Welcome to part four of this six-part session where we’re writing six related micro-memoirs.
Post the fourth segment of your micro-memoir collage in the comments section below.
Once you’ve done that, read some of your fellow members’ stories and leave them a note of encouragement.
On August 20, 2024, we’ll use the following discussion question to talk about pages 79-104, which include chapters “Predicament” through “2.1.3”:
A turning point is defined as a time at which a decisive change in a situation occurs, and these times are powerful moments to write. Identify the turning points in this section of text and be ready to talk about how Lang describes each turning point and the significance of each.
Read through these pages a couple of times, if possible, and prepare to actively discuss these pages.
My fourth story about hockey.
Great things and a lot of work to come.
Here’s my part 4 of our continuing search for home
Where I’ve Laid My Head.
Loved this story. Can see the little shepherds and hear your childhood choir.
Plenty of time to make a last-minute edit, right? Then an ER visit happened. All’s well.
I am posting a bullet-point version of Jackie Raymond’s story.
Effective use of List Structure conveys so much information in Micro form. Emotional response after each milestone,very impactful. A buoyant spirit shines and thrives through a wide range of emotional responses.
Here is my fourth story about animals in my life.
Oh Etya, what a faithful companion with such soulful eyes. As an aside, if he had long, curly hair, he could have been my Amazing Maizey.
Beautiful,well told story, Etya. Ace had a commanding face with gentle eyes. i can understand why it was easy for you to pampe and shower him with love and affection. His faithfulness and the comfort he brought into your lives wasa fitting response.
Let’s try again. Chapter Four in List by Dates Form – 1944 to 1963.
Chapter 4 Written in List by dates Form…Life from 1944 to 1963 — 307 words minus 11-word Title, etc.
Beautiful story of a busy, successful life!
Hi all. I’ve come to the conclusion that I cannot tell this story in micro-memoir. Even though it covers only a few hours, there is too much going on during that time. This has been a great, although frustrating, experience for me. Here’s part four.
Hard to picture all that you went through. Did you ever feel that this was happening to some one else?
Hope the woman in white brought you some measure of comfort in those dire, painful, uncertain moments.
Oh my goodness, Patricia. I could imagine what you went through. The pain must’ve been excruciating to bear. Thank God you were in the right place at the right time.
Good God, I hope you did not leave as it sounds as if they are giving you a pain pill and discharging you, right? Can’t you post 300-word Part 1 and 300-word Part 2 so we can keep normal breathing of our own. We know you survived, cuz you’re with us, but how?
Here is Part Four in the series. Considering the roads not taken.
Well done, Lorna
Dear Lorna…you are a highly intelligent human being and would have been successful at whatever chances you took or might have taken. Oh that I had some of your wisdom. I enjoy reading your well written stories and hope to take inspiration from your words.
Great Lorna! Congratulations on getting a second chance to accomplish your dream. With Excellence, no less. So proud of you, my friend!
Thanks for your comments, Etya.my friend. Much appreciated. That was such a special time in my life. Defining.
Bravo!
Lorna, as usual, I loved not only your story, but the fantastic way you choose your words.
A thought prevails…. We Plan, God Laughs. LOL&LOL Jackie
Thanks for your comments, Jackie. Much appreciated. LOL
Lorna,
Don’t hate me for what I’m about to say. I just realized that I answered your story twice. The first time must have been during one of my three-in-the-morning sessions. I don’t remember reading the story before. Yes, Lorna, the Twilight Zone does exist.
John
PS – I’m gonna have to be more careful.
Think nothing of it John. That can happen very easily. And I am extremely pleased that you took another look. Your detailed review,the second time around was insightful, encouraging, and much appreciated.
Lorna,
You evoked different thoughts in my strange little brain as I traveled through your essay:
Well written.
John
Good for you Lorna. Sometimes these things are all in the timing.
Thanks for reading and your comments, Judy.
Congratulations. Opportunity had to knock three times before you answered. I’m sure you’re glad you did.
