I barely remember the last time I visited Philadelphia. I know I was back in grade school, back when bear chased you uphill in a snow storm, and when dinosaurs roamed the earth. It was a time when history had no real meaning to me, George Washington was just a character in a big boring book called Social Studies, and history lessons bored me to tears. None of it was real to me. As I look back, I remember smatherings of moments: the Liberty Bell, which was still in Independence Hall and couldn't be touched, the outside of Betsy Ross's house, which appeared to be so little, and purchasing a copy of the Declaration of Independence as my souvenier for the day and not understanding a single word of it.
A lot has changed since then. I now drive to work (when I work) and if there's a bear, I wait for him to lumber across the road in the snow storm as I enjoy the heater and my Billy Idol CD. Dinosaurs? I eat them for breakfast. They taste like chicken.
But the most important thing that has changed is that history has deep meaning for me now. George Washington and my Founding Fathers are flesh and blood to me and as important to my life as my own ancestors. For I now understand that without George, Ben, and the others, I would not be living in the Land of Freedom that I am today. The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents ever written and I now understand every word. Retracting my own footsteps as an adult made Philadelphia's history come to life for me. I did go back to the Liberty Bell and Betsy Ross's house (still small!) and understood their significance on a deeper level than I did as a child. Most poignant was realizing that Betsy Ross made musket shot during the Revolutionary war! She was making aritilary to help the revolution! To me, that made her even more extraordinary.
But, my favorite stop, which I recommend to anyone who visits Philly, was Christ's Church. When you walk in, you are immediately swept into an unofficial tour. I went to the Church, just to see it, but got the extra bonus of learning where Ms. Ross, President Washington, and Benjamin Franklin all sat during church services. I learned that the baptismal font in the rear of the church, a gift from England, is the same baptismal font that William Penn was baptised in. I learned that revolutions began at the pulpit of this church and where seven of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were burried.
Of course, as I walked the streets of Philadelphia, I was bombarded by pictures and images of one of my favorite historical figures: Benjamin Franklin. I don't know what it was about Mr. Franklin, but I always felt a connection to him since I was a little girl. I think it had something to do with the fact that although he was a great man, a philosopher, and an inventor, he also had a passion for life and a wonderful sense of humor. It's nice to see that Ben is still alive in the streets of Philadelphia. As mementos of my visit, I purchased a children's book called, How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightening by Rosalyn Schanzer to read to my Goddaughter and little cousins and for myself, I got a pocket book of Ben's Wit and Wisdom. I'm hoping to pass on my love of Ben and begin an interest in American history with the little ones in my family. It's their turn to make a connection to the past.
Now to tie this all back into writing. First of all, you should always be either journaling or taking notes when you are traveling. Don't expect yourself to remember every detail. You won't. Even super-human brains recall 10-20% of what they are told (tops!) without making any sort of effort to record their lessons.
But what it really reminds me of is the theme of the "moment" in Modern writing. In grad school I studied (among other things) Modern American Drama and I remember that one of the most important themes of Modern Drama was to have important, life-affirming moments. In a modern story, the idea of "happily ever after" is just not believed anymore. We live in a world of war, sickness, and death. What the modern writer searches for are those moments in time that make life worth living or where a character has a life-altering epiphany.
An example of this that really stands out to me is the ending of Torch Song Trilogy where Harvey Firestein's character has suffered the death of his lover to a bunch of gay bashers. He is forced to raise their adopted and troubled teenager by himself and is facing unacceptance of who he is by his mother. In the final scene, when Harvey is feeling completely alone, his mother makes a move toward understanding and compassion and dedicates a song on the radio to Harvey to let him know that she's there for him and she loves him. Although their relationship has a long way to go, its a start and in that moment, they have a new beginning. (This movie is so powerful, that a family member of mine who was completely homophobic gained a new understanding of the gay community from watching this film. He is now more tolerant of gay men and women and, like the mother in the film, is taking baby steps.)
As writers, we need to write memorable moments. Whether we are writing modern drama or not does not matter. When you think of your favorite novels or screenplays, moments come to mind. Die Hard: "Yippie-ki Yeh, Mother-". Psycho: "Blood? Mother? What have you done?" The Wizard of Oz: "I'll get you and your little dog too!" Casablanca: "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship." The Caine Mutiny: "And the stawberries. . ." Think of the moments surrounding each of these phrases and you're sure to smile and nod in agreement.
With all this in mind, be sure to record the important moments in your life. Do it now before all the details escape you. As Ben Franklin once said, "You may delay, but Time will not." You'll be glad you wrote them down.
Please check out my novel Luke Aloysius: Bloodline on Amazon:
Please check out my novel Luke Aloysius: Bloodline on Amazon:
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