Week 2 — MIT Open Course
In week two, the class covers the “layers of ideas” in a short story. We are asked to consider the “NOW” moment in the short stories that we have to read. We have to consider how the ‘NOW’ affects the character(s). I was struck by the idea of how something/someone in the past could be the impetus that brings the character(s) to the ‘NOW’ moment. I started my short story last week and it was a bit linear or simple if you will. I couldn’t figure out how I could flesh out the story so to speak. The idea of what event might bring my character to the NOW and introducing other people who might be involved helped me immensely in my short story.
There were two selections this week, ‘The Man to Send Rain Clouds’ by Leslie Marmon Silk, and ‘ Barbie-q by Sandra Cisneros. If I’m honest, I didn’t enjoy them as much as I did last week’s selection. I know that this has to do with personal ‘taste’ but it also has a lot to do with my undeveloped analytical abilities/ lack of understanding. There were deeper meanings in both stories which I was unable to infer easily, especially Barbie-q. While I wouldn’t say, ‘The Man to Send Rain Clouds,’ was more obvious, the themes of death, religion, indigenous traditions/customs vs new or foreign beliefs, fairly leaped off the page.
We are asked to think about where the inspiration for a story might come from. I could come from our own experience, or from someone else, or maybe it was from something we read or heard. The inspiration for my story came from stories I heard from my aunt who lived and studied in Canada. She talked about her experiences growing up there and how fun the 70s and 80s were. I really like the idea of retro and vintage, so I thought I would set my story in that time frame. But now that I have had a chance to reread it, I think I will have to go back and add some elements that give it a 70s and 80s feel.
This week’s exercise also asks that the students keep in mind that “Every scene advances the characters’ and their agendas.” Again, this has changed the scope of my story. I can already see the difference it has made in the character’s reaction to a certain situation. There is a certain amount of character analysis involved; the psychology if you will. I wish I had thought to upload the story before I changed it^^
