1. When writing about place, consider which few strokes paint the whole; in Zen painting, the fewest brush strokes with the most meaning are desirable.
2. Before you start writing, identify what piece of information is essential to telling the story of the place. Where and how will you use it? How can you shape the piece around it?
3. Ask yourself: What is the best way "into" the place?
4. When writing about place, always understand what the narrative is: what is the story of the place that you are intending to tell? What do you want people to take away?
5. When writing about place, consider the following: What is your theme? What is the central image, emblem, or metaphor? What is the story shape or frame? What is the arc of meaning? What is the beginning, what the middle, what the end?
6. Ask yourself: why should the reader care about what you have to say about this place?
7. Can you associate anything in the place with something your readers might already know?
8. Write about place using: narrative – the story; exposition – the background; and description – "presence."
9. Understand how you want to shape the piece. Where does it begin and end? How will it flow?
10. Let your writing about place lead to or from journal entry, essay, memoir, profile, "outdoor writing," "nature writing," travel writing or adventure, local history, scientific survey/report, cultural study, as appropriate.
11. Write about what the place means: to you; to someone else; to a community within the place or on it; to the solitary person or hermit; to those working in the place ; to those playing in the place; etc.
12. Shape episodes to build intensity or significance. The reason that it's "art" is that the form reinforces the meaning.
13. Consider the place in light of the difference between "landscape" and "scenery" – looking into v. looking at.
14. Consider the perspectives you might take in relation to the place: an outsider; an inhabitant; a newcomer; a bystander; a passerby. An owner; a renter; an inspector. You can be to a place as is the owner of a house that is falling apart, or the plumber come to repair the toilet. Which are you?
15. Write about the place from above it; on it; in it; at the edge of its boundaries. What changes as you change your vantage point?
16. Understand how one's role as "participant" affects your description of the place?
17. Understand how one's role as "observer" affects your description of the place?
18. Write about "the idea of place," the meaning of "place," rather than any place in particular.
19. Write about the "uses" of the place – in the broad sense, e.g. the "use" of wilderness?
20. Write about your experiments with the place. We make experiments in/with place, e.g. Walden. What experiments have you made?
This is interesting. I've copied this out and will think about this/use it in the future.
Posted by: leslee | August 26, 2005 at 07:41 PM
Hi, Leslee--by this time, I hope you've seen Parts 2 & 3, which complete this set of notes about writing of place. If not, e-mail me and I will send you the links. Thanks for your words.
Posted by: Tom Montag | September 08, 2005 at 12:19 PM