Well what's it gonna be? As I mentioned in class, I am working on a short story that is about 5500 words long at present. I have drafted this a few times and the length seems to stay more or less the same, which is interesting to me though I can't say exactly why! It deals with a bright child who gets attacked and is damaged, partially paralyzed though his mind is little if at all damaged. At times, I have played with the idea that the attack actually help his intellectual functioning.
It takes place in the early seventies in a fairly working class immigrant neighborhood. I have not specifically defined what medically is happening which I think I need to research and focus on care from that time and what might be done for rehab, or the lack of it.
One of the big questions I have is how to promote forgiveness despite violence toward oneself, this has become a type of theme for the piece, though some folk have difficulty with the idea.
As per our class subject, how is core consciousness retained and expanded in the face of adversity and disability?
That's what I got so far
Have a good Thanksgiving if you read this before and hope it was good and thankful if you are reading it afterwards.
The rain has started in Astoria. I guess I can't take any meditative walks now. Better get to my writing.
Thanks
John
Comments (3)
I like the concept. I think that the fairly constant length suggests that you have the entire story down, except perhaps for the medical follow-up which you have yet to research, so however you tell it it remains about the same length, the proper length for this piece.
I am not sure about the forgiveness. I have an unfinished fantasy about forgiveness, but the character who is attacked in my story--and not actually injured, because that would not be possible--is an angel, who forgives the attacker because of how badly he has injured his own soul. I have my doubts about whether such forgiveness even belongs within the human sphere.
Posted by Lucy | November 20, 2007 7:13 PM
Posted on November 20, 2007 19:13
Hi John. Your comment that so far you haven't made the diagnosis of your character explicit got me thinking. It would help you get your mind around the character if you had a clear sense of the physiology involved, but, also, any family going through a situation as challenging as the one you describe would be spending a lot of time waiting for and considering diagnoses.
That said, diagnosis of brain injury is seldom clear-cut. There's so much we still don't know about the brain and there are so many complex possibilities. Still, you might research what the possibilities are and what diagnostic tools would be involved (fMRI, EEG, etc.).
I'm intrigued that you're intrigued about the fact that when you revise, this piece always comes out to the same length. It makes me curious about your revision process. It must be a trenchant one, because it's much easier to revise and add than it is to revise and end up with the same length. It means you're changing more of what's there.
Posted by Jason Tougaw | November 23, 2007 9:12 AM
Posted on November 23, 2007 09:12
Hi John,
This is a very interesting idea. I'm especially intrigued because of the workshop piece you brought in, and knowing that you have worked with kids with various disabilities.
I'm not sure that this story is actually about someone you knew, but it seems you have a good background to explore this type of story.
As for this idea of forgiveness-- I assume you mean how would the main character be able to forgive the person who attacked him? I think this actually could be related to the idea of core consciousness; does a person feel like the same person before and after an accident? What if he cannot remember his attacker, but others tell him about the person?
It sounds like you have this piece pretty much down, which is cool. I look forward to seeing how you deal with core consciousness in relation to some sort of traumatic accident, as that idea really interests me too.
Posted by Jenna | November 26, 2007 2:39 PM
Posted on November 26, 2007 14:39