Saturday, May 31, 2008
More stuff from the workshop
I've had a couple of more submissions, and they are more what I would expect, people just telling stories, straight plot, without details or juice. That will be relatively easy to talk about, except that one of them is written from the perspective of a baby, just able to walk. That's a really hard thing to do, and I'm not really sure how to tell that person to do it, except maybe to truck out the Faulkner to show the perspective of an alternative kind of consciousness, for lack of different words to describe it. Since memory has been linked to the onset of language, it's difficult I think to write pre-verbal memories, though I've tried to do it myself in poetry. I have one very clear pre-verbal memory, but to capture the essence of what it felt to visualize it, that is perhaps impossible.
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I try to construct assignments in which I help students avoid these tricky POVs, especially for their first time out. I think I've asked that they choose a perspective from their own gender, near their own age, etc.
That sounds like a good idea, but since I didn't do that, I have to help this person now. Any suggestions?
well, I remember once reading manuscript written from the POV of a uterus - an unfortunate choice for all sorts of reasons.
Fortunately, I didn't have to address the writer - another staff did. I asked her how she was going to proceed. She said she was going to treat it like any other POV choice - even though it was a uterus, it should have a distinct character and voice and should convince the reader of its authenticity - making her (the reader) believe in it (the uterus). Etc, etc.
Then, before the conference took place, the uterus dropped out.
So, POV of the baby, perhaps the some of same criteria apply. Clearly this baby is more than a literal baby...
The uterus dropped out? I love it.
Actually, this person is on her way to some kind of credible insight into the baby mind. There are a couple of hints there that she understands this is mostly about following the nose, like a dog. I'm going to ask her to elaborate on that, thinking of the baby as a very intelligent (but naive) dog. The diction will change, and perhaps Faulkner will help too. I think she's quite familiar with him.
Huh. My uterus has nothing to say.
Are you sure it hasn't dropped out too? I'm told mine has at least taken to tipping... perhaps tippling?... since Jeremy was born.
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