This post is part of a blog chain that I am participating because the lovely Lindsey Crittenden invited me to. If you are at all thinking that you’d like to try your hand at Creative Nonfiction, take this class. You won’t be sorry. Or, if you are looking for a great book to read, may I suggest The Water Will Hold You: A Skeptic Learns to Pray? I know, I know, none of you are skeptics, but I think you’ll enjoy the book all the same.
Below are some questions that I will answer regarding one of the writing projects I am currently working on. I changed the word “book” to “essay” in most of these questions, because, let me be reeeeeal honest: I am nowhere near the point where I can write a book.
1. What is the working title of your essay? “The Last Skittle.”
2. Where did the idea come from for this essay? Since I am studying Creative Nonfiction, all my stories come from events that happened to me. This story is about a time when my cousin Tara and I decided to ride a skateboard down her driveway one summer afternoon. Tara’s driveway was about a quarter of a mile long. I think this is significant but that could be because I come from Chicago where driveways, if you had them, were just slight extensions of sidewalks. Anyway, Tara and I decided that just riding down the driveway wasn’t enough, so we put down Skittles along the pavement to slalom between them. This was great fun, one of my favorite summertime memories. Even when my older cousin, Jake, came riding up on his mo-ped, heading straight for me and Tara. Tara threw herself off the skateboard, and I had to decide whether to dodge the very last Skittle or dodge Jake.
3. What genre does your essay fall under? Creative Nonfiction.
4. What actors would you use for the movie rendition of your essay? Let’s be honest, folks. We would need some gorgeous looking folks to play me and Tara. So I’ll have to be real selective during casting. However, there is a character in my story named Mrs. Midgeinski that I picture as the camp counselor in The Parent Trap. I’m not sure if she’s around anymore.
Mrs. Midgeinski was a pleasant surprise when she popped up in my story. The scene with her has been my favorite one to write so far. She wears black socks with shorts and one sock keeps falling down. Plus, she has chin hair.
5. What is a one sentence synopsis of your essay? I think this is a coming of age story about a girl at the beginning of adolescence and faith.
6. Will it be self-published or represented by an agency? I don’t have an agent but I don’t see myself as a self-publisher (unless you’re talking about blogging). I think I’ll worry about all that when I’m out of school. Right now, my story is represented by my first year mentor.
7. Who or what inspired you to write this story? My very first class back in 1999. They were a lovely bunch of fifth and sixth graders who loved to hear and write stories. In a unit on memoir writing, I told them this story and their enthusiasm for it motivated me to write it down. Almost every year that I taught, I’d share this story, tweaking it all the while. So basically I’ve been working on this story for about thirteen years. I love how it has changed. Every time I take a new look at it I find something new that I didn’t see before.
8. What other books would you compare this story within your genre? I’d probably compare it to a set of short stories by numerous authors called When I Was Young and Your Age. In it, several authors (Katherine Paterson, Avi,) write about events in their childhood that marked them in some way.
9. What else about your book might pique your readers’ interest?
Here’s an excerpt:
Before we were to begin a counselor suggested we start with singing but our regular piano player wasn’t available due to it being her night to serve in the kitchen cleaning up dinner.
“We can’t sing without a piano,” the counselor, her name was Mrs. Midgeinski, said. She surveyed us, a mixture of glorious anticipation and reverent strictness on her face. She made me nervous so I studied her black socks and noticed one was pulled slightly higher on her knee then the other. I leaned over to share my observation with Julie when Mrs. Midgeinski asked if any of us played the piano. Except she said it like this, “Is anyone a peenist?”
I looked at Julie, my eyes bulging and laughter pattering in my stomach, ready to leap. Julie glanced at me long enough to let me know she too, thought this was the best part of our sleep away camp, but then stared straight ahead: her face a solemn sweet.
“We need a peenist, ladies!” By now, the black sock that was higher had slipped to Mrs. Midgeinski’s ankle and I thought I would die if she asked for a piano player again.
“Do we have any peenists in the room?”
“No, Mrs. Midgeinski,”Julie said, “We’re all girls.”
I collapsed into laughter, my shoulders shaking, tears streaming down my face, and my belly stinging from the giggles.
Gasps came from the campers around us. Heads turned, tongues clucked, one girl, I think she must have been Mrs. Midgeinski’s niece, said, “That is NOT appropriate on the evening of our testimony!”
Mrs. Midgeinski, who I don’t think got the joke, pulled up her sock and walked over to me and Julie.
“You girls,” she said and leaned in so that I could see the hairs on her chin. My mom was always telling me, “Callie, when I get old, don’t let me drool and don’t let me wear my facial hair. We are Greek, Callie, and some Greek women like to wear their facial hair.” I wondered about Mrs. Midgeinski’s ethnicity as she told Julie and I that if we couldn’t behave ourselves we would not have a chance to give our testimony.
To keep the chain going, I have asked a handful of other writers who have blogs to participate as well. Look for their posts in the next few days.
Kelly Rempl is a wife, mom of two and God-follower who lives and works in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. By day she edits ChristianWeek, a national publication, but her dream is to write for, and work with, young children.
Patrick Ross is a professional storyteller who has won awards for his journalism, blogging and creative writing. His blog The Artist’s Road chronicles the rewards and challenges of living an art-committed life.
Katie Byers-Dent is studying fiction through Seattle Pacific University’s low-residency MFA program. Her work has been in Duke Magazine, Anglican 1000, Faith and Leadership, and she writes a regular technology column for Fieldnotes Magazine.
I loved reading this, Callie, and not just because you say nice things about me. I loved this: “whether to dodge the very last Skittle or dodge Jake.” I love the details of the socks and the chin hair of Mrs. Midgeinski (and the synchronicity that, just this morning, my husband and I were discussing how Don Draper’s first mistress in Mad Men and the Barbara Bel Geddes character in Vertigo are both named Midge). Most of all, I love how you bring small moments to such life. Yes, the essence of CNF! Slaloming around Skittles — you just can’t make stuff like that up.
Thank you, Lindsey. You are right – you can’t make this stuff up, but I wouldn’t have been able to “see” them had it not been for your instruction. XO!
You’ve got to get your next big thing published so we find out how that story turns out.
“Nowhere near the point where I can write a book,” you’ve said. “Only because you’ve dismissed the idea,” I say.
Thank you, Anita. You are too kind. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!
Love the excerpt!!!! Instantly reminded me of getting kicked out of American studies for uncontrollable laughter over the word “gangrene” during some sort of oral presentation – do you remember that?!?
Of COURSE I remember that! That was one of the funniest things that ever happened in high school. And what’s so funny about it is I remember thinking, “I don’t know exactly why we’re laughing but I CAN’T STOP!”