Collection 5
We Remember
Some memories are realities and are better than anything that can ever happen to one again.
—Willa Cather
Most of us are only half aware of the days we’re living through. We barely notice their flavor and their rhythms. We don’t realize that gradually these days will transform themselves into memories and will fade into vague shadows in our minds. There we will catch a glimpse of them only occasionally, perhaps when a song brings back, for just a second, the person who sang it long ago, or a scene calls to mind a place we visited long ago. Almost all writers start with memories. A French writer, Marcel Proust, wrote his greatest work after a taste of cake released a flood of childhood memories.
Writing Focus: Autobiographical Incident
Writer’s Notebook
“Life,” the saying goes, “is what happens while you’re making other plans.” What does that mean? Perhaps it means that we don’t pay enough attention to the present. Perhaps it means that we lose today because we’re thinking about tomorrow—or about what we want instead of what we have. If you’re busy making other plans, lay them aside for a few minutes and think about where you are right now. Write down what you want to remember about the present moment. Keep your notes for possible use in the Writer’s Workshop found in this collection, where you’ll be writing an autobiographical incident.
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