Post #143 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompt – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Memoir Writing Tips: Condensing Your Message, Setting Your Challenge — Just for Fun
Hope you saw yesterday’s blog for memoir writers. If you missed its video, here’s the link.
The video for that memoir writing prompt was shot in the parking lot leading to the steps used in today’s post.
A brief explanation
Let me back up a little. If you regularly follow womensmemoirs.com, then you know that I am always on the lookout for memoir writing prompts. Sometimes I find inspiration in the most unlikely places. Yesterday’s article is a good example. Who investigates a parking lot for a writing prompt!
We were in Costa Mesa, California, in the parking lot of The CAMP — an innovative and hence unusual shopping center. I’m not promoting the shopping but the background will help you understand today’s article and writing prompt. Here’s how the center explains itself:
The CAMP … excels as an innovative retail campus dedicated to an active, healthy lifestyle mindful of environmentalism and supportive of the local community. This nontraditional shopping center balances culture, sophistication and functionality, blurring the boundaries between nature and everyday bustle of life …
On to the point
We had read about Native Foods Cafe, a restaurant that seemed perfect for a gluten-free vegan. After time in the parking lot with a camera, we headed to the cafe, our mouths watering in anticipation.
Of course, no path is completely safe when I’m on it. As you can see from the photo, each restaurant has a brightly painted mailbox stuffed with their menus. Oh, which one to choose. No, we were determined. We had studied the online menu of Native Foods and were fairly close to knowing our order. I only had to decide among Rockin Moroccan Bowl, Gandhi Bowl, and Ensalada Azteca Salad.
Native Foods Cafe, a cute round restaurant, resembled a large yurt. We ordered (I finally decided on the Gandhi Bowl), ate, paid, and exited to head back to the car, when I saw a set of steps.
Of course, these weren’t ordinary steps. Much like the parking lot, these steps are designed to make you think about their message. Although I’ve left the photo as large as possible, you may not be able to read each step. Here’s the message — from top to bottom:
I
WILL
START TO
VOLUNTEER
BUY LOCALLY
LEARN TO SEW
TAKE MY BIKE INSTEAD
EAT ORGANIC VEGETABLES
FIND A HANDMADE ALTERNATIVE
TAKE MY OWN BAG TO THE STORE
GET MY HANDS DIRTY IN MY GARDEN
BUY MY PRODUCE FROM A FARMERS MARKET
GET AN ORANGE COUNTY TRAILS GUIDE
BUILD WITH RECYCLED MATERIALS
DO MY RESEARCH BEFORE BUYING
CHOOSE THE GREEN ALTERNATIVE
READ A BOOK IN THE HAMMOCK
SPEND TIME OUTDOORS, AND
SLEEP MORE SOUNDLY
KNOWING THIS IS
MAKING A BETTER
WORLD FOR
YOU AND
ME
Memoir Writing Prompts: Your Challenge
1. Think of a message to yourself about your writing. How will you challenge yourself? Write the message as if it were to be painted on the risers of a set of five steps. Then go deeper and think of the message if it were to be painted on a set of ten steps. And finally, elaborate the message that could be painted on a set of 15 steps. Use the same format on the steps at The CAMP. Make the first step, the one at the top, contain a single word, then add more words from there.
2. Already writing your memoir? Think about the message that you want your readers to get from your memoir. Design the message in preparation for it to be painted on a set of 24 steps, just like the one shown above.
HINT: Write out your message and then wordsmith it so that it could be put on steps.
Hope you have fun with this prompt.
