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

[Frances Morey]

Pepi, (FM comments in blue and red ink)

Pepi Plowman <pepstoil at yahoo.com> 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.

FM: How nice, to have work, hope it's peasant. Everything I've written I thought about at my day job and then wrote when I got home. Mamet does that with entire works, ie. makes it all up in his head first and then writes it down in one sitting. You sortta have one patroness.

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. 

FM: Oops! Old fashioned me, suggesting paper and pencil. But that method still works where you have prodigous amounts of time and no computer handy. At a conference Shrake answered a question about if and how the computer has changed writing. He thoughtfully replied that the outcome of handwritten work was superior to writing  with the ease, perhaps because it's too easy. 

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.

FM: Ah, writing is the lonliest of all persuits. I know I began writing so I wouldn't waste the built in lonliness of living single. The greatest challenge with an editor is that you give them so little to correct, and tease them into reading it in one sitting. That way maybe you'll get to make the corrections in a timely fashion, when the excitement of the project is still fresh in your mind. 

FM: With relatives, you'll be lucky if they will read it after it's published! To get opinions on the manuscript you need friends. I managed to have twenty-five for POV feedback. They played along since it was a compelling subject, short, to the point and fast reading.

I do have a person who is an excellent editor in be interested--whatever. I guess I need a whip.

FM: All the fun is all in the writing. The rest, if you've been able to whip up any, is icing on the cake, reportedly. It's a cake without icing, so far. Most of all, amuse yourself in the doing. Clark seems to think that I go overboard in that department.

Best,

Frances

 

--- Frances Morey 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 
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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