What do these quotes have in common ?;
"It was a dark and stormy night" (Snoopy, et al)
"In the beginning . . . " (Genesis)
"Life is difficult " (Peck, The Road Less Travelled)
"Marley was dead" (Dickens, A Christmas Carol)
"Elmer Gantry was drunk" (Lewis, Elmer Gantry)
"I wear the ring" (Conroy, Lords of Discipline)
If you recognized some or all of these as the first lines of literature, give credit to whomever fostered in you a love of reading. Coming up with an 'catchy' opening phrase or sentence can be the largest obstacle in writing. Somewhere in one of Albert Camus's novels he told of a person who labored for thirty years to have the perfect opening line for his Magnum Opus.
Before his indiscretions came to light, Bill Cosby was a well-known and quoted comedian, adept at one-liners and memorable titles. A memoir of sorts he called I Started Out as a Child. Sounds like a perfect descriptor.
Were you to write the story of your life, what would you choose to title it and what would be the introductory sentence? Particularly, if you want it to point towards a kind of summary statement of "what it has all been about".
The late psychologist, Erik Erikson, birthed the concept of life stages and various "tasks" to be addressed in each. For those 65 and older, he considered the dichotomy to be "Integrity versus Despair". One consequence of his model has been a use of writing one's life review which differs from reminiscing. Whether the process follows a chronological or topical format, one article described the outcome as an affirmation that "one's life has been well-lived, makes sense, and brings a sense of peace and satisfaction". (Intriago, "How a Life Review comforts the elderly and prevents late life depression", Seniors Matter, May 4, 2021). Whether or not such a perspective of meaning, purpose and integration of one's values is resolved can make the difference between late-life Integrity or Despair.
Bearing down hard on my 84th birthday and possessing a reasonable memory, I have been attracted to the idea of writing my own life review... whether for progeny or for my own understandings. And, I hope to attach an addendum in a dozen or so years from now !
Several years ago, at the counseling center where I practice, I led a group of older persons on such a journey. Unanimously, they expressed benefit from the experience. (If such an undertaking interests you, assistance abounds via computer search and books.)
Now, reminiscing can be pleasurable . Just today, after I had emailed my daughter a couple of clips from a television program we had enjoyed in her youth, she asked if I were "going down tv memory lane ?". Well, maybe strolls along that route can provide specifics of our lives, life review can come closer to providing personal insights posed in Hal David and Bert Bacharach's song, What's it All About, Alfie ?
For my title, I think I will copy that of the late Grady Nutt ... So Good, So Far. Still trying to find that just right first sentence, though.
Satchel
It's a good thing you were named William Ronald otherwise you might have had to tell people to call you Ishmael.
ReplyDeleteA very thoughtful and thought-provoking entry; we are all writing a story, but need perspective to find meaning. Thank you! - Dave
ReplyDeleteI tend to write my first sentence last. Otherwise, how am I supposed to know what I'm going to write about if I haven't written it yet?
ReplyDeleteOne of my teenagers has taken a liking to "classical" music. By classical I mean classics from the 70s, 60s, and 50s. It's certainly taken me down memory lane. Listening to her play music that my parents listened to...it's beautiful. But one particluar song has taken me down all sorts of memory lanes, including TV memory lane - "Welcome Back", the theme song from the TV show Welcome Back Kotter. While I enjoyed watching the TV show as a kid, I always made sure I was in front of the TV in time to catch the theme song...I liked it so much.
So maybe my first line can be "Welcome back..." because sometimes we come full circle.
~RS