“Diary Entry: 8/28/24 – Alter a Memory prompt“

Finishing the Alter a Memory prompt is surprisingly complex. There are three main reasons.

The first is fear of perspective. What I enjoy about this prompt is that I reflect on memory but change it up to highlight the impending messages. The topic I chose is deeply personal to me, and I want to make sure every person in this memory is represented correctly, even though the story has been altered. I want to make sure I am representing them correctly. So, I am not just telling a story; I want to represent it accurately in the execution.

The second reason is the future rewriting of this piece. This story can be reused in the novel I am writing. After writing the first round, I thought about how this could help build character perspective. But while writing, I am changing the purpose of this piece from altering a memory to a piece for my novel. It’s like my desire to write my book is a backseat driver when it comes to my writing for this prompt. It’s funny how I get writer’s block when focusing on my novel.

I don’t have a solution for these issues, nor am I looking for them. I just want to acknowledge them. They are valid reasons to have them and to play a part in my writing. I may overcome this before I finish the story or bake this issue into a complex piece.