To all my pymwritingprompts readers, today we have a guest post by author Lillian Brummet. She discusses a topic close to the hearts of many. And for those of you here for a prompt, today's prompt follows the article.

Memoirs

The Impact of Memoirs

Five years after the passing of my father-in law (Frank Brummet) I finally felt strong enough, emotionally, to begin the long process of going through his lifetime collection of poetry, short stories and memoirs. Before he passed, he gave us the rights to his work in hopes that one day we would publish it. Dad had impacted a lot of people in his retired years, as a member of several writing groups that met online
and in person, as a member of nonprofit organizations and seniors
groups and a senior’s choir... and through Toastmasters as well. It was
his desire to leave something behind for those that remembered him
and his live readings of his work at open mic and Toastmaster events.

 

So there I was in October 2021, digging through boxes and binders of
paperwork, a few self-printed booklets and very old computer files to
find every single piece that Dad wrote. Completing the first draft
manuscript containing more than 235 poems, was time consuming;
aching hands craved warm water on a regular basis. It was an
emotional journey and repetitive - as I was finding many versions as I
went through the piles of paperwork. I didn't want to miss one word, one nuance.

Upon completion of the poetry book, I then started on the second of
what we hoped would be a trilogy of his work. This one contains both
non-fiction and fiction stories in one section, while the other section
contains family and personal memoirs. I can't possibly tell you in mere words the impact this project has had on me. Learning the story of
Dave's grandmother who was put into service when she was just 12-
years-old - a common practice among the lower classes at the time.

She witnessed the Great War, murders, suicides and the Depression.
Her early experiences of rural village life and her happiness there, her
struggles with her mother who wasn't very nurturing, followed by her sole journey across the ocean to become an immigrant in a strange
country. She traveled from Romania to Canada by wagon, train, boat
and then train again - to marry a man she had never met. This was
Dave's grandfather, who was twice widowed with several children
when she met him. She told her story from the view of an older
widowed woman, looking back on her life feeling depressed and
saddened by all she had experienced. Then Dad tells his story starting
at birth in a neighbor's kitchen in a tiny village in Alberta (Canada) to moving to the Okanagan Valley in BC (Canada) where his father worked as a blacksmith and where Dad enjoyed the simple life of being a boy.

My husband, Dave, grew up in the same area as Dad; this is also
where I met Dave 3 decades ago, in fact Dave's mother once lived in the same apartment building I was in when Dave and I met. How amazing is that? As you can imagine, I was deeply impacted by the history of familiar places.

I felt as if I really came to understand Dad in a way I never had
before. He was kind-of grumpy and had a love for complaining and a
lifetime of habitual TV watching... There were times his desire to be
argumentative was obvious. But there was this other side to him too -
he loved photography, he studied writing and attended groups relating
to these activities. He had compassion for those going through tough
times and innocent animals too. At the funeral, we heard stories of his
charm, his tenor voice and his humor; sides of him we rarely saw or
didn't see at all.

His writing showed all of this and so much more. It showed what made
him what he was. It showed a deeper side to him. It opened a past era
up to me in a way that I could not have experienced in another way. I
think it helped me understand my husband too in a deeper way. It was
a powerfully emotional project, I had to take breaks, pause to digest
or recharge.

This affected me on another level too. I lamented once again the loss
of my mother's promise. When she and my step-dad committed
suicide 2 days after Christmas (they were chronically ill) I was
searching for her writings. We all saw her dabble at it; she did promise
that she would leave her writings for us after her passing. I was so
angry when I saw that she had cut it into pieces to use the other blank
side as notepaper. I found just a few sections, notes scribbled on the
other side about her farm chores. What a loss!!! I know she was
embarrassed about her choices, shamed by the damage done to her
kids, but she also knew we loved her and needed to understand about
our past - as we were not allowed to discuss it.

I was asked recently if I had written within the memoir genre and I
suppose I have through poetry, published in the book Towards
Understanding. It tells my story from childhood through to mid-
twenties. I started a little project after mom's funeral that I titled
Cigarettes and Mold, based on the aroma of her belongings. It was too
gut wrenching to continue, but was helpful at the time to purge.
Perhaps one day I'll look at it again or maybe it is time to let that go...
either way what I did write was healing for me.

So please tell your story and perhaps find a way to record the
memories of your grandmother or share stories your mother told you.
You don't have to publish it, but do make it available to future
generations.

Lillian and her husband Dave are the team behind Brummet Media
Group, high-fiving cheerfully as they pass each other on the way from
checking off one item or other from their long to-do list. Their business includes Dave’s music studio and percussion repair services, numerous award-winning non-fiction books, a YouTube channel and 2 popular blogs.

Visit the Brummets @:  https://taplink.cc/brummet
-&- drop by their Amazon Author page
@:  https://amazon.com/author/lillianbrummet

 

Today's Writing Challenge: Memoir Writing Prompts

Memoirs are history written by someone with some connection to the  transactions related within the book. In Lillian's case it was her father-in-law. A friend of mine, wrote her mother's story of survival in a WWII concentration camp at the age of 14. Often, people write their own memoirs. We all have family history that provides a trove of unexpected stories waiting to be recorded. Today's writing prompt challenges you to put your creative toe in the memoir pond. Try one of the following prompts. You might be surprised what you learn along the way.

