laurel kathryn helen sittig:
a memoir
I’ve had the feeling lately that it’s time for me to have a memoir. Of course, it will be fascinating. I realize that it’s just about the most self-invovled, self-serving, i.e. self-ish thing, to think, that your life is worth writing about. But that’s simply not true. An even more self-important thing one could do, is to think that you could get other people to write your memoir for you. So that is what I intend to do. I will invite my friends and acquaintances to submit chapters about me, and I will compile my memoir. It will be fascinating.
I have made the following Table of Contents.
Chapter 1: Babyhood 1984-1989
Chapter 2: Brea (round 1) 1990-91
Chapter 3: Coslada/ECA 1991-1994
Chapter 4: Crusty Mustard 1994-1997
Chapter 5: Brea Junior High 1997-1999
Chapter 6: Brea Olinda High School 1999-2003
Chapter 7: Wheaton Thunder 2003-2004
NEW! Chapter 8: Fullerton Junior College 2005
Chapter 9: Seville, Spain (round 2) 2006
Chapter 10: Cal State Fullerton 2006-2008
Chapter 12: Oakland 2009
Chapter 13: My late 20’s 2009-2014
NEW! Chapter 14: The Thirties 2014-2024
Chapter 15: Old 2024-
(by clicking on the swirl).
also, you can click the swirl to tell me i’m crazy, that’s an option.
Guidelines: I want to give as little direction as possible, but I also have visions of greatness for this project (can i really get a high school teacher to write a chapter for me)? Chapters should be at least a few paragraphs long (think a hearty blog post), a few pages is entirely too long. You can write: a poem, a scene for a play, in pig-latin, whatever. If i can convince a few people to spend twenty minutes writing thoughts down for me, i will be ecstatic.
I will most likely make those chapter titles up there links to the texts that i manage to collect. Please note that chapters can be repeated, or you can even add in your own chapter. Choose your own adventure.
My thought on content: While this is a memoir that has my name on it, writers should feel free to be as creative as possible. As some of the chapters haven’t happened yet, you can make up those portions of my life. You can write about a part of my life that you know nothing about, if you want to make your best guess as to what happened around that time. If you would like to write about something that happened to you during one of these periods and very loosely tie it to me (“and that’s why i think laurel kate would have liked to meet my dog Skooter...”) that’s gravy.
About my name and all: Just use whatever name you feel like using. Laurel Kathryn Helen Sittig is my given name. Lolo, lokate, Kate, Laurel Kate, and Leiny are my better names.
If you don’t know me, you may still write a chapter. Yes, YOU! Clearly, you can read, so i’m assuming you can write as well. If you barely know me, that might just be ideal. I would love for someone to write a confessional about how they always just secretly hated me.
If you feel like a chapter is missing, you can definitely add one in.
Hearts, All!
UPDATE: I almost forgot the juiciest part! If you write a chapter, I will owe you big time! I’ll totally do something nice for you. Like mail you a postcard.
another update (because i’m wordy like that): this project is for people who LOVE LOVE to write. There should be no guilt in deciding that this sounds like something you would NOT like to do.