The Voice of Innocence, the Voice of Experience
The voices of innocence and experience were our topics last night in my Time to Write class, where a lively group of writers gather in my home twice a month to deepen our writing skills.
Sue William Silverman's wonderful article "The Meandering River: An Overview of the Subgenres of Creative Non-Fiction" served a perfect jumping-off point. It has an excellent section on Memoir and the uses of the voice of the innocent (employed so well by Michael Patrick MacDonald in All Souls-- my favorite example!) and the voice of experience. The poem "Design"by Billy Collins provided a perfect example of the voice of experience in poetic form. The voice of the innocent relates events, but does not judge, process, or put them in much context. It is perfect for capturing complex events that may be swirling around a child. The voice of experience uses humor, reflection, metaphor, and more to relate events as well as their significance and connections.
Then we wrote, using first one voice, and then the other. As we read aloud, tears were shed, there were belly laughs, and we all learned so much from each other.
I love my brave band of writers and the risks we take in our writing!
Sue William Silverman's wonderful article "The Meandering River: An Overview of the Subgenres of Creative Non-Fiction" served a perfect jumping-off point. It has an excellent section on Memoir and the uses of the voice of the innocent (employed so well by Michael Patrick MacDonald in All Souls-- my favorite example!) and the voice of experience. The poem "Design"by Billy Collins provided a perfect example of the voice of experience in poetic form. The voice of the innocent relates events, but does not judge, process, or put them in much context. It is perfect for capturing complex events that may be swirling around a child. The voice of experience uses humor, reflection, metaphor, and more to relate events as well as their significance and connections.
Then we wrote, using first one voice, and then the other. As we read aloud, tears were shed, there were belly laughs, and we all learned so much from each other.
I love my brave band of writers and the risks we take in our writing!