Love this! I am also a big fan of memoir scraps as essay fodder...I like how it landed as a craft essay instead of a personal essay though - nice twist.
I find your example of the "testimony" so compelling. I was raised Lutheran, and we took confirmation classes for EIGHT years on Saturday mornings. We also were subject to something called "questioning" at a Sunday service the week before confirmation and it was horrifying. We were quizzed in front of the entire church about parts of the Small Catechism, expected to recite parts of it from memory, and then apply it to our lives. For confirmation, we had to discuss our "project" re same subject. Very, very difficult for a fourteen-year-old who didn't know her butt from a hole in the ground. I loved how you wound your story, although you were younger, into this craft piece. Very very helpful. I am currently taking a writing hiatus, but I'm saving it for mid-September when I jump back into the pool. And I pre-ordered your book (Kindle, as I no longer buy physical books. When you are married to a librarian, enough is enough.) My best, Amy
How interesting! It’s fascinating how personal narrative is woven into different faith traditions and how those experiences with texts shape us as readers and writers.
And thank you so much for preordering my book! It means so much to me 💜
Excellent piece! Reading it, I recall some rejected essays that I can restructure, rewrite, and send out again. One in particular did not make it to the "Readers Write" section of The Sun, although it was well written. I now see that the structure was pitifully deficient. Your essay is a keeper and will continue to guide me---besides being entertaining in itself. Thanks.
Thank you for this great essay and the link to your essay on Brevity. Both were fascinating. I love how you took something from your childhood and applied to writing.
Love this! I am also a big fan of memoir scraps as essay fodder...I like how it landed as a craft essay instead of a personal essay though - nice twist.
I love to try to figure out how to re-purpose the scraps 😃
Always love your writing and submission advice, Anna! Enjoyed your Brevity piece and the vivid detail of you roller skating in the basement.
Oh, thank you 😄 And thank you for noticing that little detail in my childhood testimony 😆💜
I find your example of the "testimony" so compelling. I was raised Lutheran, and we took confirmation classes for EIGHT years on Saturday mornings. We also were subject to something called "questioning" at a Sunday service the week before confirmation and it was horrifying. We were quizzed in front of the entire church about parts of the Small Catechism, expected to recite parts of it from memory, and then apply it to our lives. For confirmation, we had to discuss our "project" re same subject. Very, very difficult for a fourteen-year-old who didn't know her butt from a hole in the ground. I loved how you wound your story, although you were younger, into this craft piece. Very very helpful. I am currently taking a writing hiatus, but I'm saving it for mid-September when I jump back into the pool. And I pre-ordered your book (Kindle, as I no longer buy physical books. When you are married to a librarian, enough is enough.) My best, Amy
How interesting! It’s fascinating how personal narrative is woven into different faith traditions and how those experiences with texts shape us as readers and writers.
And thank you so much for preordering my book! It means so much to me 💜
Excellent piece! Reading it, I recall some rejected essays that I can restructure, rewrite, and send out again. One in particular did not make it to the "Readers Write" section of The Sun, although it was well written. I now see that the structure was pitifully deficient. Your essay is a keeper and will continue to guide me---besides being entertaining in itself. Thanks.
Oh, I'm so glad that you found this both helpful and entertaining! Thank you for your encouragement.
Thank you for this great essay and the link to your essay on Brevity. Both were fascinating. I love how you took something from your childhood and applied to writing.
Thank you for your kindness, Janet!