This is an exercise for you to
honour your
mother, to understand her, define her, release her, defend her, recognize
her, but ultimately it is your story. You choose what you want to talk
about.
The recipe is simple. But not necessarily easy.
Write your mother’s story – where she was born, to
whom, and
what happened next – in 2000 words. The facts,
ma’am, just
the facts. Put in all the names and dates you can remember. Try to get
the sequence of events, the cause and effect, the choices she made - as
you know them. Remember: keep the spotlight on mom. This is not a story
about you,
or dad, or the town, or the times. If you describe an event, what did
mom
think about it? What was she doing there? Just splat out everything you
can onto the page; then hone it to under 2000 words. Stick to the
word count; it shows what you think is important.
Some people have started with a photo, or recipe, or memory, that
captures
the essence of the woman they want to talk about and have written from
there. Some have written their story as a letter to me (Marilyn Norry)
or someone else,
relaying what their mother went through. Some stories are in
the first person, some in the third. All of these are valid
forms. Just start.
Once you’ve finished your story to the best of your ability,
read
it to someone. Or better yet, a bunch of people. Are they able to
understand your mother now? Do they
have a clear picture of her? If you need to write your story again, go
ahead. If you need to ask questions to fill in the blanks, please do.
This assignment is a great excuse to ask the questions you never knew
needed to be answered. Ask your mother, your father, your long-lost
relatives, your siblings, friends. They will have different
versions of the truth, but remember:
this is not the definitive statement about your mother - this is your
story about her life. Maintain the validity of your voice.
See Ultimate Stories for examples of great stories already written.
