Mining Memories As a Creative Tool with Baptiste Paul

Baptiste Paul is the award-winning author of The Field, To Carnival, I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon and Climb On. His works have garnered many starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and School Library Journal, and several titles have been translated into multiple languages. He loves writing stories inspired by his childhood in Saint Lucia, and featuring words from his native language, Creole. Baptiste is also a mentor for We Need Diverse Books and the co-author of several works with Miranda Paul, including their newest collaboration, Peace. He lives in Wisconsin with his family. More at baptistepaul.net.

Baptiste mines his memories as a tool for every book he writes. 

Baptiste ask us all to write some of the sounds, the smell, the sight, the feelings that made our life interesting. He says, "Your goal is take your readers on a journey with you. If this is your goal then you have to wow your readers."

The best way to tap into your memories is use your senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, feel).

Baptiste shares the steps of his PROCESS:

SPARK

The first part of his process starts with a SPARK. Take that spark of an idea and ask: Who? What? Why? When? How? What comes to you from your own childhood memories when you ask those questions about a spark. For example: children playing outside. What comes up? What do you think of when you ask yourself those questions? 

REFLECTION

In this step, Baptiste encourages us to go deep here. To ask: Why do I want to tell this particular story? And then, in this step, make lists of all the sensory details. 

"When you are mining your memories, consider your words. Make sure they are colorful. Make sure they are ones that will take your reader on a journey."

CONNECTION

What is the universal element in your story? 

After you dig deep into memory, ask yourself: Is this universal? Is it an experience children can relate to? List the ways it's universal. And why!

WRITING EXERCISE

Baptiste asks us to close our eyes and think of our first day at school. 

Now list three examples of how you used your senses to experience that first day of school. 

    What do I see?

    What do I hear? 

    What do I feel?

    What do I smell? 

    What do I taste? 

And what a treat to listen to Baptiste, as he closes his eyes, to recall each of these for his own first day. 

Baptiste encourage everyone: Each time you go into a memory, go to a place that is quiet, and continue to ask yourself: Who, what, why when, where, and how. And then repeat the process over and over.