Everyone I know has been running around like crazy lately, trying to finish their scripts, get financing for their projects, or just live their life. One of the ways I’ve found to de-stress is to make a shift from screenwriting to storytelling. And writing a mini-memoir is one way to do that because it allows you to actually finish something every time you start.
For this exercise please choose:
You at a different place in your life, younger, older or earlier today.
A place and time where something important happened that made you want something new.
A struggle to attain that desire that put you in conflict with yourself and another person.
A resolution – you got it, or you didn’t.
The insight or understanding that the experience gave you.
Example:
I remember when I was 8, my parents stopped at a diner to eat. I went outside and found this starving kitten. When I took him inside, and asked for help, the owners said that people threw cats out of cars all the time thinking they would be fed by the restaurant. I asked them to feed it, but they wouldn’t because they said that if they fed one they would have to feed all of them. I didn’t see the problem, but was horrified by their cruelty, and ran outside with the kitten. My parents came out and wanted to leave. I refused to leave without the kitten because it would die if I did. My father said he would leave me too, and I would starve to death. I realized I didn’t care. I couldn’t leave the kitten. After a huge battle that pitted my mother, who wanted to take the kitten, and my father who didn’t, I was allowed to keep the kitten. My insight was that I learned that one person could make a difference.
This took me about 10 minutes to write, and another 5 or so to revise. Now it’s your turn.
Start here (try not to stop for the whole time):
I remember when I was….
