Tiny Stories

I’m really glad that the focus of this assignment is exploring different sources, because it made this process so much more stimulating, enjoyable and creative. My first order of business was to think of all my normal sources of inspiration and get as far away from them as possible, at least for the initial idea, or the connecting element. I finally thought I would have the connecting element be five people I know, as it would be both interesting and new for me. It hit me that I have five roommates, and if I could find a way to hone in on a piece of each of their personalities, then that would be a fascinating and fun inspiration for a tiny story. My next order of business was to figure out how to get down to such a specific and deeper part of their personalities in a connected way. I originally thought of having them all do a mad-lib or word association, but in class Claire suggested I ask a broad question. That suggestion was boosted by Sterling’s about a minute later, who shared that if you want to get to the root of anything you ask the question “why?” five times. Bingo, there was my process, but what of the question? It hit me as I was walking home the other day: ask what their favorite color is. Something that seems so small, insignificant, and basic about a person just might hold a deeper meaning and reveal more about their character than politics or pet preferences when explored more thoroughly. I was right! As I interviewed each roommate I asked them what their favorite color was and asked a ‘why question’ at least five times to their response. I actually did the brainstorming and interviews before the reading, which made me both understand and agree with it all the more. Dillard talks about ‘seeing’ the small things that goes unnoticed. Both I and my roommates saw things that were so foundational parts of their personalities that none of us had realized or taken notice. I failed to mention that one of the stories ended up being mine, as I was unable to get a hold of one roommate. That was a fascinating experience as I ‘interviewed’ myself, striving to be as strictly honest with myself as possible, to truly dig in as deep as I had with my roommates, and the answer was enlightening.

Once I had those ‘pieces of personality’, it was time to fashion a story around them. I decided that the colors were important, and I wanted to incorporate them somehow. I like to listen to music when I’m doing this kind of work, and I had been craving the “Misty Mountains” song from the Hobbit for awhile, so I put the entire soundtrack I found on Youtube. As I listened I was reminded about how fantasty/fiction is the perfect basis for establishing symbols, so I considered each response and created a symbolic story for it.