Post #106 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompt – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Memoir Writers Take a New Perspective
Recently, my life partner and I took a flight into San Jose, California. We had flown in many times — from the north, the south, and the west — probably hundreds of time in the 40 years we had lived in the Bay area. On this particularly, flight we were coming in from Portland, Oregon. We were on the right side of the plane, closed our computers, and looked out the window. I suppose it is a few minutes of context building. I look out, searching for familiar sights, getting myself ready to be in a different location.
When I looked out the window, I saw that we were over a forested mountainous area. We couldn’t figure out where we were. We stretched our necks to look forward. I put my forehead against the window in order to look down. No ocean, no city. Just trees. The pilot said we would be landing in 10 minutes. None of this made sense. At 10 minutes out, we should be seeing the large footprint of the city.
Just when I was about to believe that the pilot was completely lost, the passenger in the window seat across the aisle raised her shade. The movement caused us to look to the left. There it was — the city of San Jose. It seems the pilot had brought us down a narrow corridor that didn’t reveal the ocean — we were probably too low at this point in the flight. If we had been more to the east, we would have had San Jose under our side of the plane. You could say it was a fluke, but it certainly had us baffled. More importantly, it gave me a new perspective on San Jose. I hadn’t realize the size and density of the forested area.
Memoir Writing Prompt
1. There are many ways to get a fresh perspective. They all help you look at details in a new way. Assume you are going to write about your home (this could be, instead, a favorite childhood doll, your son or daughter, the day you got married, your first job — just pick something you would like to write about today). Imagine that you climb up a 50 foot tree that has suddenly appeared at the edge of your property. Write what the house (or whatever you have chosen) looks like from this vantage point.
2. Now assume, you are an ant and you are walking around the outside of your home (or your doll or you child or your wedding party or you place of employment). What do you see now? How has your perspective changed?
Write on the first prompt for 10 minutes and then write on the second prompt for the same amount of time. Now, with the next part of your memoir writing, consider how a slightly different perspective may help you provider richer detail in your storytelling.
