The Story Task
All our stories begin at home. There are many kinds of homes. And while I know that not all of them are the safe places they should be, I hope that in your past, you have found places that were home for you. We will talk about trauma and healing later. Stories are an important tool for working through some of those issues so many people face. But, for the moment, let me ask you to set aside those really hard stories and look for a story from your past that felt like home. Write about a memory that for you calls to mine home and the people who made that place home. It might be a story from your childhood or something more recent. You choose.
Story Guidelines
- This is a Prologue writing exercise, so it is meant to be short. Please write up to 3 pages to tell your story. Think of this as a warmup exercise, which you might develop more later or use as a jumping off point for writing some other family story.
- This narrative should be in a typical 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1 inch margins.
- You will be sharing a draft of this story with other class members, so please write with a real audience in mind. That means you should avoid writing anything that is too private to share.
Step 1: Listen to This Song
When your teacher is America’s favorite DJ (if I say it often enough, will that story become true?), we have to begin with a story. So please listen to this great narrative song to start the course off right!
Step 2: Meditate
Find a quiet place and sit. Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. Take some deep breaths. Say the word “Home” 3 times. Then spend a little time letting your thoughts float around that topic. Look for good moments from your past. Stories that make you smile. When you feel calm and, hopefully, happy, open your eyes and begin to write.
Step 3: Trust Your Instincts
Start writing the home story that is at the forefront of your thoughts. I’m sure it’s a valuable one. So write. Don’t worry about grammar or wording. Just get the words down. Write it in a rush, like a freewrite. And, this is important, enjoy that joyous power we have to create something with words that didn’t exist before.
Step 4: Do a little Editing
Read your story over. Fix it up a little. It doesn’t have to be perfect. But give the story a little polish.
Step 5: Write a Short Reflection
Once you finish writing and editing your Home Story, re-read it from start to finish. Then write 1 paragraph at the end reflecting on the story. This reflection might help add some meaningful weight to the story. You can ask your reader later if this reflection works.
Step 6: Bring Your Home Story to Class
We will read these stories over together and talk about them in our next class. I look forward to hearing your story of home.