Post #24 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompt – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Written by: Promptly Portland
Last week, I shared with you some of my photos of Mt. Shasta and talked about truth in memoir writing. I found myself looking at another mountain this weekend. We drove about three hours into Washington and stayed just outside Mt. Rainier National Park. There was a great deal of snow, but the roads were clear and an anticipated storm never hit where we were.
Much like the story in Remy Charlip’s children’s book, the weekend was a series of fortunately and unfortunately incidents. Fortunately, we had reserved an inexpensive room. Unfortunately, the freezing temperatures had caused the pipes to burst in the room. Fortunately, the hotel staff upgraded us to a much nicer room, which we joked was larger than the house we’re renting in Portland. And so it went.
We spent our days hiking in the snow. In the evenings, I marked the last of my papers as grades were due as soon as we returned.
The views of Mt. Rainer were incredibly striking. If you’ve never seen Rainer, look at the following and then I’d like to talk about the shape of your story. In looking at these photos, remember that it is the largest single-peak glacial system in the US. This volcano reaches a height of 14,411 feet.
Begin to think about a memoir vignette you want to write. What will be the shape of the story? If your story is like this view of Mt. Rainier then it will have two highlights.
Perhaps this view of Mt. Rainier is more similar to the shape of your story. It has a single highlight and part of the story isn’t clear. (Notice the cloud cover over part of the left side of the slope.) Perhaps the missing part of the story will be covered in your next vignette or chapter. Perhaps it was already covered in a previous vignette and this new story places it in context.
Mt. Rainier’s peak is hidden in cloud cover. Look at a vignette you have previously written. Is the peak–the turning point– clear to the reader or is it hidden in the clouds of your words? Although there are exceptions, the reader likes to climb the upward slope of details to share with you the peak and then walk back down with you as you prepare to move on to your next adventure or the continuation of the current one. Don’t let your reader get lost in the clouds.
500 Words (or More) Writing Prompt:
1. You can either take a memoir vignette you have already written or you can think of a memory you’d like to write.
2. Draw a mountain that you think reflects your story.
3. Where on the left slope do you begin the story? At the bottom? Half way up? Draw a line on the slope where your story begins and write a few sentences — what have you told your reader about the beginning of this story? Is it interesting enough to make the reader want to stay on the trail with you?
4. What happens at the peak? Is it a turning point? Write a few sentences that explain what the reader learns here. Have you had an insight? Have you changed the direction of your life path? Has your attitude shifted? Is there an interpersonal resolution?
5. Now look at the downslope on the right. Where do you take your reader by the end of your vignette? Half-way down? All the way? Is it a fairly steep slope or do you take a leisurely trail down. The upslope and the downslopes don’t need to be at the same angle. They will be determined by the story, at least by the way you want to tell the story.
Until next time,
-Promptly Portland
