Post #24 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompt – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Written by: Promptly Portland
Mt. Shasta, at 14,179 feet, is the second highest volcano in the United States. It’s so big that being near it makes me feel insignificant. Yet I’m drawn to its beauty. Recently, I took pictures of Mt. Shasta as I drove by. When I took the photos, I thought I was just taking shots of Mt. Shasta. Nothing special. We all like to record sights of significant landscapes. It’s fun to share them with friends and family. I hope you don’t mind indulging me as I add a few of my photos to this blog.
Actually, I’m going to post five images because I think that when taken as a whole, they raise an interesting consideration about truth telling in memoir writing. Let’s start with these two:
Notice how the first image shows two distinct areas of the volcano while the second appears to have the classic mountain peak with two low sides each with a fairly smooth line extending to the top. Which picture is the true Mt. Shasta?
Here’s my next photo:
Because I took a closeup, the delineation of the snow pattern is much more defined. Mt. Shasta itself seems more imposing.
Now the separation of the two peaks has “moved” from the left in the first picture to the right in this fourth picture.
In the final picture, I’ve included more action. There were tractor trailers hauling timber on Highway 5. Does seeing vehicles on the road change your perspective?
500 Words (or More) Writing Prompt:
1. Think of one event or episode in your life that you might want to include in your memoir.
2. Describe it in about 250 words from your perspective at the time it happened. Then write about it again, in another 250 words, but describe it from your current perspective. It is the same event but time changes our attitudes. Which description is true? Both, of course, but this writing exercise may help you to reflect on which truth you’ll use in your memoir. Consider the pain of losing your job on the day you are laid off. Then think about the new experiences, new job, new friendships, new challenges that came about when you got your next job. Or, think about the trauma of getting a divorce. It might be one of the worst times in your life. But, perhaps, when viewed from 10 years later, you’ll consider it to be the best growth period in your life. Time doesn’t always give you a better perspective. Maybe the diagnosis of an illness doesn’t seem as bad during the initial consult as it does during the extended period of treatment.
OR
3. Describe the event or episode in about 250 words from your perspective and then in an equal number of words from your siblings perspective or other person involved in the event or episode. Put yourself into the other person’s mindset. Try to see it the way the other person did. A memoir is our own story and we are not accountable for the perspectives of others. But in this writing exercise, you may learn something about the other person that will help you to portray that individual with more depth and feeling.
Until next time,
-Promptly Portland
