Thank you to all who joined us on Thursday to hear author Tim O’Brien speak. We had a great turnout both in the morning at the Knickerbocker Theater with high school students and Thursday night at The Commons of Evergreen.
Here’s a recap of his talk on Thursday night:
On the stories we tell:
- they appeal to our emotions and heart, not just our head
- they help us to heal
- they give us comfort and company
- they remind us we’re all a part of something
- they bind us to the past and to the future
- they bind us to our children and our loved ones
On writing:
- avoid flowery writing
- avoid excessive alliteration
- use active language
- don’t be afraid to lie (when writing fiction). Write about what could’ve/should’ve/almost happened
He reminded us that the truth evolves over time. The reasons for the Vietnam War were and are ambiguous, but we should honor our troops and make an effort to hear them share their stories.
Thank you for another great year!