WRITING THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE
Copyright © Carmel Bird 2005. All rights reserved.
This is a step by step guide to writing memoir, and is also a
meditation on writing and reading memoir.
There are twenty-eight exercises in writing placed throughout the
text which is also rich in quotations from a range of memoirists
from Marcel Proust to Joan Dideon.
Finding
the Words
The narrative of your own life is the most complicated
story you know. It is also the most precious, and because it
grows, develops and changes as the days go by, it is the most
dynamic, original and absorbing story you will ever
know. It’s the best story – you need the perfect words. And
the secret here is that you have those words – that’s the good
news, the not-so-good news is that you may need courage to find
and use those words. Why this difficulty? Partly because the words
may have been misplaced and displaced by years of listening to,
and of reading, the words of other people, words which are often
quite persuasive, and sometimes quite dishonest, and which are
more than likely unrelated to your personal story. As well as
these persuasive and dishonest words, there are also millions of
examples of the careful, accurate, lyrical, wonder-filled uses of
language for you to read, to follow, by which to be inspired. You
need to be able to tell the difference, and often people can’t
do this without some guidance. Above all,
you want to discover and use your own words – they will
be best. To do this most people need courage.
***
SECTION ONE
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KEY
Horizontal
A Psychology
of human relationships
B Role
and position of women
C Children
and childhood
D Violence
E Horror
F Murder
G Depression
& or Suicide
H Marriage
I Adolescence
J History
K Art&Photography
L Death&
After Death
M Fate&
Destiny
N Memory
O Love&Longing
KEY - vertical
1)
Made Glorious Summer
2)
Shooting
the Fox
3)
Cave Amantem
4)
A
Taste of Earth
5)
Woodpecker
Point
6)
A
Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow
7)
Major
Butler’s Kidneys
8)
The
Golden Moment
9)
Goczka
10)
As
High as an Elephant’s Eye
11)
The
Girl in the Freud Musem
12)
Buff
Orpington and the Disasters of Modern Life
13)
The
Man in the Red Car
14)
The
Right Stuff
15)
Automatic
Teller
16)
Kay
Petman’s Coloured Pencils
17)
The
Hair and the Teeth
18)
19)
Higher
Animals
20)
Buttercup
and Wendy
21)
The
Enlargement of
22)
One
Last Picture of Ruby Rose
23)
Why
Breezy McCarthy Drank the Cider
24)
The
Horse Might Talk
25)
Now
Ida Haunts the Car Park
26)
Ties
of Blood
27)
The
Affair at the Ritz
28)
Picture
of Doreen Grey
29)
30)
Special
Connection
31)
Maytime
Fair
32)
Reptile
Girl
33)
The
Isolation of the Deciding Factor
34)
The
Sea is Going to
35)
The
Golden Earring of Hepzibah-May Mull
36)
What
World is This
37)
The
Woodpecker Toy Fact
38)
The Common Rat
39)
The Cricketers’
Arms
40)
Flick
41)
Red Letters
42)
P.D.Hepworth,
Architect
43)
Henry Lawson’s
Chromosome
44)
Soldier of the
SECTION TWO
THE STORIES –
ANALYSIS AND CREATIVE RESPONSE
1
‘Made Glorious Summer’
Discussion
and Analysis
Of
all the categories in the table, this story lacks only G which is
‘suicide’. The story is particularly strong and explicit in
its examination and development of A, the ‘psychology of human
relationships’. C and D - ‘murder’
and ‘violence’ are also key elements in this story. But
perhaps the feature that first strikes the reader is the presence
of four different angles of vision, signified and differentiated
in the text by the use of different kinds of type. These angles of
vision are:
1)
the overall voice of
a narrator
2)
the story of the
schoolgirls
3)
the text of
Shakespeare’s Richard 111
4)
the dialogue of the
family where two people are murdered
Without
number four would there be a story? The answer has to be ‘no’.
One, two and three provide the structure in which four is placed.
How
would it be if the story consisted only
of number four?
