One of the things I learned in Theo's memoir 2.0 is the snap ending. She instructed us when we are looking for ways to end our writing pieces is not to write something else but start cutting sentences from the end until you get something that's crisp and ends definitively.
Can't say I really have had the nerve to do it.
BTW, I submitted my piece "San Gabriel Valley" to an online critiquing group, so far I've got three critiques; two were nice and all but not too helpful but the third (from central Israel) took me to task in some important constructive ways. What is this piece really about? my critic asks. About the couple? about that valley in Southern California? I think to myself, it's about 'Passing through'. I could write a triptych piece like Theo taught. I could write something more like the style of Ann Lamott where you might have several different pieces with a unifying theme. I have my theme. It's fine to tear a piece of your writing apart if you have an idea where you want to go. I'm grateful.
Back to the snap ending, this one really caught me. From the Dec 3, 2011 New Yorker, the opening in the Talk of the Town entitled "Burning Love" by Elizabeth Kolbert about a new energy source, Shale Gas. The last two paragraphs:
The trouble with this argument [ie the dangers of harvesting this source is at least as bad as others] is that in the absnece of rational energy policy, there's no reason to substitute shale gas for coal. We can combust the both! The way things now stand, there's nothing to prevent us from getting wasted mountains and polluted drinking wate, and a ruined climate to boot.
In the coming decades, ever-improving technologies will almost certainly make new sources of hydrocarbons accessible. At some point, either we will outgrow our infatuation or we will burn our way to a very dark place.
Very dark place. So many images come to mind. Dark houses, dark lives. Dark cities, cold babies. A great ending. It snaps.
A lot to aim for....
Picture used without permission from Cornerstone Home Learning, a home schooling blog.
For those who are wondering, here's how Naomi's candy cane bark came out. Not bad after all of those challenges. She took all of it to a holiday party last night with strict instructions not to bring any of it home.
Though, in the past 24 hours, a big box of fancy chocolate mint cookies has arrived plus Nobuko's chocolates from Japan. Those things are so so good. Last year I threw them in the freezer. Can we resist? Can we?
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