"Remembering childhood is not childish"
Darrel Hammon
I love this quote from Ken Macrorie. I have had it for years. It goes along with the essay "Using Snippets of Life to Coax Out the Lasting Memories," which I wrote a week or two ago on this blog. If this quote resonates with you, then write some of those childhood memories.
“Remembering childhood is not childish, but wise and sweet and necessary. We go back because we loved those years of play. We go back because remembering moves us closer to the children around us today. We go back because in writing through these years we gain a second life. The best writers take this journey....These [writers] wrote of childhood at the height of their mature powers. If you are under twenty, you need even more than they to write of childhood. A writer requires some distance between him and the events he recalls—not always, but usually. Then he is unfamiliar enough with them to feel the need to relate them fully for his readers and not for himself. If he writes of yesterday’s or last year’s events, he usually remembers them so well he leaves them shrouded in his nearby intimate memory, which the reader does not share.”
Macrorie, K. (1976). Telling Writing, rev. 2nd Ed. Rochelle Park: Hayden Book Company,Inc., pp.106-107.
Showing posts with label letter writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label letter writing. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Just keep writing those memories…
"Just keep writing those memories…"
Darrel Hammon
“Do you remember when….?”
For most of us, that line gets us to thinking about times past, both the bad and good times. Normally, the good times usually rise to the surface because most of us like to remember the good and forget about the bad. Memories are good for the soul because they help us understand who we are and the progress we have made in this life, reflect what we could have done better, understand why we did something, and re-create the old feelings of euphoria when we experienced doing what we did.
I love to listen to people tell stories of what they used to do. People who know me, know that I will ask them one simple question: “So, have you written down that experience somewhere?”
For example, just today, we had our septic tank emptied. The person doing the job was telling me about his wife’s grandmother who has wonderful stories. I asked him if he had written them down. He told me that he just remembers them. Our conversation went something like this:
I said, “You should write those down before you forget them.”
“Yeah, I know,” he answered sheepishly.
The challenge is this: We will forget parts of the stories or the entire stories themselves over time. That’s just the fact of life, of growing older, of stuffing our minds with other things, many of them irrelevant. Then, they will disappear into that great abyss we call our “forgetful brain.” Those stories are there somewhere, meshed with the several terabytes of stuff we have floating around inside our brains, but we cannot connect to them at this very moment.
So here are some ideas to help jog those memories so you can write them down with some semblance of accuracy:
Begin by thinking of your life—The first thing to do is begin thinking about and recording those memories. One of the things I did early on was to begin a list of memories. I simply listed “first grade” and then wrote a sentence or two about each experience I could remember about first grade. Then, I went to second grade, and then third, and then onto each grade. I would write just a snippet. Today, with everyone having a video camera, you may want to review those photos or those old photos you have stashed somewhere in the basement. I realize that many of you went through the “scrap book” stage and have several three-ring binders seating on your shelves. Go through those and let the pictures “talk to you” and write down what they say.
Find the snippets in the stories—Amazingly, when you go back to the snippets and really think about that experience, it is amazing how many details resurface. What I like to do is try to “re-immerse” myself into the experience and try to feel my way through, trying to remember the sights, smells, conversation, any details that will trigger other details. I then just pen the memories as they come, trying to capture as many as I can without worrying about spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. Just get the stuff flopped out onto the page.
Turn the details into stories—Once you have all of the details, begin writing the story. In essence, what you are doing is “fleshing out,” or putting some meat on, those sketchy details. What you will discover is the details will mesh quite nicely. The good part is that often some of the details you may have skipped or didn’t come to the surface during your “thinking time,” will come back because of the writing that you do.
Edit your draft—Now, that you have the story on paper, begin the editing process and fixing the challenges that may have occurred. Be sure to insert the conversation as you remember it. Conversation is such a good thing. Just remember that every speaker gets a new paragraph, no matter how short or long the conversation. Today, with word processing, you can really put the words on the page. If you are not into word processing, then write them long hand.
Share your story—I am not saying that you have publish the story although there are plenty of outlets that may publish it. The perfect place to publish is in your own “book of memories.” Plus, you send the story to your family and friends. If it specifically about a certain friend or family member, send them a copy if you feel comfortable doing it. Today, most everyone has a blog. You can publish your stories on your personal blog. They are easy to set up and get going, and the best part is that they are free. Try www.blogspot.com. That is where my blog is.
Bask in the knowledge that this memory will not be forgotten—Now, that you have carefully recorded the memory and published it somewhere, you can be assured that this memory will not be forgotten. Compliment yourself for getting this story completed, knowing full well that you have more to do.
Start another story—One down, a zillion more to go. The task of writing all of your memories can be totally and completely overwhelming. But I believe if you do it one story at a time, it will be more manageable. Plus, you will be surprised after a month or so—or even longer, depending how fast you write down your memories—how many you have completed. And they just build from there.