Consider
how the different and distinct parts of the story (1,2,3,4) have
elements (language, images, characters maybe) in common. What
effect does this interweaving have on the whole narrative?
Who
would you classify as the main character in the story? Why have
you chosen this person?
Can
you write a summary of the plot?
What
are the themes?
What
memories do you think you will carry away from this story?
The
schoolgirls do not seem to connect the play with the events
unfolding in the street behind the school. This is an example of
irony. What are some other examples of irony in this story?
Why
do you think the text makes such a point of the scenes of nature
around the tree?
How
has the text aroused feelings of horror?
The
text foregrounds the fact that the school is in
Other
stories in the collection that tell of murders withing families
are ‘Higher Animals’ and ‘Ties of Blood’. Consider the
narrative voice and the point of view of these stories and compare
them with ‘Made Glorious Summer’.
Creative
Response
- Imagine you are one
of the schoolgirls. Write a conversation between yourself and
your mother about your classes on Richard
111 and your response to them.
- If you have studied
another play that reflects the issues in the story of the son
who murders his father and mother, re-write the story infusing
your version with elements of that other play.
- Imagine you are the
wife of the murderer and write your diary of the events.
- Two other stories
that take the reader into the lives of schoolgirls are ‘Kay
Petman’s Coloured Pencils’ and ‘Why Breezy McCarthy
Drank the Cider’. In these stories the focus is on the
interior life of a single girl. Imagine that Kay or Breezy is
in the class studying Richard
111 and write an interior monologue taking into account
the preoccupations of the girl, and the demands of being in
the English class.
2
“Reptile
Girl”
Discussion
and Analysis
This
story is told by a narrator who speaks in a voice resembling that
of a teller of tales, such as fairy tales. The movement of the
narrative also is traditional, taking a chronological path from
the statement of the problem to the sad resolution. It has a
rather eerie tone, and falls into the classification of fantasy
and speculative fiction. The reader may wonder at times whether
these things are possible, but the language is persuasive, in a
whispering kind of way, and persuades the reader to suspend any
disbelief and to flow with the fairy tale mode of thinking. There
is something dark and terrible at the heart of this story, and it
is never quite made clear by any statement from the narrator. This
is a strange, dark, distant world that yet seems somehow to be
part of a hidden world of today.
The
narrator sets the tone, and is a kind of fairy tale voice which
inspires confidence in the reader. Readers are accustomed to
falling in with what this kind of voice tells them. The
narrator’s voice is similar to that of the narrator of
‘Automatic Teller’. (There is another connection between these
stories, that of an emphasis on skin.)
The
time in which the story is set is also a distant, time-less time.
How does this fact affect the tone and mood of the story?
Discuss
the relationship between the father and daughter in this story.
Snakes
in fiction and poetry (at least as far back as the Book of Genesis) are generally signifiers of evil. How is that
working in this story?
Do
you know any urban myths about a pregnant woman being frightened
by a pig, for example?
In
the light of the snake in this story, consider the role of the cat
in ‘The Isolation of the Deciding Factor’.
What
is the significance of the pomegranate tree in literature and art?
Do
you know of a myth in which the seeds of the pomegranate are
highly significant?
Beginning
with ‘On an afernoon in late summer’ and ending with
‘pointing to the nearby green wall’ the story slips into the
present tense. What effect does this short insertion of the
present have on the story?
The
witch knows more than the doctors. How does this relate to the
debate between orthodox medicine and alternative medicine?
Other
stories in the collection that visit this fairy tale and
speculative realm are ‘Cave Amantem’ and ‘Now Ida Haunts the
Car Park’ and ‘The Isolation of the Deciding Factor’. And
other stories that challenge the reader’s understanding of
‘reality’ are ‘Woodpecker Point’, ‘The Enlargement of
Bethany’ and ‘One Last Picture of Ruby Rose’. ‘A Telephone
Call For Genevieve Snow’ is another way of examining fairy tale
heroines. It is worth reading all these stories as a group in
order to enjoy the flavour of this edgy way of looking at the
psychology of human nature. These stories showcase the hyper-real
vision of the world. There is something about them that might just
be true, or might just be about to happen, and the matter-of-fact
tone of the telling highlights this element of the writing.
