good girl. Now adult, her mother says: Please don’t say anything to upset your brothers.—Walker Thornton
Love, Appreciation
My heart belongs to New York. Met my soulmate, ate Black and Whites, traveled, had wonderful, complicated kids.—Wendy Koch
Jewish New York girl moves to California; finds love. Banker to Gerontologist, honoring loving ancestors, caring for others.—Debra Bein
Making new friends but keeping the old. Love the mountains and my mountain man. Cherishing children and grandchildren —Barbara Low McBride
Small town girl. Teacher, stockbroker, stay-at-home mom, office worker. Married, four daughters, five grandchildren. Happy. Loved.—Barb Flanagan
My life succeeded because my mother, a widow with three children, gave us her heart, mind, and soul.—Elizabeth A. Havey
Illness, Loss, Resilience
Scarred but standing, I faced the mirror. Once afraid, now unbroken. Cancer came, tried, failed. I’m still here.—Pauline Daniel
Not one but two brushes with death too young. So a battery keeps my heart ticking at 58.—Jen Singer
Born a twin. Death made me motherless. Became what I needed. Gave what I found and keep giving.—Vilma Sicilia-Sceusa
Storyteller, married young. Found helping careers, worked, wrote, and bore three children. Now I’m my husband’s caregiver. Bittersweet.—Risa Nye
In Process
I keep moving toward a more authentic me by challenging my limits, honoring the opportunities, because I can.—Adrienne Hay Randall
I came into this lifetime to learn to be kind, strong, and genuine. I’m still working on it.—Susan Geuder Braun
I write to remember. To find joy. To make sense. My stories shape me. Even the unfinished ones.—Susan Dabbar
Gave my first 30 years to God. Second 30 to me. Let’s see where the last 30 goes.—Amy Klein
Nine decades plus, living history, known great love, experienced art, endured pain, enjoyed people, and am still here.—Jessie Tromberg
Defiance
Not of this world. More outlier than outcast. I am who I am, take it or leave it.—Carol Cassara
Self-Discovery
I ran away from home at 53. Then found the woman that I was always meant to be.—Lori Cipot
Divorcing at midlife as a mom turned this once shy hippie girl into a successful journalist and author.—Vicki Larson
By the Numbers
Two coasts, two husbands, two kids, six continents, one TV career. Now walking and Wordle-ing as world wanes.—Judy Rothman Rofé
Brother dies. At 21, grief overwhelms. Recover at 23. Single till 39. Marry at 42. Baby at 43.—Linda K. Wertheimer
Takeaways
What I discovered through this challenge is that our answers to the prompt reveal where we are right now—how we see ourselves, how we feel about the life we’ve lived so far. It’s a quiet check-in, and can be a guide for how to move forward, make small shifts, or simply pause to appreciate the path we’re on.
This is me. Checking in.
Middle of three. Mom of two. Forever in search of. I learn by doing. Feeling. Sometimes too much.
Share Your Story
Now you. Want to check in? We’d love to learn about your life so far.
Click HERE to submit your 18 word minimoir for a chance to have it featured online in our magazine!
Complete the Challenge on your own, as part of a group or club you belong to (book club, game club, knitting group, or writing group, just to name a few), or offer the challenge to a group you work with.
The rules are simple: Submissions should be from women over 50, exactly 18 words, and biographical.
Looking for inspiration? Use some of the minimoirs in this article as examples, and then let your personal story come to life.
We can’t wait to read your minimoir.
*A name in one of the minimoirs has been changed to protect their privacy.
