Could you sum up your life's story in just six words? Larry Smith, founder of the online storytelling magazine SMITH, posed this question to readers of his website and published authors alike. The response was so overwhelming he compiled more than 800 of the wittiest, funniest, most heartwarming or gut-wrenching six-word memoirs in his book, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Famous and Obscure Writers.

Jean talks with Larry about the book and why he encourages everyone to tell their story. "It gets people who never thought their story could be told to start—start with six, take it from there," he says. "We really believe that everybody has a story."