Creative
Response
- Imagine you are the
nine year-old Samsara and write your account of you life.
- Imagine you are a
miracle worker who comes to cure Samsara. Tell the story from
your point of view. Will you give the story a happy ending?
How will you structure the story? Will you begin by telling
the reader that Samsara is cured and then go back and give the
history of the case? You might like to write it up as a
‘case’ in your casebook.
- Tell the story from
the point of view of the snake.
- The father knew how
to nourish his daughter’s spirit with ‘all that is
beautiful and good’. Write an account of the time at the
house on the hill to which they finally retired, including in
your account details of the ‘beautiful and good’.
- Taking this story and
two others of your choice from the collection, write an essay
in which you examine the ‘beautfiul and good’ and the
‘ugly and evil’ in these texts.
3
‘A
Telephone Call For Genevieve Snow’
Discussion
and Analysis
This
is perhaps the most horrifying story in the collection. It
features one of the greatest taboos – cannibalism. That this
cannibalism takes place on the outskirts of a large modern
Australian city makes the event perhaps even more awful for the
reader. The narrative tone is that of a kind of calm third person.
One of the principal characters is ‘the Voice’ that comes over
the public address system at the school. This Voice is responsible
for setting the tradegy in motion. It is also responsible for the
humour in the story, when it gives out the details of the
children’s lives for all the world to hear. Fate is a big player
in this story, the killer passing the school at the critical
moment.
The
telephone is a key player in this story. It is also very
significant in ‘The Man in the Red Car’. What is the other
strong motif that these quite different stories have in common?
The
Voice in this story is perhaps reminiscent of the voice in the
automatic teller machine in ‘Automatic Teller’, but the
purposes of the two voices differ. How do they differ?
Explain
how the Voice is a sinister element in the narrative.
One
of the key ideas in this story is that of rape. This idea is also
important in ‘The Hair and the Teeth’, although in a more
subtle way.
Consider the meaning of the little doll at the end of ‘The Hair
and the Teeth’.
How does the doll, in the context of the narrative, bring the
notion of rape to the reader’s consciousness?
Creative
Response
- Write a conversation
between two of the children whose teacher, Miss Snow, has
disappeared.
- Take the role of the
Voice and invent some more information to be delivered over
the public address.
- Imagine you are
making a film of this story. For the set designer, write
instructions for the interior of Nigel’s cabin in the woods.
- Imagine Genevieve
escapes and tells her story to the media. Write up one of her
TV interviews, maybe on Oprah.
- Imagine you are the
insurance woman in ‘The Hair and the Teeth’. Write your
report of the visit to the victim’s house.
4
‘The Golden Moment’
Discussion
and Analysis
This
story is revealed through the thoughts and conversations of two
women who are neighbours in an affluent neighbourhood. There is a
strong element of irony running through the text.
Why is the title ironic?
Who
is made to appear more guilty? How is that done?
Why
are the women given the names of their houses?
What
is the effect of the mention of Indigenous people, Jewish people,
Catholic people in this context?
It
is a story where rumour is one of the main motifs, and rumour can
be very damaging. Do you know of a rumour that caused a lot of
trouble?
Advances
in medical technology are showcased in this story, and also in
‘The Isolation of the Deciding Factor’. In each story the
reference is comic and yet profoundly sinister. How is this effect
achieved in both stories?
Medical
matters also surface in ‘Major Butler’s Kidney’s’.
Again it is a specific part of
the human body that is the focus.
Consider these three stories together from the aspect of their
view of body parts.
Fairy
tales sometimes focus on characters who have lost part of their
body, such as their fingers.
Find one of these stories and explore its relationship to ‘The
Golden Moment’.
War
is a key factor in the story. ‘Goczka’ is also a war
narrative, but is a monologue from a child refugee.
