Fifty years ago last Wednesday, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Do you remember where you were? Do you remember what you were doing? Who was with you?
Does that moment live with you in any meaningful way? Do you have any memories associated with him and his work?
Historical events like that can jog your memory and bring you back to a moment in time. Remembering an event, you start to remember what you were wearing, a meal you were eating, who you were with when you heard the news, and you are off and writing, using language full of detail and sensual description. That’s why timelines can be a useful tool for writing.
On May 7, I’ll be giving my free Timelines workshop at Seminole County Public Library’s Casselberry Branch from 2:00-3:00 p.m. There, I’ll elaborate on my use of timelines. If this idea intrigues you, and you are able to come, I’d love to see you there.
Until then, the date was April 4, 1968, on the timeline. Where were you? Were you born yet? If not, did your parents ever tell you anything about their experience of that event? How has Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and death made ripples into your life? Write about that, then share your memories in the comments section below. Try to put me in that place in time.
photo credit: PINGNews
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