Finally—I am not done with all of my memories—yet—nor will I ever be finished. I suspect several still lurk somewhere between the various recesses of my brain. I just need to coax them out into the open. Plus, more and more happens each and every day. That’s why daily journal writing is such a good idea. The best part of the journey is that you will never be done, and you will never run out of memories because you are experiencing new ones every single day. The key is to follow Dory’s simple philosophy in Finding Nemo: Instead of saying “Just keep swimming….Just keep swimming…,” just repeat, “Just keep writing….Just keep writing….”
Good luck!
Darrel Hammon
“Do you remember when….?”
For most of us, that line gets us to thinking about times past, both the bad and good times. Normally, the good times usually rise to the surface because most of us like to remember the good and forget about the bad. Memories are good for the soul because they help us understand who we are and the progress we have made in this life, reflect what we could have done better, understand why we did something, and re-create the old feelings of euphoria when we experienced doing what we did.
I love to listen to people tell stories of what they used to do. People who know me, know that I will ask them one simple question: “So, have you written down that experience somewhere?”
For example, just today, we had our septic tank emptied. The person doing the job was telling me about his wife’s grandmother who has wonderful stories. I asked him if he had written them down. He told me that he just remembers them. Our conversation went something like this:
I said, “You should write those down before you forget them.”
“Yeah, I know,” he answered sheepishly.
The challenge is this: We will forget parts of the stories or the entire stories themselves over time. That’s just the fact of life, of growing older, of stuffing our minds with other things, many of them irrelevant. Then, they will disappear into that great abyss we call our “forgetful brain.” Those stories are there somewhere, meshed with the several terabytes of stuff we have floating around inside our brains, but we cannot connect to them at this very moment.
So here are some ideas to help jog those memories so you can write them down with some semblance of accuracy:
Begin by thinking of your life—The first thing to do is begin thinking about and recording those memories. One of the things I did early on was to begin a list of memories. I simply listed “first grade” and then wrote a sentence or two about each experience I could remember about first grade. Then, I went to second grade, and then third, and then onto each grade. I would write just a snippet. Today, with everyone having a video camera, you may want to review those photos or those old photos you have stashed somewhere in the basement. I realize that many of you went through the “scrap book” stage and have several three-ring binders seating on your shelves. Go through those and let the pictures “talk to you” and write down what they say.
Find the snippets in the stories—Amazingly, when you go back to the snippets and really think about that experience, it is amazing how many details resurface. What I like to do is try to “re-immerse” myself into the experience and try to feel my way through, trying to remember the sights, smells, conversation, any details that will trigger other details. I then just pen the memories as they come, trying to capture as many as I can without worrying about spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. Just get the stuff flopped out onto the page.
Turn the details into stories—Once you have all of the details, begin writing the story. In essence, what you are doing is “fleshing out,” or putting some meat on, those sketchy details. What you will discover is the details will mesh quite nicely. The good part is that often some of the details you may have skipped or didn’t come to the surface during your “thinking time,” will come back because of the writing that you do.
Edit your draft—Now, that you have the story on paper, begin the editing process and fixing the challenges that may have occurred. Be sure to insert the conversation as you remember it. Conversation is such a good thing. Just remember that every speaker gets a new paragraph, no matter how short or long the conversation. Today, with word processing, you can really put the words on the page. If you are not into word processing, then write them long hand.
Share your story—I am not saying that you have publish the story although there are plenty of outlets that may publish it. The perfect place to publish is in your own “book of memories.” Plus, you send the story to your family and friends. If it specifically about a certain friend or family member, send them a copy if you feel comfortable doing it. Today, most everyone has a blog. You can publish your stories on your personal blog. They are easy to set up and get going, and the best part is that they are free. Try www.blogspot.com. That is where my blog is.
Bask in the knowledge that this memory will not be forgotten—Now, that you have carefully recorded the memory and published it somewhere, you can be assured that this memory will not be forgotten. Compliment yourself for getting this story completed, knowing full well that you have more to do.
Start another story—One down, a zillion more to go. The task of writing all of your memories can be totally and completely overwhelming. But I believe if you do it one story at a time, it will be more manageable. Plus, you will be surprised after a month or so—or even longer, depending how fast you write down your memories—how many you have completed. And they just build from there.
Finally—I am not done with all of my memories—yet—nor will I ever be finished. I suspect several still lurk somewhere between the various recesses of my brain. I just need to coax them out into the open. Plus, more and more happens each and every day. That’s why daily journal writing is such a good idea. The best part of the journey is that you will never be done, and you will never run out of memories because you are experiencing new ones every single day. The key is to follow Dory’s simple philosophy in Finding Nemo: Instead of saying “Just keep swimming….Just keep swimming…,” just repeat, “Just keep writing….Just keep writing….”
Good luck!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Social media
Joanne and I are learning more than we ever dreamed about social media. When our daughters left home, they felt we needed a better way to connect to them. Yes, we all had e-mail--to a point. They soon had us each sign up for G-mail, which we did. Then, they showed us how to do "G-mail chat," which has been loads of fun.
