Concentrating on a suggestion for how to start writing...

[Harry Edwards]

Pepi, have you thought of oral history?  I got my mother on tape before 
her stroke and I'm real thankful I did.            Harry


On Mar 17, 2005, at 10:30 AM, Pepi Plowman wrote:

> Thanks, Frances, for your encouragement.  You
> articulate your argument for my writing the story very
> well.  I need a patron (or patroness), for I just
> don't have time to do anything right now except to get
> up, go to work, come home and go to sleep.
>
> I actually have a chronological Xcel database of
> periods of my own life with short one-liners
> describing experiences in my life (with, obviously,
> the intention of eventually filling it out).  I might
> try to do the same for my parents' lives.
>
> I tried to get my sisters involved in writing a book
> about our lives together, but I didn't have the
> sustaining power to do it.  It took too much energy to
> get everyone motivated to write me their memories.
> One sisters said, why don't you write it, Pepi.
> Perhaps I will and get them to edit.
>
> I do have a person who is an excellent editor in
> Pennsylvania who has offered to edit for me.  I also
> am friends with (a highschool classmate (actually, she
> was in my sister's class)) Larry McMurtry's and
> Margaret Atwood's agent in New York.  I do have
> connects.  Bill Broyles and Bud Shrake would probably
> be interested--whatever.  I guess I need a whip.
>
> Pepi
> --- Frances Morey <frances_morey at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Pepi,
>> This is the author's first sentence starting a ten
>> page summation of Leoncio's Candle of Death, based
>> on a true story by Anthony Josef:  He says, [the
>> book] "...is a work of fiction. Although many events
>> are historically accurate, all characters, dialogue,
>> and interaction among characters are purely products
>> of my imagination." www.bloodshedbooks.com
>>
>> This disclaimer is no doubt because all the
>> principals are dead. Then he goes on to list all the
>> accurate details of the story. The sheer number and
>> weight of factual instances of the horrors that
>> unfolded are enough to fill up the entire nine
>> pages! It is as thick a tapestry as any of the Greek
>> tragedies. That hardly suggests that the work should
>> be first off be described as "fiction."
>>
>> To call it a fiction off the top was a terrible
>> idea, since that is only the embroidery that fleshes
>> the out story to be believable to readers at the
>> time they read it. It in no way detracts due to an
>> absence of absolute accuracy. Absolute accuracy is
>> basically boring. What drives a story are the facts
>> and turns the story takes. That's what holds the
>> reader's interest to keep them turning from page to
>> page, unable to put it down until the end and then
>> wanting more. Now THAT'S writing!
>>
>> Anyway, the point I'm making is that you can imagine
>> stuff based on hearsay which would be almost as good
>> as an interview with the principal. In the amount of
>> time you spent with your mother over a lifetime,
>> surely you must have picked up enough factual
>> information, instances where she had to drastically
>> change her life around events. You no doubt remember
>> other stories about how her life was led in the
>> various situations to describe it more knowledgably
>> than anyone else. The hardest part about writing is
>> getting started.
>>
>> I would suggest outlining it in by epoch, and
>> filling in memories from each, all in one
>> liners--save the prose for the real thing. This will
>> keep the narrative on track and make more sense
>> instead of just meandering around after typing "Once
>> upon a time...". Each epoch becomes a chapter, say,
>> then when all the epochs are down on paper in
>> outline form, start the writing.
>>
>> Best,
>> Frances
>>
>>
>>
>> Pepi Plowman <pepstoil at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Yup. The book my mother always wanted to write.
>> Since she's dead, it's pretty hard to know what
>> really
>> happened and likely would end up being mostly made
>> up.
>> Which is okay, I guess, considering we are such
>> infinitessimally small specks in this universe--I
>> mean, what difference does it make, anyhow? But I'm
>> stupidly literal minded and would want the true
>> story.
>> pep
>>
>> --- Frances Morey wrote:
>>> Now there's a story that needs writing, Pepi.
>>> Frances
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Pepi Plowman"
>>
>>> To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto
>>> Daze in the 60s"
>>>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 11:58 AM
>>> Subject: Re: Stockholm syndrome?
>>>
>>>
>>>> Correct. I and my older sister were born in
>>> different
>>>> camps.
>>>>
>>>> But my mother still loved Japan--lived there for
>>> seven
>>>> years before the war and three 30 years later.
>>> She
>>>> had many Japanese friends.
>>>>
>>>> But when she lapsed into Alzheimer's in her
>> latter
>>> ten
>>>> years, her stays in nursing homes were
>>> characterized
>>>> by her awakening every morning totally
>> disoriented
>>> as
>>>> to where she was, donning every dress she owned
>>> one on
>>>> top of another, muttering, "Got to go to the
>>> jungle.
>>>> The Japanese are coming. Got to go to the
>>> jungle."
>>>> before attempting to exit and being caught by
>> the
>>>> nurses in attendance. She was crazy to get
>>> out--would
>>>> bite and kick--I think she was plenty scared of
>>> the
>>>> Japanese in those camps, and have no doubt the
>>>> experience contributed to the Alzheimer's.
>>>>
>>>> pep
>>>> --- Michael Eisenstadt
>>> wrote:
>>>>>> His last wife and he both had alcohol
>> problems
>>> and
>>>>> the
>>>>>> last I saw of them they didn't seem very
>>> happy.
>>>>> My
>>>>>> sister was devastated by his death. My
>>> mother,
>>>>> who
>>>>>> was a Japanophile...
>>>>>
>>>>> Pepi,
>>>>>
>>>>> Your mother was interned by the Japanese
>> during
>>> WW
>>>>> II. I remember her talking about it at one of
>>> her
>>>>> parties.
>>>>>
>>>>> Mike
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
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