Day 2 – Other People’s Memories
Every family is full of stories. Some are told (and retold). Some are secret. Some are a surprise that is only revealed years after you ‘should’ have known about them.
Your friends have stories they tell and retell.
Your colleague and strangers on the bus have stories.
Everyone is telling stories all the time.
Today we pilfer their experiences.
The Prompt
Write a story inspired by family folklore (or a story someone has told you that ‘happened’)
Tips
- My grandparents have a remarkable and romantic courtship story. One day I might write that story. Or I might take their story and transport it to a futuristic setting where the characters may face similar obstacles. What stories exist in your family that could inspire a tale or two?
- Be wary of realistic retellings of stories that don’t belong to you, especially if the people are still alive. But feel free to use anyone’s story as inspiration, a jumping-off point. Change details, explore other possibilities. Treat your sources with gratitude and respect.
- Start with a family story that is often told and ask ‘what if’? What if Grandad had been in a modern war, not Vietnam? What if Dad’s first interview had gone better? What if Uncle Sal had never got on the boat?
GO!
Post a comment at the blog to let us know you’ve written today, or join the community and post in the Victory Dance Group.
Ok, so I cheated a bit and wrote down my own memory instead, but wrote a story nonetheless. Here it is:
https://storiesin5minutes.wordpress.com/2015/05/02/what-if-i-was-in-the-high-school-marching-band-storyaday-post/
I wrote a story which is based on a childhood story my mother told me about when she lived in Newfoundland.
Woof, I squeaked in under the deadline today! I’ve got a story based on the reason my family came to America, supposedly. Thanks for the prompt today!
Hello! I wish to thank you for this prompt. It reminded me of one of my mother’s favorite stories that always got me embarrassed whenever she told it.
You can read it here: https://fredtotherick.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/a-man-in-a-mustache/
I chose to write a story from a memory of mine but from what I imagined my late mother’s perspective to be. I finished the story but chose not to post it to my blog. For now it is a tad intensive. But it was good for 1000 words and I appreciate the inspiration. Looking forward to the rest of the month.
I’ve done a nice little piece today about I memory I had about a time when I was around 3 or 4 years old – a long time ago (OK, so I broke the rules a bit, tut, tut!).
I’d thought about this many times over my life and yet never explored any further than a mental image of the experience (which might not actually have been my memory, more something that occasionally my mother had remained me of and the image was crated in my own mind!).
It was a lovely opportunity to ponder on the surroundings (both physical, backstory and what happened next) to the fleeting moment I could recall.
Thank you for Day 2 of this adventure!