CRAFT STUDIO: THE TYPEWRITER IN THE BASEMENT BY BRIAN DOYLE
Oct
27
What I Was Reading:
I have been slowly reading through One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder by Brian Doyle. This compilation of some of the best of Doyle’s writing, celebrates the wonder we can find in everyday moments when we stop, look, and listen. I’m trying to read only a few essays at a time and follow Doyle’s lead by using them as an invitation to look for the wonder (and the possibilities for writing) in my own surroundings.
“The Old Typewriter in the Basement” is one of my favorites from this collection. Written as a response to a question about how he became a writer, Doyle celebrates the impact of his father’s writing career on his own.
What Moves I Notice the Writer Making:
- The first thing I notice is that “The Old Typewriter in the Basement” is a mash-up of first-person essay, memoir, and poem.
- Doyle uses repetition as he lists his reasons for becoming a writer by introducing each new idea with “Because.” At first, the responses come quickly, with each new sentence starting with because. As he progresses, elaborating more on each memory, the pattern changes and “Because” appears at the beginning of each new stanza.
- The central focus is the typewriter, but Doyle uses his relationship with it to reveal details about his father: “Because his typewriter was a tall older model that he loved and kept using even when sleek electric typewriters came into vogue and tried to vibrate their way onto his desk.”
- Doyle fills this piece with images such as “you could listen to it like a song,” and “you could see by the pattern of wear which letters he used more than others” that help us imagine the scenes through his childhood eyes and ears.
Possibilities for Writers:
- Use the same structure as a model for your own writing. Begin with a why question and answer it with a list of reasons starting with “Because…”
- Experiment with the technique of repetition to embed a list into another type of writing.
- Use an object as a springboard for describing someone.
- Try combining the elements of more than one form into a single piece of writing.
- Read this text as a writer to notice and name other interesting craft moves and discuss how they impact you as a reader. Try some of them in your own writing.
What do two teen boys in Churchill Manitoba have in common with two girls in Miami and California? Two words: climate change. Each teenager is literally fighting for their life as they encounter a brush with death due to the devastating effect of climate change. Alan Gratz has created anther adventurous, page turning, on the edge of your seat novel with Two Degrees. Each chapter takes you through the harrowing adventure of each teen as they face the danger of each situation they are in. Owen and George, two boys from Canada, know all to well how their climate is melting the ice which is sending the polar bears closer to town. One night they have a close encounter with a polar bear and soon become a potential snack for the hungry bear. Will they make it out alive? You’ll have to read their story to find out.
Wild River by Rodman Philbrick is a thrilling survival story that follows the journey five children are forced to make through the Montana wilderness. The story takes place as the ‘Future Leaders’ white-water rafting group make their way onto ‘Crazy’ river after discovering their original route has dried up. All seems well until the nearby dam breaks and floods the beach the group has set camp on for that night. Acting quickly, the camp leaders secure the children’s safety before being washed away themselves, leaving the children alone to figure out how to survive. The only known surviving members of ‘Future Leaders’ group, students, Deke, Tony, Imani, Mia, and Daniel are left to navigate the Montana wilderness. Without the guidance of adults, or knowledge of when, or if, they will be rescued, the group is pushed to their limits and forced to learn about embracing teamwork, overcoming obstacles, and facing who they are and what they stand for.
Scrolling Twitter one night, I saw a post shared from a bookstore titled “I want to get back into reading, I’ve been streaming”. The image, found here, matches readers with titles based on shows they have enjoyed. I often use conversation about television as a gateway to recommending books to students and this took it to a new level. Other sources have similar lists to promote books based on TV entertainment.
Olivia Prior was born voiceless. Left as a young child on the steps of Merilance, a school for girls, with only a mysterious journal to serve as a link to her life before, Olivia struggles to find connection and kindness within the stone walls. Her mother’s confusing words blend with abstract illustrations that decorate multiple pages in the green journal, fragments of home and belonging that barely sustain Olivia’s miserable and loveless existence at Merilance. After an invitation arrives from a relative, Olivia becomes entangled in the mysteries of Gallant and the strange role its inhabitants play as guardians of a door in the garden wall. As she struggles to find her place, Olivia’s sense of home deepens and she finds the courage and defiance to fight Gallant’s strange darkness beyond the wall, willing to do anything to protect those she has come to know as family.
