As much as I love J.R.R. Tolkien’s 30-page long descriptions of a dandelion leaf, there is something to be said about the short and concise. You can do a lot with a little and nowhere is that more obvious than in I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure.

Every page in this book is packed with dozens of different stories. And though I can flit over each line in a manner of seconds, these tiny windows into their author’s life, remain in my mind for days, taunting me with what they don’t tell as much as they with what they do. I suppose that is part of the beauty and power of textual brevity: it leaves room for the mysterious.

A good lesson to keep in mind as I dive into the manuscript this morning.

So thank you Six-Word Memoirs, you inspire me.