Weekly Composition Challenge

Composition Challenge 2: Be a Voice from the Past

You know that argument where one person screams at the other, "You're so self-centered!" and the other person just sort of blankly stares? That's because we're all self-centered.  It's sort of the major downside of only inhabiting one body and getting one perspective at a time. We're each the center of our own universes. Before I meet or hear of another person, they do not exist. It follows that when a person moves away, or gets married to someone I hate, or takes up Satan worship or something, they sort of similarly disappear from my universe. My ability to move on from people is not a habit that I'm proud of. So this week I'm challenging myself to get back in touch with an old friend. I love when blasts from the past seek me out (granted it's not to say that I owe them money or that I might want to get a fresh STD test). So I have resolved to be that person. If you want to play along, do it! Break out the old address book. Or do some research and hunt someone down. Find out what they've been doing outside your solar system. Maybe they have a memory to share that you had forgotten. Or maybe their life has gone to shit and you can feel better about yourself for keeping it together. (Or offer to help them out.) My phone call is coming up tomorrow.

Amanda at LittleWhiteLiar.Typepad.com
...The last message he sent me said, "If I don't pay my rent, I'm going back to jail." My last one said, "Let me know how to wire you money." Radio silence since last Thanksgiving...

 

 

Composition Challenge 1: Parents' First Impression

Now that you have known your parents for decades, you probably have a stockpile of embarrassing anecdotes about them.  You can probably imitate them from the tiniest inflection to the the last screeching vowel of your own name, screamed in irritation.  But how much do you know about the circumstances under which your parents met - what they thought of each other initially?  Thinking about it, the moment of your parents' introduction is the most important human interaction of your life (you know, the one that actually started it).  How did they get from an awkward opening to shared parenthood?  Find out.  Write it down.

Amanda at LittleWhiteLiar.com
...The first thing that really drew my attention about your father was that he was white, single, and spoke English...

Jamelah at Jamelah.net
...My dad talked to my mom that night, I guess in between being a hit with the ladies or something, and my mom decided that he would be a fun summer fling because “he was a good dancer, and good-looking and I thought I’d have fun for the summer. I met him in the spring.” Seven years (and me!) later, my parents split up for the final time (I was 2). So it was a very long summer fling, then...

Meg at PuritanJamShort.Blogspot.com
..."Did you know his nickname was Moose?"
"Oh, how-not-at-all charming. No. You  mean like in Archie and Jughead? Midge's boyfriend? Weird."...

Kelsi at ThisCouldTakeAwhile.Blogspot.com
...the only hitch came when my mother offered an ultimatum - he could continue eating meat and lose her, or he could become a vegetarian and marry her. naturally, he gave up the meat. (man. the things men do for sex. seriously.)...

About the Composition Challenge

Ideally, this will become a collection of journal entries from various diarists. The aim is to keep people writing and updating their journals, which can sometimes be easier if topics are suggested from an outside source. It's surprising what you can find out when someone else asks you to.

Selfishly, I hope for this to become a showcase of my favorite web writers.  The challenges will be geared toward self-discovery, but the medium allows for us to discover others.  If you are reading this, I hope that you are a Composition Challenge participant.  Let's get a community going.

Simply, I will propose a topic each week, both on this site and its parent, Little White Liar.  If you feel up to the "Challenge," compose a journal entry and link it in the comments section.  At the end of each week, each participating post (and an excerpt) will be listed and linked.  Best case scenario, participants will write about something they might not otherwise, and find other awesome writers to enjoy.  This isn't a dictatorship.  If you have a suggestion for a Challenge topic, please e-mail it to me.