Thanks for your comments, David.Yes I am glad I did. It was an enlightening experience. I feel sure that God was looking out for me.
Lorna,
You go girl. I went after my masters in my 60s and burned out. I call myself a half-master.
You took the whole plunge. I admire that–more than I can tell you.
J
Thank you for your comments,John. The offer was unsolicited. God saw a desire in my heart. Challenging but transformative experience.
Here’s the man you’ve all been waiting for. After spending my two hours at Dar’s Wednesday afternoon tea party chopping this up, I hope I kept enough of the story intact.
Awhh John, my heart breaks when I hear how some humans treat others, just because they can. I am so sorry that this happened to you for no reason. I commend you on editing your well described story of another total Asshole. ‘They’ say we have experiences for a reason. You learned never to treat people that way and I wonder what Tom Asshole Spencer learned. Possibly that he had no friends at all.
John, Tom Spencer, indeed, was an Asshole with a capital A. Some people don’t know how to handle power. Great story.
Lil’/Big Bro, you controlled your inner emotions well, but I would like to read your six-hundred-word AH version, bet my straight hair would curl. That was a hard pill to swallow and live with. I am so sorry Lil ‘Bro. Jake
Painful reward for your years of service, dedication and pride in your unit. A “cad” if ever there was one. So sorry you went through that. Your last sentence is very impactful and says it all.
Tom Spencer gets the Hypocrite of the Year award.
I just read a memoir by Alice Sebold, a rape victim. In it, she said the realization that life isn’t fair and never would be fair was a major product of her journey. You were screwed by a callous person who decided no one’s life had any value but his own.
I have my own asshole story. My guy did some damage but not near the extent as yours.
I am sorry you had to go through that.
Week Four – theme- Loss – Him, Me and the Elephant
“To the outside world he acted as an extrovert, outgoing, charming, thoughtful. Inside, his true introvert sucked all the energy out of me. He was un-communicative, selfish, and demanding. I was successful at feeling guilty, unworthy, and never good enough.’ I loved this paragraph, Dar. Great description! It’s a well-written sad story. Thanks for sharing.
Dar, thank you for sharing not only your life, but your term “Elephant.” You have such a gift of expressing experiences, scenes and life in general, in words that reach into our deep inner selves and allow us to see our situations in more comforting ways. Thank you and God bless. You’re why Wednesdays are such a welcome two hours in our week,
Powerful imagery,Dar, “An ivisible elephant began following me around….”. We are fortunate that your inner light found the courage and means to stay alive. Your story captures the struggle in vivid, touching words.
He didn’t deserve you Dar.
You accomplished a lot in a few words. I agree with John. It is such a shame we didn’t acknowledge the elephant back in the day. I recall a line in the movie “The best years of our lives”. the character, a vet, suffered from horrible PTSD and nightmares. His wife was unsympathetic. “Just snap out of it,” she said to him.
Lets hope we do better in the future. Thanks for sharing.
Dar,
I’m not gonna get political on you. But your story is very timely in light of the “controlling her own body” debate that’s going on.
I admire the fact that you are presenting situations that once qualified for the “SHHHHHH!” category.
J
very good point John.
So many layers and avenues to explore from this story. Invisible as they may be, elephants do represent loads to carry and the consequences that follow. I’m glad to know more about your life Dar. Thank you.
I agree with you, Thierry.
I previously posted this last week.
I enjoyed your story, Judy and can visualize the events as they unfolded. Congratulations on getting the chipmunk to “eat out of your hands”.
a great rewrite. and not cheesy.
You Cheesy Poof tease.
Isn’t it all about trust? They are so lively, a joy to observe.
SUICIDE AN ACT OF COURAGE NOT COWARDISE Part 4 (300 words).
