- Tense. These essays naturally lend themselves to the present tense because the impulse in description is to describe what one is seeing, not what one has seen. Present tense gives the essays a sense of immediacy (and, at times, emotion) but it also makes it more difficult to find openings for reflection.
- Now-narrator. In a sense, these essays are all now-narrator, simply because they are based on recent observation. We typically distinguish between now and then-narrators through time, looking back from some distance at the people we used to be. But this temporal distinction doesn't quite work here. Frieda wrote about her time on the river a few days ago. Amy wrote about Billingsly last week. I wonder if this is a reason why some writers struggled a bit with finding the story in the situations.
- Subject matter. In the absence of much time to thoughtfully choose a subject for observation, one that we might have an interest in before going into the field, we just go out into the field hoping to see something interesting. My assumption is that there is always something interesting to see if you can just see it right. But what does seeing it "right" mean? And is this a way of seeing that we can cultivate?
I'd love to hear your comments about any of this, or your own observations about writing this type of essay.
The tense and now narrator was something I definitely struggled with. It was difficult to find areas of reflection without sounding BLAH, and even though my trip happened two weeks ago, drawing blanks was an issue. If we only had a genie lamp that would capture and hold onto stories in order to help us rub out the tidbits.
ReplyDeleteThis exercise reminds me why it's so important to revise our work. I think it's so interesting how we can talk about (or get feedback about) something we wrote and suddenly see underlying themes or ideas we weren't even aware of. Though I had a lot of reflection in my field essay, some feedback you gave helped me see something in a new light. In your feedback you wondered about my motivations, or essentially, why the narrator was so bitter about weddings. It made me realize some underlying things that informed my feelings and observations. Without time and feedback, I never would have thought about it or been able to revisit this piece with some new inspiration. I don't think we can know exactly what our observations mean or why they are important until we have a chance to create a distance between the now-narrator and the then-narrator. (TL; DR: REFLECTION IS IMPORTANT!)
ReplyDeleteI what way do we speak that is right or how we see things that are right? Of course there are wrong ways to do different things as we all have done at different junctions in our lives. The “now” narrator can be a soft reflective voice and also be an explosive sound that catapults the reader into a warp of time where the most minuscule event can have them reading wide eyed with a racing heart. I plan on being both of those in the future but for now I’m still trying to find out how I really write. I find that I do much on my adventures or of that theme. At first glance I feel I do it well and then comes the review of the first draft and I am taken back every time for many reasons. I know that I have the ability to be much more descriptive which I believe to be a great attribute if done well. I have read other works when the author goes on and on or uses many of the same adjectives or analogies but that’s the way I see it. Is that right or wrong? I really think that it can be anything due to people’s perception of a story or attitude on life. If one want’s to dissect a scene, event or people, they do so on their terms which is normal. Observing from a lens other than the one normally used is a creation and experience that I attempt from time to time and that radically changes the subject matter entirely. I think when doing some of this it could be walking the tightrope of creative non-fiction and fiction.
ReplyDeleteConcerning subject matter, I agree whole heartedly that there is always something interesting to see. In terms of seeing "right" I think it is important to incorporate personal, and even bias, opinions in relation to the world around you. I believe that's where the interesting will begin to reveal itself. We all live in the same world, but each of our world's are different because of the opinions we hold. Our opinions are always changing, growing, learning, shifting, but so is the world. That's why when we share pieces of nonfiction with others they can relate to the feeling that you are comparing with the world around you, because chances are they have felt similar feelings at some point or another throughout their lives. It doesn't have to be correct, or current, it just has to be real. What's interesting is that we all have these opinions within ourselves in a world that is always trying to tell you what to think and those two ideas often collide with one another, and that's grounds for observation. The best part about the observation is you get to dress it up however you like, whether it be cynical, humorous, macabre, hopeful or joyous, but that trait of your writing is usually chosen on its own when you just write what's on your mind.
ReplyDeleteTense is something I have been thinking about as I consider how to revise my field essay. I really liked the idea of father/daughter fishing (my past, Holly's present), but I am struggling with how to include it. I wanted to keep my essay in the present tense, but how do you include reflections in the present tense that were not thoughts you actually had at that time? I keep coming back to the idea of morals when it comes to non-fiction, and where the line should be drawn. Is implying something that is not accurate crossing that line?
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