[stylist] Writing exercise: life story

Mon Apr 16 23:00:09 UTC 2012

Andie, Bridgit, and all of you who have trouble sharing certain feelings:
All my life I have "spilled my guts" to loved ones, friends, and even some
strangers. For the past 10 years I have been going through the tedious
process of shutting down, and pushing away strong  feelings except in my
poetry which I then share with just a trusted few that I know respect my
writing and my heritage so well that they find a place to put my ideas that
will not shake up their own.
How strange that we are all striving for personal growth and freeing
ourselves from past habits, often from totally opposite ends.
If I had a bottle of champagne, I would open it and drink to all of us, and
drink, and drink!
Jackie

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Andi
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 12:44 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] Writing exercise: life story

Bridgit:
I understand that closed book sentiment, I am usually the same way.  I have
recently started to open a tiny window to that private part of me.  However
the window is small and is not available for viewing by many.  Also I am
still selective about what is placed in front of the window.  However I have
started opening up because I have learned and grown in part because of
inspiration I have gleaned from others personal and often private stories.
I am a healer by nature and I find I can help heal others who have been
through similar things by sharing my experiences and how I dealt with my
issues.  However I still have trouble letting people see every peace of the
story even when it might help.  This is partly because I am not sure if it
matters, if people even want to know, and because my private nature.  I am
working on it though. Also I identify with what you said about feeling like
a different person then the one in your memory.  I am so different then who
I was before.  At my core I am the same person but I have grown and shifted
myself around.  I am a much happier person and I am more open minded.  I am
also more me than I was.  That probably doesn't make since but I don't know
how else to put it.  I also have trouble letting people read my work because
even the fiction has peaces of me in certain characters.  My poetry is
almost exclusively my coping mechanism and it is almost all peaces of my
personal story.  I love poetry but very few of my works are other than me.
Maybe I will submit one to farther widen my window.  We shall see.  I need
to get over this fear or what ever it is of letting people read my work
because I do hope to be published so I will try with this group.  Everyone
seems so supportive.  I am glad to be a part of this assemblage of people
who are as passionate about writing as I am.  Also I did not mean to say
that fiction is ineffective in helping people learn and grow.  I believe
stories have lessons in them no matter what genre, I just meant that it is
easy to say a imaginary person can do anything and as real people we can
feel more limited.  If a real person can do something it gives people more
encouragement that they can do it to, what ever it might be.  I agree with
you that all people and their experiences are valid and the way one person
handles a situation will differ from another's method.  However it does not
make one wrong or write.  Both are simply different.  Also things affect
people in different degrees.  I am sorry for the long windedness.

Andi

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2012 4:57 PM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] Writing exercise: life story

Andi,

First, thank you for your kind words. This was just an exercise a prof.
assigned our first day of class a year ago, and I've never shared it outside
of that class until now. As mentioned, those "issues" have not been so
directly explored before that exercise. I've had vague allusions to it in
other pieces, but it's difficult to write about. Not so much because it
drudges up personal memories and emotions, but because much has changed
about me, about my family, about our relationship. It's a little weird and
difficult to address such issues when the players are so different now- it
can feel like talking about completely different people. And I'm just so
private about myself. It can be frustrating because often I'm judged for
what people assume about me when they know very little about me and my life.
I've learned to not judge those I don't know on a deeply personal level
because not only do I think it wrong and unfair to assume anything about a
person, but because I know from personal experience how this feels. We all
have a story to tell; we all have experiences in life that affect us both
negatively and positively. No one's individual experience should be
diminished or discredited.

I think it's important for writers to find that identifiable factor when
addressing any subject, fiction or nonfiction. This is what makes characters
come alive for readers and want to continue that journey in a book. I was
taught to always consider why do other people care about this? Whether
fiction or nonfiction, why would others want to take this journey with me.
Sometimes I figure it out, other times not so much.

I'm a deeply private person. I can be very sociable, but I really don't
share much about myself. I'm a closed book type, so when I switched my
emphasis to creative nonfiction when at university, I was thrown into this
environment where I was expected to explore and share my life. This has not
been an easy task, and when I was hired to blog for The Omaha World Herald
about my personal experiences as a diabetic and about blindness, I really
struggled, and still do, with sharing so much personal information
especially when some of it can be a bit confessional.

I think I developed a lyrical voice in a lot of my writing and experiment
with form and structure a lot because it acts like a cushion for me when
addressing touchy topics. I do write prose that's not so lyrical but more
often than not I adopt this style of writing. I like to explore how imagery,
metaphor, diction, syntax, sentence structure and form can be employed to
tell a story. It can bring an artistry to writing, and quite often it helps
place a reader into that moment instead of just observing.

It's always nice to hear positive feedback especially when sharing such
personal information. I appreciate you taking time to read my piece and
comment. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/

"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 10
Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2012 12:11:40 -0400
From: "Andi" <adrianne.dempsey at gmail.com>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] Writing exercise: Life Story
Message-ID: <4f830a3f.66d0320a.7def.2556 at mx.google.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

I really like this, it really makes a person think.  It invokes sympathy for
children in such situations, and yet gives hope that they will have the
possibilities for a happy life.  I really like the imagery and the words you
chose.  Language is such a treasure.  I am sorry for the hard times you have
had in your life, I understand and identify with the numbness though my
situation was different.  I really like the eluding to snow white and the
poison apple.  I have been their and I also like the kiss awakening, I also
identify with that.  It is always a good thing when you reed something you
relate to.  Also it is a good story for people who are still in that numb
state in their life because when are you are in such a state it is hard to
believe you will ever be happy.  Your words give an identifying point and
hope at the same time.
Have you ever hird the song "conversation with my thirteen year old self" by
Pink?  It is a different circumstance but the message of things will get
better is the same.  I hope to be able to spread that message as well  some
how as eloquently as you did because when a person is in the depths of
despair, depression, sadness, or even anger they need to know there is a way
out.  It is sometimes hard to believe as you know, but it is possible. Thank
you for sharing such personal work it can be hard to share private thoughts
with such a big group.  But people can learn from real experiences better
than fiction most of the time, because it is easy to say "anyone can make up
a happy ending" but reality is harder to refute.  Sorry for my long
windedness.

Andi

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