letters – amelia’s narratives

Letters to a Young Writer by Colum McCann

In Letter to a Young Writer it says to continue to have curiosity and expanding your knowledge, don’t be afraid to look to others for help, writing is always changing so don’t wallow in the failures, everything you write is important to how you grow as a writer, “a lot can be taken from you — even your life — but not your stories about that life”, no one can stop you from writing down your stories and thoughts throughout your life, so write everything down.

In Habit of Hoping it says wherever you are, keep finding your desires and joys in life; have hope in the beauty of living, theres a lot of negativities in this world but you should try to focus on what makes you see the positives in life, like writing.

In The Dark Dogs of the Mind it says that in order to not succumb from the negative mind and depression, write your way out of the darkness and fight the light through your imagination. If you lose motivation and are consumed in bad thoughts, write through your suffering and pain, because this can be your saving grace.

In Write Yourself a Credo it says to always write down your thoughts and anything that comes to mind because everything you think about and are inspired by is important and worth writing down because you never know how far one simple idea can take you.

Short Story – WWII Letter

02/05/1945

Dear Archie,

I know I have not written to you in a while, I had to get new envelopes. I hope this letter finds you in good health, and you need not worry about myself, I am safe and on rest now. I am currently in the hospital with minor wounds but I’ll be able to come home and see you once I am all healed; thank you for writing to me, I miss you so much. I have been thinking about you a lot. I know Christmas has just passed and I hope you are well and enjoyed the holiday. I was just informed that we are not allowed to write detailed experiences, due to the postal censorship, but I want to tell you what I have been faced with.

It was on the 24th, and we were stationed in Ardennes when we were called to fight. We fended off the damned Germans in a fierce last attack, and came out victorious! I must say, I was worried because I had heard shouts and explosions around me— but we were able to pull through. Though, it was not without minor cuts and bruises (my doctor said that I may have to amputate my leg but that’s neither here nor there, as is my leg hahaha).

I try to make light of it now, for we cannot change the past, but I fear I will be forever haunted. I make the light I cannot see. I cannot lie to you, dear friend, I believe I am irredeemable. Yes, all is fair in love and war, but taking a life changes you in a great numerous ways. The only way to survive was by always having a gun in hand, even at night when sleep should have protected you. Some nights, I wake up in a cold sweat… the blood, and smell of burning flesh and sound of gunfire and bombings… that last battle. I did come out of it alive and half-well, but others did not. My friends… my brothers in arms fell like flies in the night sky to the blaze of fire. By day I am able to smile and go about life as if I am free from the looming threat of battle, but by night I become terrorized once more. I can never forget the smell of burning flesh. The loud explosions. It pains me to admit that I cannot even celebrate in the nights festivities because of the loud noise. Too much remembrance comes about when the nights’ shadowy fingers grasp my conscious. Our trek back home was not much better. Heavy snow fell— cold and treacherous. My friend who had also been injured—but more gracious than I— had to be carried, and I was the carrier.

Do not fret, my comrades and I who had survived made it back and we are all in recovery. Every day I am grateful that I am still alive. Please send my regards to my family and friends and tell them of the good news of my homecoming! Write back to me soon before I get back (don’t forget, especially with that terrible memory of yours). I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

James Valley

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

In the movie, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the main character undergoes internal and external struggles, which causes her to resort to fraud by forging letters and selling them for money. It is sad how poverty can cause this. She developed an alcohol problem, trust issues, and eventually resorting to an illegal way of getting money. Because she had low income she struggled mentally and did not have time to keep her house clean, which then made people look down on her and not treat her the same as she was then treated after she had money and was able to give gifts to the landlord. Because of this she was able to get rid of her insect problem. Having a good income from forging letters and selling them helped her in that aspect and also allowed her to receive good treatment, a possible love interest, and medicine for her cat. In doing this she also gained a friend that she started to trust and have a good relationship with. Sadly that friend gave the cat the wrong dosage of medicine and it died. I feel like this movie portrayed that money is worth more, as the love interest never worked out in the end, the friend betrayed her trust, and the cat died. I feel like the only thing that stayed constant was the fact that she was getting a lot of money. Eventually she confessed to the fraud and bettered herself and forgave her friend. In the end she found motivation to write again (wrote a book about this experience of hers) and made a long lasting friend; she was proud of her work and regretted nothing.