Newsletter #13: Toni Morrison
Hey!
February is well underway, and I hope your writing is, too. This month we’ll look at sentences and thoughts of three giants in African-American literature: Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, and Octavia Butler.
And now here’s this week’s newsletter on Toni Morrison.
Three Sentences by Morrison to Imitate and Study
I.
We mistook violence for passion, indolence for leisure, and thought recklessness was freedom.
from The Bluest Eye
Practice: Try this sentence frame using a concept from your writing:
We mistook ____ for ____, ____ for ____, and thought ____ was ____.
Here’s an example I came up with:
We mistook fortune for acceptance, fame for admiration, and thought talent was a gift to exploit.
II.
I dream a dream that dreams back at me.
from A Mercy
Practice: Try this sentence frame using a concept from your writing:
I _____ a _____ that _____ back at me.
Here’s an example I came up with:
I loved a forbidden love that never could love back at me.
III.
When fear rules, obedience is the only survival choice.
from God Help the Child
Practice: Try this sentence frame using a concept from your writing:
When _____ rules, _____ is the only _____.
Here’s an example I came up with:
When the avarice of oppression rules, the charity of the oppressed is the only source of hope.
Two Quotes by Morrison on the world’s beauty and the responsibility that comes with power
I.
“At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. You don't need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.”
Journal Prompt: What does “beauty” mean to you? How would you define it? Where do you see “beauty” in the world? What do you think this quote means?
II.
“I tell my students, ‘When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.’”
Journal Prompt: What do you think Morrison means by “free”? To what extent do you agree or disagree with Morrison’s claim that once a person has some power, their job is to empower someone else?
One Cool Thing - Toni Morrison Discusses Freedom of Expression and the Writer's Role
In 2008 Toni Morrison won a PEN America Literary Service Award. In the speech below, Morrison describes the role of the writer (novelists, poets, bloggers, essayists, playwrights, etc.) in society. It’s a moving speech delivered in Morrison’s calm and dignified demeanor.
Around the Interwebs
Here are a few links I found that I thought you’d like.
Nathan Lozeron at Productivity Game did an awesome video summary of Matthew Dicks’ book Storyworthy. Dicks’ book is fantastic and is a must have for any storyteller.
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant had a great tweet about perfectionism.
Anisa Nasir has a great article on how to develop your voice by writing short fiction. A practice I’m a huge fan of.
Spread the Word
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