A Creative Journal

Freaky Friday #59

by Heather Goldsmith on May 18th, 2007

Today is Friday and that means it’s Freaky Friday. If you need to know more about this journal writing challenge please read the First Freaky Friday entry.

I’ve been reading The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan. I had wrongly assumed the book was a novel and felt a little disappointed when I realised it was in fact a book of essays. But, my disappointment soon dwindled. The essays are interesting and well written, so don’t hesitate to read this book if you’re at all interested in the stories we tell or writing.

One essay, about Tan’s mother, made me realise just how much fiction is based on our own stories. So, taking the example from Amy Tan today spend some time in your journal listing five to ten things about your family. You may need to write a fair bit to dig into this. Look for topics such as the houses/countries you or your family lived in, the tragedies you’ve experienced, dreams that didn’t come true for you or your parents, connections between family members, etc. As you write try to locate a theme, if at all possible.

Once you glean out your list from this journal entry select at least three three and write them up as a fictional account. If you have a theme, use this in your fictional piece. Change vital details, such as the sex of the parent or relative, their occupation, the ages of people involved. This could be a project to think on and work on over several days. Let me know if you discover anything useful by sharing in the comments section below.

Heather
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POSTED IN: Journal Writing Prompts