Writing about Love and Magic:
Writing about one’s Self is never easy. These days I always
dive headfirst into personal essays and memoir pieces. I find it’s easier that
way; just start writing something down without trying to anticipate where the
story will go. Obviously, this strategy doesn’t always yield a good story, but
more often than not I end up with something that has a little Truth in it that
can be ironed out with a little revision and restructuring. I’ve found over the
years that if I spend time trying to start with a particular moment or
anecdote, I often waste time musing over memories and waffling back and forth
between nostalgia and feeling pessimistic about retelling something so perfect
as my cherished memories.
For Love and Magic, I put on a pot of coffee at 10pm and
locked myself in my room. I thought for a few moments about my identity to prime
myself. Specifically, I thought about the ways I’ve changed and the things that
have stayed the same since leaving high school. I started writing about identifying
as a nerd. Almost immediately Magic the Gathering and a dozen related memories
came to the forefront of my mind and I quickly realized that I had a thread
around which I could tell a good story. From there, I kept drinking coffee and
writing, challenging myself to switch gears from high school to the card games
to my relationships with myself and others. After a few hours of reworking and
rewording, I had a decent first draft.
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