We'll start class by writing a Six Word Memoir over at Smith Magazine.
We'll do a Table of What Your Childhood Tasted Like (p. 60)
These will go into your prompts binder.
Then we'll watch some things:
Amy gives a Ted Talk in 2010.
And in 2012.
We'll break into small groups to discuss Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, looking specifically at the following things:
* Your favorite passages and why they work
* Overall Structure
* Concept
* Themes
* Focus
We'll also discuss Amy's Stash of Truth, specifically:
"It
was intentional that the book begins with Amy and ends with You.
My agent, Amy Rennert (fittingly named), suggested the former,
and writer pal John Green suggested the latter.
There were five drafts of the book. I wrote the book accordion style, adding and deleting entries as I went along. I wrote what I felt compelled to write, then gave it a title and compiled it accordingly;
I
never even thought to write it in alphabetical order or
to pay attention to the number of entries under each letter.
The
two parts of the book that remained unchanged in the book were the actual bookends of the book, the Foreword
and the “You” entry.
The
most difficult entry to write was “Tears.”
I originally titled it
“Crying” but upon cataloging it, realized that the passage would
be too jarring placed early in the book. This was one of
the few instances where I interfered with leaving the shape of
the book to chance; by and large I liked the idea that the alphabetical
device created the narrative.
The
very last thing I wrote was the entry that appears on the back
cover, “Book, standing in the bookstore holding a.” I e-mailed
the passage to my editor on October 2, 2004, exactly a
year to the day when I found out the book
would be published.
There
is only one illustration—that of a radish—in the entire “Evolution
of this Moment” section. This was my attempt at symbolism.
I had written about a radish memory (page 58) that
resurfaced in my mind throughout my life. When I later read
Montaigne’s passage (as quoted on page 26), a bulb went on (so to speak), and I took it as an important clue in my
scavenger hunt/gestation
stage when I was starting this project, that
it was indeed valid to write about, or to even be focused on, such
ordinary matters, and soon thereafter (in book time, one
page), arrived at the encyclopedia concept and title.
I
tried to chronicle a typical 21st-century life. I like that there is
an umbrella on the cover. I think the spine looks really cool."
We'll eat some chocolate. We'll read the encyclopedia entries you posted to the blog and collect the rest for workshop next week.
Assignment: Read through the packet of entries handed out today and be prepared to workshop next week. Read WORKING and find someone you'd like to interview about his/her job.
