PLACES TO LOOK FOR IDEAS:
Powerful personal experiences [“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader”]:
o Love relationships with parents, siblings, girlfriends/boyfriends
o Significant conflicts the people above of others you’ve encountered
[My essay, “In My Father’s Tears,” based on an argument with my Dad]
o Loss of a loved one
o Betrayal by a friend
o People who had/have a poweful influence on you
o Colorful people you’ve encountered
o Significant disappointments
What if scenarios, personal or societal:
o What if that man/woman I was attracted to had returned my call?
[What if Paulette had really meant it when she suggested we get married?]
o What if I grown up with a very different family or in a very different place or in a very
different time in history?
o What if I had been at significant historical events: the Twin Towers on 9/11, the attack
on the capital on January 6, the invasion of Europe at Normandy in World War II, etc.?
o What if someone I was close to had died when I was young?
The experiences of others you know, where you put yourself in their place and tell the story of
what happened, imagining what the experience was like
[My play about acquaintance whose kitchen burned up and had to live in a tiny apartment with
his wife and daughter for months] [Kinsella writing about Canadian Indians]
The experiences of historical characters in dramatic situations
[My novella about Rilke and Rodin]
No comments:
Post a Comment