If you would like to write and share your own food story, we have prepared a recipe for devising it. What you will need is a kitchen space, something to take notes on and some time. Just follow the steps in our guide and we cannot wait to hear your story!
You can share your story on our Facebook page @easyaspiestorytelling
- 1. Re-discover you kitchen and take notice and notes
Examine the kitchen space itself: first, look at its shapes, edges, and how is it positioned within the building’s architecture. Then, look at the textures and colours, perhaps signs of usage, or on contrary, no signs of usage? Think about the history of this particular kitchen: what events have taken place here? What conversations, foods were shared? Take a moment to sit down in your kitchen, perhaps not in your usual spot, and observe it from that new perspective. Think about how it makes you feel. Take notes.
Draw attention to some objects and their function: do you remember when/where you got it? Are some of the objects used more often than others? Are there objects not used at all? Choose one object from your kitchen and make notes about its appearance, function, and your relationship with it. Simply answer the following questions: What is it? How does it look like (shape, colour, texture, age)? What is it used for? How often do you use it? What is its history (when did you buy/receive it and since then when was it used)?
Check out your recipe books and notes: are there any recipes which bring back memories of home? Are there recipes you particularly like or, dislike? Are there dishes you forgot about?
- 2. Draft your story in a free writing exercise.
Building up on the observations you made by re-discovering your kitchen, highlight 5 key words from your notes. Write those key words on a new, blank page. Think about the possible connections between them, do they evoke a particular moment or a story? Treat the five words you chose as a work-in-progress title. Next, set a timer for 10 minutes and, bearing the key words in mind, as well as the observations you made earlier, start writing freely on the subject your work-in-progress title indicates. It is an uncensored practice of writing where you write anything and everything that comes to your mind, without stopping, without putting your pen down. Don’t worry about writing anything brilliant or beautiful, or insightful. Just write. As one sentence finishes, begin a new one. Stop when your timer rings.
- 3. Revise your draft and add a structure.
Read your writing from the previous exercise. It will probably look like a recording of the stream of consciousness. Nevertheless, try to identify a potential beginning, middle and end to your story. Perhaps going back to your notes from the kitchen will bring some ideas? Think about the structure you would like for your story: is it a linear, or rhizomatic? Do you want it to be written in the 1st or 3rd person? Would it be a dialogue, monologue or a more descriptive narrative? Think what are the conflicts and who else is involved? What did things look like? Smell like? Sound like?
Re-draft your story accordingly but don’t worry too much about it being perfect, it may in fact be non-linear, fragmented, quite poetic and abstract.