1. Go to Ancestry.com, GenealogyBank, or a similar site and look up your family tree. Take notes of stories regarding family members. You might be surprised what you find. If you discover something of interest do some research. 

For instance, I learned that my 6th great grandfather was named Capt. Jacob "Jake" Prickett. He oversaw the building of Prickett's Fort in 1774 which provided early settlers a place of refuge from Native American attacks. It was built at the confluence of Pricketts Creek and the Monongahela River, and was ten miles from three major American Indian trails. The fort, which covers a 110 by 110 foot square, was built by the community militia and was named after its captain. One of the most famous guest to stay at the fort was Daniel Boon. Don't you think that's worth some research? I'm thinking it could be an interesting memoir.

2. Go through old family albums with an elderly family member. As you look through the photos jot down what you learn through oral history. Then do some research.

3. Take an oral history handed down through generations. Write it down. When you are done, talk to others about what you've written and fill in more facts. Remember to include: who, what, where, when, and what.

We learn from our past. It's a crucial part of our identity. So is culture. The way of life. All these cultural memories form a collective memory of interest to those connected in some way, and to those who enjoy history.

Setting description writing prompt - How much is enough?

In writing, setting refers to place or surroundings. In this environment, something is positioned or takes place. The writer’s challenge is to show that to the reader in a vivid manner with a goal to draw them into the scene in a way that lets them know where they are or the location of an object. 

For instance, a cozy waterfront cottage provides a setting, but as a standalone phrase "cozy waterfront cottage" lacks details that help the reader imagine where they are. What exactly does cozy mean in this case? If we add details like:

• it is raining
• the roof leaks
• character staring out at the gray ocean pouring a glass of wine

It starts to set the scene.

In contrast, if the person stares at calm azure waters lapping the shore and fingering toward the high tide mark, it establishes a different setting. So the cottage may be the same cottage, but the surroundings have changed.

No matter your genre, when creating setting, the goal is to offer details that matter. You want to avoid paragraphs of descriptive minutia that don’t matter. For instance, you don’t need to describe all the cottage furnishings only the ones that are significant. There has to be a point, a reason, for why you offer the information. Filling the page with details that don’t matter becomes boring. Saying the well-worn L-shaped sectional sofa with a storage ottoman takes up one wall, with the L partially blocking the sliders leading out to the lanai, creates a sense of place. It says this place may need updating. That it is not spacious, but the view beyond makes it worth it. Or it may be a disappointment. There is potential for both and more defining to make it clear.

Paragraphs of superfluous description makes readers skip to what is significant. So, if a relevant detail is couched within boring description, chances are the reader will miss it. For instance, they might not notice a squeaky stair on the way up to the bedrooms, if buried in non-relevant description. Strive to embed particulars that are key without falling into the trap of over-description.

 

2 common reasons writers over describe

I can think of two reasons writers over describe.

1. The first is that they think the reader won’t get it. However, when you keep making the same point over and over, you are treating the reader like they are stupid. OR You think your writing isn’t good enough to make things clear. One of my current reads gives the same information in different ways as if for the first time. The first time, I wondered if the author had forgotten that he had already included that discovery but after the third time, I realized he was trying to ensure his reader didn't miss it.
2. The second reason is that a writer loves everything about the story so much that they bring it up frequently. For instance, if the main character has a taste for expensive things, the author may want to describe every costly item in the story to show how much the character knows. Except if there is too much, the reader will not care what they know. Too much description or repetitive description can bog down the imagination. Just like we don't need to be told about the characters green eyes or freckles or ruddy cheeks every time they are mentioned. Strive to offer enough detail but not so much that the reader skips over something that advances the plot or helps to understand the character or story.
   

Learning to refine descriptions

Feel free to write your first draft without worrying about over describing. Once you have your draft, the first step in learning to refine your descriptions is to admit to yourself that they probably need refining. It can help to read your writing aloud or have your computer read it. Listen to the rhythm within the overall flow of the story. Question your detail choices. Do they move the story forward in any way? If you belong to a writing group, do this exercise together and then ask each other to point out where your descriptions grow boring or repetitive and where they are goo and why.

Today’s Writing Prompt: Setting descriptions

Today’s writing prompt is a practice in description when crafting setting. Your goal is to write prose that links to the reader's imagination. Along with sight, include sensory info like touch, hearing, and taste, like salt air. HOWEVER, feel free to overwrite the scene for the first draft. Let the descriptions flow. Once written, pare it down. This process can help you find the best descriptors.

For this prompt, select one of the photos below and create a setting based on it. Feel free to embellish and expand it. (You don’t have to stay in the exact spot shown in the photo, but it should be a starting or landing point. Write 500 to 1000 words. When you finish, take a closer look at your description. Is there enough? Too much? Practicing this approach will nudge some writers to add more detail and others less. Your goal is to seek to find the perfect balance.