Post #227 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompt – Matilda Butler
More on Helping Your Reader (and You) Remember
Last week, I wrote about the value of nostalgia in memoir writing. I promised to return with more photos and writing prompts because the images from old photos call forth so many of our own stories.
But remembering specific details that belong in a specific time and place is about much more than recalling memories or crafting writing prompts. The details are what make for great memoir reading. You can write that you had little money when you married and couldn’t afford a vacuum cleaner. When your mother visited and saw you sweeping the well-worn carpet with a broom, she said,
“Well, I can’t replace your carpet, but I’ll let you have my old vacuum.”
Nice but… consider this:
Mother walked into our tiny apartment and saw me using a broom on the well-worn carpet. I’d say it was gold, and it might once have been, but honesty requires that I call it grungy brown. She said, “Well, I can’t replace your carpet, but I’ll let you have my old Electrolux. It served me well for years but still has more miles left in it.”
The specificity helps to anchor the scene.
Try the writing prompts below, each inspired by nostalgic photos. Let them remind you of details that belong in your memoir. Besides, you’ll have fun writing from you memory bank of stories evoked by the images.
Memoir Writing Prompts
Vacuum Cleaners. My mother’s Electrolux looked just like this. Although she primarily used the long wand, I clearly remember her using the attachment shown to get into corners and behind sofa cushions. She had one for many years. Eventually, after I was married, my parents built a new home and had an in-wall vacuum system. Still, she kept the old Electrolux “just in case.” That is the one she passed on to me. And indeed, it had many more miles left in it. It lasted so long that I had the opportunity to pass it on to one of my sons when he set up his own household. By then, I wanted a new vacuum.
Memoir Writing Prompt #1. Here are a few questions to get you writing: Do you remember the vacuum in your childhood home? Did your mother do most of the vacuuming or were you required to do your share? Did your experience with childhood chores influence what you required your children to do? Did you have your children do household and garden chores as part of their contribution or were the chores necessary for the allowance? Does the Electrolux remind you of another appliance from your childhood? If so, write about that.
Drive-Ins. Drive-in movie theaters, oh my. As a teenager, this was the perfect way to go on a date and do a little kissing. I lived in Oklahoma where long summer evenings stayed warm late into the night, so an outdoor movie was perfect. I recall driving into the theater lot while it was dusk. We’d pull up to one of the pole speakers, reach out and bring the speaker inside the car, hanging it on the top edge of the window. Then we’d slip out the passenger side of the car and visit the snack bar. Returning to the car with warm buttered popcorn, icy coke and paper napkins, we were ready to settle in for an evening’s entertainment.
Memoir Writing Prompt #2. Was there a drive-in movie theater in your hometown when you were a teenager? Maybe your parents went and took you along when you were a child. How did your parents feel about you going with a date to a movie? Do you remember any of the movies you saw at a drive-in?
My visits were during the heyday of outdoor theaters, in the mid-1950s. I still occasionally see a drive-in but weeds have taken over many of them while others have been demolished and new high-rise buildings occupy the space. From their peak popularity, more than 90 percent have closed. And what about those pole speakers? Almost all drive-in theaters still operating now provide sound through AM or FM channels from your car radio. Times change and that’s part of memoir writing.
Home Hair Dryers. This photo will be evocative if you grew up during the 50s and 60s. Having your own hair dryer was a big deal. And yes, many of them looked just like this one. I remember sitting with mine, waiting for my hair to dry when I was in high school. Many of my memories are associated with getting ready for a Saturday night date. I didn’t date all that much so the memories are fairly specific.
Memoir Writing Prompt #3. What hair styles did you have when you were young? Was there a favorite? I remember a cut where my hair was quite short and I loved it. I recall telling my mother over dinner that first evening that I was always going to keep my hair exactly that length. Then the 60s came along and I grew my hair long. For many years of my career, I had a shorter, more professional hair style. And now, I’m back to a long hair style with it swept to the side using a barrette to keep it on place. The idea for this began when I broke my arm and I needed something that I could easily manage. What about you? For a fun exercise, trace the major events in your life using your various hairstyles — short, long, up, down.
I’ll be back next week for Part 3 on Nostalgia and Memoir Writing.
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