Week Six: Book vs. Story

When we write, we're told to draw from life experiences- to only do what we know. But is it possible to take a moment of our lives and extend it to other's- to relay our lessons to the majority of the public and connect to them on a deeper level? Fiction does it, fantasy does it, so I should be able to, too. Right? The average person should be able to write about their lives and connect to people- I mean, we do it every day. We tell jokes and stories of our commutes and people listen and relate, because it is an ordinary event that they have experienced. But what about something out of the ordinary?

Lena Dunham writes about her early life- of bouncing from therapist to therapist to help with her OCD. But how many of us actually have OCD? How many of us have been to therapists since the age of five? On the surface level, this seems unrelatable to the average human-being. But as I read her story, I found myself in her shoes- bouncing from Ruth to Anni to Lisa to seek help for many phobias. It's not something I personally experienced, yet she allows insight into her life and allows readers to experience a life with mental illness. This connection to the outside is likely due to her authentic voice with equal amounts of visualization and description. However, the article is quite lengthy and seems to over-tell. She begins with her many fears as a child, and many paragraphs later she concludes that she has grown close to her therapist over several years. She over-shows and over emphasizes many details of her life, which bogs down the story. Although she does seem to have an authentic voice and I find myself believing what she wrote, I can't help but think that she took liberties when it came to dialogue and all of the details she included from her childhood. Our memories are just not that good or accurate. 

Another writer includes a short and concise article spanning over many months. In Cousins, the author conveys the loss of a family member (in a way) and regret towards letting her move away. There are not a lot of details despite the amount of time that passed, and she was able to convey the meaning and resonate with the readers. Everyone lives with regret, everyone has a family, everyone doesn't have a perfect relationship with their family, which makes it relatable. She adds just enough description to allow me to envision the events and keep the story moving in a meaningful direction. She describes her cousin's farewell, describing it as a "sail boat going out into the Atlantic," which suggests a sense of unease rather than outwardly stating it.  She includes enough detail without bogging down the story. Due to the summary-like writing of the story and honest emotion, I believe the article is truthful and accurate to the events the author faced. 

Despite the copious amounts of detail Dunham includes in her memoir, I find that the article Cousins better conveys the intended message. I got lost in Dunham's story, and by the end I wondered why she had written the article to begin with. The meaning and theme seemed absent, or maybe that is simply me being unable to relate to her experience. However, Cousins conveys regret and loss, and how a closeness can last over a great distance. The author includes few details, but a better message.

Image:

https://www.pexels.com/search/rhode%20island/