March 23, 2020
Dear Reader,
Thank you for lending your ear to my story. Time is a personally meaningful topic which I think about conceptually as an artist as well as practically as a modern human living within the dominant institutions and conventions of our own making.
In the writing of this story my intention was to grapple with the enormity of time by focusing on the small details of everyday events; to reveal the big picture through an aggregate of the small.
Some of the visual elements are noteworthy. The exterior view of Hever Castle is from a photograph I took when traveling in England. The interior view on this page with the letter to the reader, pictures the bedroom King Henry VIII occupied when visiting Anne Boleyn. When I took the photo, the guide mentioned that the king’s ghost was frequently seen sitting at the foot of the four-poster bed, staring out at the garden from the top-floor window.
The image of space on the dedication page was captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope which is basically an observatory in space above the distortion of the atmosphere, allowing for crystal clear images of the most distant stars and galaxies as well as our own solar system. In addition, here, I should note that I have dedicated this piece to my sons because they each introduced an observable timeline into my life which is a mind-blowing phenomenon and I believe the source of my fascination with time.
The video in the background of the story page is of the lemon tree in my backyard, filmed on a rainy day following our spring forward for daylight saving time. The still life of a cut lemon is based on a lemon from that tree. And, lastly, the author photo was taken by my husband as we walked the streets of Paris.
My creative process began with writing in my writer’s journal with a favorite pen. This helped me experiment with a circular narrative structure, unpack some storytelling about working with students, and dig deeper into content that required some uncovering. I went back in my journal to find notes about time and decided to describe my personal experience as a teacher to unpack the concept of time as an invention.
Determined to show not tell, I remained attuned to sensory data to reveal locations, emotions, and attitudes. After exploring different leading line strategies to connect with the reader, I integrated several attempts into the body of the story including dialog, interesting facts, and a joke. Dialog is new to me, as a writer, I have avoided it on purpose but for this story I was determined to try. Also, I kept a running list of possible titles throughout the writing process.
The most powerful revision strategy, for me, was shifting the point of view. In real life, I was the cousin hurt by my comment about time being dismissed at the family gathering. I was humiliated by my cousin and the issue still brings emotions of shame and anger to the surface. By shifting that action onto me, the art teacher narrating the story, I was able to accept responsibility for the action and represent my cousin with greater compassion.
Honestly, this strategy removed a block because I was reticent to write negative descriptions about my cousin. By taking on the negative behavior, I think writing became cathartic and I was actually able to let go of some resentment that I did not even know I was holding on to.
The most significant aspect about editing is the same as what I wrote in the story, which is what I regularly say in art class about creating and editing being two separate brain functions that cannot occur at the same time. Seriously, I do not allow erasers while drawing because of it.
For this reason, I did not edit until the creative part was complete. I wrote a lot, getting words down quickly by stepping into a river that was already flowing and going with it. I dumped my brain a few times in separate sittings and sometimes slept on it before writing some more.
After the revisions like changing point of view and reorganizing the paragraphs into a better sequence, I began editing. At first, I cut tens of words. Then, I read it for passive voice and made adjustments. Feedback received from both teacher and classmates was very helpful and provided much needed perspective to better fine tune. I shared the writing in progress with peers for feedback and listened to their insights.
Heeding advice, I reworked punctuation to increase logic for the reader in the interior, more dreamy bits. Admittedly, I resist punctuation and, except for the Oxford comma, do not like to bother. That said, I added question marks, commas, colons, and semi-colons as an act of kindness toward the reader.
Composing in small paragraphs and using empty lines is new to me, something I discovered in the young adult genre novels, such as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, I have been voraciously reading of late. Also, I read about the rhetorical device of using other people’s words so I tried that, too. These are examples of making small rather than big and cumbersome, which is how ideas exist in my mind and also how I typically write.
Due to the temporal shifts, the little paragraphs remained confusing and I added a few line spaces here and there to signify a needed pause. Clarity is an ongoing struggle for me as a writer and an area of opportunity for ongoing learning which I promise to embrace.
The best penned aspect of this story are the pieces of my true story that shine through. The true bits from my life inside and outside the classroom ring strong with depth and that was unexpected. The final best draft is nothing I would have imagined. This tells me that the creative process worked because I have been altered, somehow.
As a writer and teacher of writing, I have learned that the process of pulling memories, ideas, words and imagery out of myself reminds me of the humility required to support students in their own creative journey. Writing is transformative and working within a supportive group is a gift. The value of peer discussions and friendly readers found in class is not to be underestimated.
There it is and here we are.
Please enjoy your time.
With Gratitude & Appreciation,
Yours truly,
Theresia Rosa Kleeman
