Everyday Canvas

Repeated Motifs in My Writing? Yes, of Course!

Prompt: Is there an image, a storyline, or a scene that keeps coming up and persisting in your writing? Do you know why? Do you put it there knowingly or does it show up on its own, unannounced?

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Yes, I have written a ton of things like that. Remember Salvador Dali’s Persistence of Memory painting with the misshapen clocks? My writing is exactly that.

Some of those motifs I know why. They are the distorted versions of somewhat life altering, or rather, impressing and influencing events in my life. Others that keep repeating I don’t know from where they originated. With those, I am totally at a loss. They might be some stories or life experiences of others that I listened to while a child and was affected by them without realizing.

In addition, a few things resurfaced while I was writing for contests and for Slam of a long time ago in WdC since several of those prompts were asking personal questions. Some of my answers to those prompts stayed with me, and they keep popping up like a Jack-in-the-box. Sometimes, I don’t recognize them immediately but a bit later, possibly while doing a quick edit. At other times, I recognize them instantly right after I’ve written the last word.

At this time in my life, I don’t use them knowingly, but I am not surprised either when they show up unannounced. I just roll my eyes and say, “Here we go, again!”