Thankfully, my mother forced me to take "typing" (that's keyboarding to all of you young people) in my sophomore year. Mrs. McIntire definitely spent a bit of time with us. With G-mail chat you can type conversations to each other as fast as you can. Amazingly, my daughters can "chat" with numerous people simultaneously and keep the conversations straight. I think the most conversations I have participated in have been maybe two or three at the max, and that was a difficult thing for a guy who learned how to type on a Royal 44.
Then, after G-mail, my daughters said, "Dad, you have to have a blog." Thus, I now have a blog albeit not as delightful or grandiose as some I have seen. Nonetheless, it serves its purpose to "inform." Plus, I have a great time posting photos of our trips.
Now, after G-mail and after the blog, our daughters said, "Okay, now's the time for Facebook. They helped us get on Facebook, showed us how to post pictures, and write notes. Next thing you know, we both have a Facebook page, and we are busily posting stuff--pictures, notes, and things. I have posted dozens of pictures. Many of them have received comments, which make me happy.
I believe one of the greatest things about Facebook is this: You can find people, and they can find you; people from my graduating class have found me; people from my mission in Chile have found me; and people from our past lives in Idaho Falls, Lewiston, Boise, and Miles City have found us. Plus, we are able to keep in contact with our family members and friends.
Probably one of the coolest things about this whole social media thing is the video portion of G-mail or whatever mail package that you have. On Saturday, I was outside working in the garden when my lovely bride of 30 years called me to come in. She and my oldest daughter were chatting via G-mail video. While that is cool in and of itself, the cool thing was that there was my new granddaughter up and front and precious. We had a wonderful visit. Of course, she is only two months old and was probably wondering what in the world was her mother doing sticking her in front of a camera and saying, "Say hi to Grandma and Grandpa." I suspect she will understand more of this in a few months. Now what is better than talking to and seeing in living color your daughter and granddaughter live?
I think in our society, keeping in touch is such a difficult thing. Letter writing has, unfortunately, gone by the wayside. But social media has brought the connectivity back, perhaps not as personal as old-fashioned letters home; but it has returned people to writing albeit a bit "non Englishy..." Most people try to write decently, which I appreciate. Of course, if someone asks to be your friend, and you don't want that to happen, you don't have to "accept" them as your friend. This may seem a bit odd, but your choice of who can or cannot be your friend is strictly up to you. Of course, once you accept someone, then everyone on their list can see what is going on with you via your friend. Thus, everyone literally has a zillion friends.
So, there you have it--social media from my perspective.
Thankfully, my mother forced me to take "typing" (that's keyboarding to all of you young people) in my sophomore year. Mrs. McIntire definitely spent a bit of time with us. With G-mail chat you can type conversations to each other as fast as you can. Amazingly, my daughters can "chat" with numerous people simultaneously and keep the conversations straight. I think the most conversations I have participated in have been maybe two or three at the max, and that was a difficult thing for a guy who learned how to type on a Royal 44.
Then, after G-mail, my daughters said, "Dad, you have to have a blog." Thus, I now have a blog albeit not as delightful or grandiose as some I have seen. Nonetheless, it serves its purpose to "inform." Plus, I have a great time posting photos of our trips.
Now, after G-mail and after the blog, our daughters said, "Okay, now's the time for Facebook. They helped us get on Facebook, showed us how to post pictures, and write notes. Next thing you know, we both have a Facebook page, and we are busily posting stuff--pictures, notes, and things. I have posted dozens of pictures. Many of them have received comments, which make me happy.
I believe one of the greatest things about Facebook is this: You can find people, and they can find you; people from my graduating class have found me; people from my mission in Chile have found me; and people from our past lives in Idaho Falls, Lewiston, Boise, and Miles City have found us. Plus, we are able to keep in contact with our family members and friends.
Probably one of the coolest things about this whole social media thing is the video portion of G-mail or whatever mail package that you have. On Saturday, I was outside working in the garden when my lovely bride of 30 years called me to come in. She and my oldest daughter were chatting via G-mail video. While that is cool in and of itself, the cool thing was that there was my new granddaughter up and front and precious. We had a wonderful visit. Of course, she is only two months old and was probably wondering what in the world was her mother doing sticking her in front of a camera and saying, "Say hi to Grandma and Grandpa." I suspect she will understand more of this in a few months. Now what is better than talking to and seeing in living color your daughter and granddaughter live?
I think in our society, keeping in touch is such a difficult thing. Letter writing has, unfortunately, gone by the wayside. But social media has brought the connectivity back, perhaps not as personal as old-fashioned letters home; but it has returned people to writing albeit a bit "non Englishy..." Most people try to write decently, which I appreciate. Of course, if someone asks to be your friend, and you don't want that to happen, you don't have to "accept" them as your friend. This may seem a bit odd, but your choice of who can or cannot be your friend is strictly up to you. Of course, once you accept someone, then everyone on their list can see what is going on with you via your friend. Thus, everyone literally has a zillion friends.
So, there you have it--social media from my perspective.
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