Alice Atencio English 099 April 29, 2010 Think Piece for Night of Terror Writing about a specific memory that holds some type of significance to us, is sometimes harder than we realize. I know for me it was very difficult. It’s easy to relate a memory when talking to someone, however when I tried to relate the same memory but putting it on paper I struggled with it. The tips on writing from memory in chapter three were very helpful and informative. It offered a multitude of different techniques to help in the writing process.
For example, the tip on visual prompts, where we would look at old photos, or family videos to help bring a specific memory to mind, worked very well for me. Looking at some old photos helped me get my frame of mind back to the time I was trying to remember. I also found the tip on connecting with other writers very useful. It helped to talk to a friend about the subject I was writing about, because the input I received let me know what was relevant to the reader and also what areas needed attention.
On future papers that I write I will use the tip on outlining, by listing the main ideas in order, so that I can see how my essay is coming together. I tried to bypass this step on one of my essays and it didn’t work out very well. I noticed that I had to go back and change a lot of things because certain events were out of order and didn’t make sense. So I think if I follow the tip it should prevent me from making this same mistake twice. It’s definitely worth a try.
I will try to build key scenes in order to bringing my memory to life so that the readers can relate to my experience. Naula Lynch did a great job on bringing her memory to life in her story “Night of Terror. ” She gave vivid descriptions that enabled me to visualize and feel her fear. She gave relevant details to her story and left out things that didn’t add anything to it. The overall outcome was a great essay. The details held my attention from beginning to end and that is what I want from my own writings.
