62 Micro Memoirs in 2025 Challenge

UPDATE: I’m abandoning this challenge because it feels forced, and I can’t seem to unforce it. Maybe I’ll pick it up again next year.

After successfully completing my #12Essays2024 Challenge — by the skin of my teeth, mind you! — I’ve set myself another writing challenge for 2025. This time, my challenge is to write 62 micro memoir pieces this year because I’ll be 62. I’ve done the maths: it’s one piece every five days or so. I got the idea from Deborah Sosin’s post on Brevity, where she wrote about the 70 x 70 word micro memoir pieces she crafted to commemorate/celebrate her 70th birthday. She ended up publishing these pieces as a book. Like Deborah, I enjoy the creative constraints of writing short pieces (and I’ve had some success writing flash fiction). I’ve done a number of Craft Talks workshops on writing micro memoir, but haven’t really written any. So, self, let’s get to it. Challenge accepted, although my word count will be a tad more lenient.

Micro memoir #1 – Who Will Remember Us When We’re Gone?

Micro memoir #2 – In My First Job, I was Kissed in the Stockroom

Micro memoir #3 – The People You See While You’re Waiting for Your Bus

Micro memoir #4 – The Kindness of a Stranger in Myanmar

Micro memoir #5 – When a Cheeky Boy Becomes a Missing Man

Micro memoir #6 – Love At First Sight: My Pink SLR Torana

Micro memoir #7 – My Othering Began Early: Notes From a Summer Afternoon

Micro memoir #8 – Myanmar Earthquake Devastation: It Could Have Been Me

Micro memoir #9 – I Have Only Ever Used My First Ais Training Once