Remembering

Do you remember what you were doing when you first heard what happened on 9-11? I do. I was watching the Today Show when the plane hit the first tower. I thought it was a movie clip, and called my husband out of the shower to watch. Then we heard Matt Lauer say, “Oh no,” or something to that effect. I mostly remember his tone when he informed the nation that the second tower had been hit. Our nation was under attack.

My heart goes out to survivors, to families who’ve suffered such tragic loss, and to our country.

Memory can serve as a powerful tool in writing. It sucks us back into what we experienced, how we felt, sometimes evoking exact smells and tastes of that time. When I teach creative writing workshops, I often use memory as a prompt. Here are five to get your juices rolling.

-Recall an experience that took place in your elementary school cafeteria

-What was in your desk drawer as a kid? What about as a teen?

-What did your dad do on Saturday mornings?

-Did you have a lunch box in third grade and if so what did it look like and what did you pack in it?

-Remember 9-11

Happy (and not) remembering!