Beautiful narration of an oh so sad story by which you seemed deeply touched. I commend you on the delicate, respectful way in which you told the story, as words such as “I could silence…” “I won’t share..” , “I can’t fully share….” “I could keep quiet….”suggest. It seemed that you gained further insight and can finally do justice and honour the telling, after Anik came knocking.
“I won’t share that her silences spoke torrid rivers as hints to her distress emerged from repressed simmering subtexts.” ” I could keep quiet, but Anik is knocking! That early Monday morning, I asked that the details of her fatal Adieu not be revealed to me. For the last eight years Anik patiently waited for resurrection. Amen.” Beautiful story. It reads like poetry. Very poignant and profound. The phrases I chose highlight your story, Thierry.
brilliant. You discussed her suicide by talking about her life. and in 300 words!
Questions.
Thierry, So, so, so sad, my heart bleeds. What courage it has taken for you to have written this story. God bless you and her.
Week four, only two more. A story about a bridge.
Your life was quite adventurous, Dave. Good story. I could visualize where you went and how the bridge looked like without the picture.
Great story, David. Love how you tell it, inviting the reader in, to visualize the events as they unfold. Fearlessness and a spirit of adventure speak loudly in this story. I cannot imagine a 2400 miles motorcycle ride, yet you tell of it with such great ease. Admirable
Sixty bucks for a tire? Did this happen during the depression?
It was cheap. And in pretty good shape. I don’t know why he gave it to me for that amount. Maybe he was just trying to help.
In 2010 I was paying nearly $300 each for my tires. Good motorcycle tires are a lot more expensive than car tires and only last about 6,000 miles.
Nothing like wood bridges for great atmospheres and memories. And maybe the toll booth clerk and the car restorer had an arrangement for slashed tires! Or maybe I read to much fiction.
I wondered what had caused the slice. Was it the wooden bridge or the steel-belted tire pieces I ran into a few miles before?
David, I love your stories, Bravo, another star. I, too, love pics.
I’m glad you took the photo.. that’s where memories often lie.
Here is my Part 4 Micro Memoir story titled “The Art of Sound.” I shot the photos on page 2 with my iPhone camera. Composed as research structure within suggested word count. Enjoy.
Thank you for this informative story, Norma,and for the photographs. Interesting concept brought to life, and most definitely sets one thinking. Well written and impactful.
Norma, I learned something new today. The Soundsuits. What an amazing artwork! I enjoyed this story. You put me into the scene.
Maybe Cave should contract himself out to the military for camouflage, cover and concealment.
All fifty or fifty five age group and up, should allow themselves to wear a “Soundsuit” from time to time as we age, seeking the ”look without bias.” thanks for the colorful pictures Norma.
What incredible artwork. So creative and interesting.
I agree. Incredible. Fantastic. Unbelievable. Wish you could have seen the art close up.
Fascinating. What sounds did you hear? metal clanging, texture against texture like corduroy? It seems like it was a fun day.
Here is my Part Four of Micro Memoirs.
Now, I want to know if Randy was the one?
…and then?
What happened to Randy? Too bad you had to stop at 300 words. Hope this story had a happy ending and not a sad one.
Ditto to Judy’s and David’s Reply What a terrible thing to happen to anyone, but to such a handsome young man that fell so far landing on that face. What next?
That was some cliffhanger, Julie. What happened next?
You left me hanging. Did he live?
My part four, Micro Memoir Style Trials theme.
What a clever poem, Kit. Complete in 3025. Too bad we won’t be here to witness it.
In 2024, it’s called Alexa.
Oh, you poet you. Very thought provoking Kit. Thanks
Kit, love your unique way of writing and pulling thoughts wandering in our cloudy minds to the sunlight. Great.
Loved this Kit. So creative and powerful.
What a fun read. where is that app? I’ll pay any amount.
I enjoyed your writing Kit. Your format was creative. I want the app to find things lost.
Trials greater than words can express sometimes. “Fall 3025” Love it! All LW as a group should give ourselves a location, time and hour to meet in spirit that 3025 year. See if we can provoke a Bang!