How
do the different points of view of these two stories affect your
understanding of the effects of war?
Consider
the role of fate and coincidence in this story.
What
are the role and significance of the white cat and the black dog?
Consider
other stories in the collection where photography is a strong
motif, for example ‘The Enlargement of Bethany’, ‘One Last
Picture of Ruby Rose’ and ‘Woodpecker Point’, and discuss
the apparent importance of photography in the writer’s work.
Then
consider the importance of paintings and drawings in the stories.
What
moods infuse this story?
Creative
Response
- Imagine you are
- Imagine you are Mrs
Blackwood and write your account of the life of
- If you were making a
film of this story, what pieces of music would you use, and
what other sounds would you put on the soundtrack?
5 ‘Woodpecker Point’
Analysis
and Discussion
This
story is told in interior monologues and letters and so it takes
the reader inside the minds of the various characters whose
accounts of events frequently conflict, giving rise to moments of
irony and shock. It is set in an imaginary rural town on the
The
motifs of the well and of the red rug move through the narrative
as constant and poignant reminders of love and death. Collect
references to the well and the red rug, and trace their progress
through the lives of the characters.
What
is the significance of the red windmill?
The
two Great Wars of the twentieth century have a profound effect on
the lives of the people in this story. So much of what is said
about those wars is coming from the sad memories of the
characters. What effect does the geographical distance of
Woodpecker Point from the action of those wars have on the tone of
the war narrative?
Life
after death is a mirror image of life on earth.
Comment on this concept. Do you find it amusing or alarming?
Creative
Response
- Write a conversation
in which Iris relates to a friend in
- Imagine you are
Father and write some more letters from the Other Side.
- Give the vicar’s
account of the events.
- Prepare a radio
reading of selected parts of the story. Include music and
sound effects.
- Imagine you are a
modern tourist visiting Woodpecker Point, and write your
travel diary.
6
‘The
Man in the Red Car’
Discussion
and Analysis
Discuss
the character of Miss Moss and her role in the events that lead to
Brian’s death.
Brian
is having a mid-life crisis. Compare his experiences with those of
X in ‘Buff
Orpington and the Disasters of Middle Life’.
Brian
and X from ‘Buff Orpington’ and Y from ‘The Right Stuff’
are all the victims of straying wives. Unfaithfulness in marriage
is a common motif which can be comic, dramatic or sad. Discuss how
all three modes can be found in these stories.
Look
at the way infidelity is signalled in ‘The Cricketers’ Arms’
and ‘The Picture of Doreen Gray’. In these stories infidelity
is made comic. What are the text’s strategies for creating this
comic tone?
The
story ‘The Common Rat’ also discusses the ending of a love
relationship. Look at how the ‘five year’ limit is introduced
by the Psychology tutor, in preparation for the way it comes in at
the end of the story.
Creative
Response
o
Write some more
dialogue for Melody and Tom.
o
The phone is a key
element in this and in several of the stories. Discuss the role of
the phone in the plots of at least three stories.
o
It is ten years later
– give Melody’s account of the car accident in which her
father was killed.
o
Give Melody’s
grandmother’s account of the breakdown of the marriage of
Melody’s parents.
7
‘Automatic
Teller’
Discussion
and Analysis
A
number of the stories foreground events and matters of world
significance, bringing these into the lives of the characters. In
the light of this statement, consider, alongside the first part of
‘Automatic Teller’, the stories ‘Flick’, ‘Oklahoma’,
‘The Golden Moment’, ‘Goczka’ and ‘What World is
This?’
This
is another story of marital infidelity, but here there is also the
strange fidelity to Wendy-Ellen. Comment on the character of
Alexamder in the light of this duality.
Modern
technology gives the opportunity for this story to mock, and the
story also plays with the work ‘tell’. Is this an optimistic
story?
Creative
Response
- Write one of the
other stories that the automatic teller might tell.
- You are one of
Alexander’s children. Write the story of your father’s
will and the aftermath.
- Now you are
Wendy-Ellen. Give your account of your love affair with
Alexander.
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