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| Al and Clara Mae Cockrell 1976 |
Earlier this year I signed up for a memoir workshop here in Austin. I really had no intention of publishing a memoir, but I have always loved writing. Many years ago when I worked at Temple-Inland in Diboll, I took a novel writing course at Rice University in Houston. I commuted the 100 miles each way on Thursday nights for over a year. The professor was a fabulous teacher who had us write wonderful topics to practice our craft for the inevitable bestseller we longed to publish. Some of the topics included
- writing a brief history of six generations of our families
- developing a scene of a time or place
- place where I was born and why I was born there
- a personal letter your character writes to someone in the novel
- a two paragraph jacket blurb summarizing the novel
These were just a few of the 10 or so topics assigned each 6-weeks session. Anyway, I really loved the class, and unfortunately the professor announced to us at the beginning of the advanced session that he had been diagnosed with cancer and that he would be leaving the class. He wanted us to continue, and even allowed us to bring him our papers while he was in isolation at M.D. Anderson. At the hospital, we dropped our drafts into a safe zone where they were sterilized so he could hold them. I am sorry to say he died and a beautiful piece was published in the Houston Chronicle that captured his passionate work with fledgling writers.
I tell you this to illustrate the importance of family stories to any writing. This is where my professor Dr. Venkatesh Kulkarni wanted his students to focus as they started writing a novel. Write about what you know is the age-old truth we followed.
So now in 2016, I have written a dozen or so pieces that comprise the beginning of a memoir, a remembering of my life. It is important to note that this is how I remember it; it may not be how you remember it. That's the tricky part. I write the pieces in story format, so scenes are recreated as I remember them or described as they may have logically existed. I will publish some of these pieces here on my blog. Al and Clara Mae Cockrell, the couple in the photo above, are my fraternal grandparents and their story and the story of their families plays a prominent role in my early storytelling. My eyes mist as I remember them. They were fine people. Salt of the earth. I miss their goodness and sense of right and wrong, their ability to dream, their love of education, their generosity and friendliness to their family and neighbors, their humor, their animated discussions about events and issues of the day, their love of family, and their storytelling. I hear their voices still; and as we remember through the stories, I hope you will, too.
(C) Copyright 2016 Carolyn Elmore
