For the upcoming peer reading, we decided to have one person assign a reading for the week (Tessa!) who provided David Foster Wallace's "Little Expressionless Animals" which I began reading on my way home from class today. I was excited to begin reading because I haven't read much of D F W but have meant to in the past. So far what I've read has given me some ideas concerning the way time moves and place is established.
I am still struggling to coordinate a large gap of time for writing into my new schedule right now. Feels like things are just starting to settle with classes, figuring out when I am free and can maintain energy. I am planning on doing some writing tomorrow, and I was thinking of making a time line cataloging years from 1989-present for myself and 1965-present for my Mother to pinpoint certain events/overlap.. I have some visual ideas for video(s) to make alongside my writing that I have been making some progress on, viewing as inspiration, way to settle into feeling/time/place that I am going for. Found footage from Virginia, Maryland, DC between 1970s-early 2000s. Kingdomion amusement park. Live concerts. Ocean City. Beltway Snipers. Floods. Princess Diana. Monster trucks. Etc.
Images from videos as inspiration:
Nancy 1984 / Ocean City, MD
i hope you get into your writing mojo, Heidi. These pictures make a historical statement even without the narrative. I know they are going to be great triggers. The chronology is a really good idea--get the concrete in front of you. yes!
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Heidi -
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the story is helping! I felt that way when I started reading it, too, and I definitely thought about your project and how it could take a similar shape.
I'm having the same struggle with finding the time and structure in my life to schedule writing in. Funny how until now that's sort of a foreign concept. I know I have the time, but it's almost as if the not scheduling is some kind of fear - like if I actually sit down to write at a given time, nothing will come. I guess we all have to get over that some time.
I love the photos. Especially the last one. I hope you continue to incorporate them into your work in a way that we can see - blog, drafts, etc. So interested to see all you do, especially with the use of the place. I love when places becomes almost like secondary characters in books/stories. When they become humanized with emotions and moods and expressions and perhaps even free will, or at least the illusion of it.
Emerging from illness last week, late but still reading what you're doing here! Awesome! The photos are great. I'm super intrigued by your interdisciplinary approach to telling these stories and the way in which the form will impact the writing/telling.
ReplyDeleteInterested to find out what the crossings were in the chronology.
Excited!