Within 6 words.

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Ernest Hemingway's sentence is the example used by The Washington Post. It says everything necessary.

My favorite chapter is Frank McCourt's final chapter to his book, Angela's Ashes. I quote it in its entirety: "Tis."

Again, it says everything necessary.

The Washington Post is hosting a contest for St. Valentine's Day, in which people are supposed to summarize their lives (or, more specifically, their love lives), in 6 words or less. That got me thinking, how do I summarize beyond the forced brevity of a facebook status?

To help my daughter understand the assignment, I created this for her:

"He moved. I have internet." Or, "He moved. She has internet." Even if, primarily, they communicate via cell phone possibilities. Perhaps I'll tweak it.

For my late cousin:

"Singles dance. Husband waits, with gun."

For my beau:

"Waited, 6 years. I'm yours."


If you wish to play along, please add a note in my comments (either your 6 or less words, or a link to your blog), and send them to dating@washingtonpost.com
I'm curious:)