Some Rights Reserved
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
United States License.
Going For The Throat: 6 Word Thyroid Monographs
Going For The Throat: Written by Robyn Davis Hahn
I was listening to NPR the other day while driving to work when I heard an interesting story. (This is a statement I can make several times a week). On Talk of the Nation, the creator and editor of Smith Magazine discussed their 4th book, a collection of 6 word memoirs from submissions to the site written by authors known and unknown. Immediately, this popped into my head:
never the same again. thanks thyroid
Their idea is not unique. If you google “6 word” you will find blogs, contests, college exercises, and the like all attempting to boil down the essence of an idea, autobiography, feeling, or story down to just 6 words. It’s the ultimate short story (my favorite literary art form), a concentrated haiku, a condensed digest, and I am in love.
it all revolves around my throat
The origin of this enterprise is a bet. (Seriously, could the story get any better?), In the 1920’s, colleagues of Ernest Hemingway wagered that he could not write a story in just 6 words. Of course, Papa rose to the occasion, and wrote what he allegedly considered to be his best work: For sale: baby shoes, never used.
I couldn’t wait to get pen to paper (or rather, fire up the MacBook) and have thought of little else since. Dear Thyroid is a literary thyroid disease and thyroid cancer support site, right?, We have so many fantastic, creative, distressed, soulful, funny, uncertain, and courageous community members–and I am in awe of your letters every week. Having written a letter myself, I know the catharsis, and the effort that go into them, and we all heal a little with each addition.
I didn’t know I was sick
How would you describe your disease in 6 words?, Or how your life has changed? Maybe it’s a feeling or emotion that you can’t shake, or a quiet relief for an official diagnosis.
little white pill, please heal me
My challenge:, create your 6 word thygraph (thyroid monograph) and either post it in the comment section, on the forum, or email it to me (robyn@dearthyroid.org). Submit one, or a hundred. Submit one every day! Next week, Katie, Liz, and I will each choose our favorites, and I’ll ask my husband to choose one as well (a non-thyroid patient perspective). From these four semi-finalists, one will be chosen at random for a Dear Thyroid T-shirt.
let the thyroid literary games begin!
Tags: 6 word literary contest, conveying symptoms, endocrinologist issues, improving patient doctor relationships, literary contest, patient responsibility, Robyn Davis Hahn Health Care Writer, speaking with doctors, thyroid health, thyroid patient issues
Follow Dear Thyroid on Twitter/@DearThyroid | See our Facebook Page | Become a Fan on Facebook | Join our Facebook Group
You Can Create a Dear Thyroid Profile and share with friends!
Reader Feedback
174 Responses to “Going For The Throat: 6 Word Thyroid Monographs”
Leave a Reply to Hyper-girl
Comments are moderated in an effort to control spam. If you have a previously approved Comment, this one should go right through. Thanks for your patience!
Thyroid, Why have you forsaken me?
I am dreading another sleepless night!
Diffuse toxic goiter–auto-immune disorder!
(I’m a poet, didn’t know it!)
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO YOU ALL!!!
ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT PLAYING ‘LUXOR MAHJONG’…
ANOTHER NIGHT AWAKE…SLEEPLESSNESS—CANT SHAKE
This has been SO MUCH FUN, YO!!
Thanks for working my brain, thyfriends…
Why must I fight for normality?
Thyroid Imbalanced / Thyroid Impatiencent / Thyroid Incarcerated
ooops, again the fingers slipped, make that:
Thyroid Imbalenced / Thyroid Impatient / Thyroid Incarcerated
Steering ship through thyroid fog bank
Not today honey! Am too tired!
Have a thycotic, hyperneurotic, mindsucking ‘roid!!!
Well today sucks here’s to tomarrow
I could not have a baby
Thyroid disease leads to ‘brain drain’…
MY 20 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS FINALLY DIAGNOSED WITH HASHIS ONE YEAR AGO AFTER SEEING PHYSICIAN WRONGLY DIAGNOSING FOR 9 MONTHS. SHE HAD EVER HORRIBLE SYMPTOM POSSIBLE. NOT A GREAT WAY TO START OUT YOUR 1ST YEAR AWAY AT COLLEGE. ONE YEAR OF PURE HELL FOR HER. i AM PROUD TO SAY SHE IS BACK AT SCHOOL AND (CROSS OUR FINGERS) FEELING WELL. DROPPED 30 LBS WITH DIET AND EXERCISE. I WANT TO SEND GOOD WISHES EVERYDAY FOR EVERYONE GOING THROUGH THIS. I TELL EVER PERSON ABOUT THE THYROID AND TO TAKE ACTIVE PART IN YOUR CHILDRENS HEALTH. ASK QUESTIONS AND DONT STOP ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY TOLD US FOR 9 MONTHS IT WAS ANXIETY/DEPRESSION/HOMESICKNESS/BEING TO THIN.THEY FINALLY TOOK THYROID TEST WHEN SHE WAS SLEEPING 24 HOURS AND GAINING 60 LBS AND WHEN I TOLD THEM TO TAKE BLOOD TESTS FOR THYROID…..
[…] same again. Thanks, Thyroid!”, A few days later, Robyn opened up the idea to her readers in a Six-Word Thygraph contest that resulted in some really amazing six-worders. Robyn recalls, “We had new visitors, first […]
[…] fleeting, and then ceaseless equivalent of a literary ear-worm. , I used that muse to write an article, which our followers and community really embraced. , In turn, Smith Mag picked up the ball and […]
Fuck cancer! Live long, and prosper!
“Wading through this crap to live!”
One little gland, so many problems. :/
Sorry! Looks like I’m a little slow on the draw. I blame my thyroid. 🙂
Wishing i could feel normal again