Post #175 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompts and Life Prompts – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Writers’ Conference Presentation Leads to Tell All
As you may know, Kendra and I are offering a double session based on our new book Writing Alchemy at the upcoming 45th annual conference of the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. (You’ll find more information about this great conference here.) Revive! Strive! Thrive! is this year’s theme. The conference is from May 2 – May 4. If you are in the midwest, it is an easy conference to attend as it is held in Norman, Oklahoma at the Embassy Suites. Be sure to go to OWFI’s website to learn about the sessions.
Patty Stith, President of OWFI, interviewed Kendra and me for her President’s Blog. We had a ball answering her questions. She has just published the interview and we suddenly realized that not only were we long-winded (nothing new about that), we were telling stories about our past that most people don’t know.
So if you want to know more about us, about our collective memoir Rosie’s Daughters: The “First Woman To” Generation Tells Its Story as well as the origins of Writing Alchemy: How to Write Fast and Deep, then head on over to Patty’s blog.
Writing Prompt
When Kendra and I finished our interview with Patty, we started talking about the importance of exploring relationships with others we feel close to but who aren’t part of an immediate family. This might be someone you have known for a long time who is still in your life. It might be someone from your childhood you’ve lost track of over the years. Think of someone who wouldn’t show up in your memoir but who has been important in your life. That person will be the basis for your writing today.
1. With that person in mind, write an essay or vignette about him or her. Recall how you first met and what you have meant to each other. Describe the other person. Recall something fun or scary or memorable that you two did together. Think in scenes rather than generalities. Write 500 to 1000 words. The more you write the more you will remember.
2. If you want to stretch yourself as a writer, write the same story twice. The first time, make it from your perspective — the way you saw the friendship. If you are in contact with the person, call him or her to determine the story from the other person’s perspective and write it from the other POV. If you can no longer contact the person, then imagine yourself as that person and look at the story from the other side.
Have fun.
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