Brooke's Discussion of Imitations

The online creative nonfiction journal, Brevity, boasts a multitude of pieces, varied in style and purpose, unified by their length of under 750 words. Imitating this genre proved a challenge due to the fact that such variation exists between each individual piece. Thematically, the pieces are incredibly different, ranging from simple memories to sweeping political commentary. Thus, in order to find aspects of the piece that could be subject to imitation, it was important to look at grammatical and stylistic traits present throughout Brevity.

Images prove the hallmark of the Brevity piece. In an essay of only 750 words or less, a beginning, middle, and climax (of some sort) must be achieved much more rapidly than in an ordinary nonfiction piece. Therefore, each author must use concrete images – showing rather than telling – to demonstrate their point.

In my imitations, I drew some distinct features present in most Brevity pieces in order to build tension. Repetition is extremely prevalent. Authors use repeated words or phrases in order to quicken the passage and give it a feeling of forward motion. Often, authors discard ordinary grammar rules and litter their essays with fragments. The use of fragments, like the use of repetition, works to give the passage tension. Varying the sentence length adds a layer of complexity to the passage that is necessary if the reader is to be left feeling satisfied at the end.

Often, authors use an extended metaphor to tie their pieces from beginning to end. In my imitation piece, “The Fall,” I worked in a metaphor of being one with the horse in order to tie the events in the beginning of the essay to the revelation in the end. Such revelations are not uncommon in Brevity, in which the author comes to a realization in a short time.

"The Fall” also works to incorporate aspects of repetition and pacing. In this piece, I focus on a memory of riding my horse. The horse’s movements are told through repetition and heavy use of sensory images in an attempt to replicate patterns prevalent in Brevity. My feelings here are all internalized, as the piece is told in the first-person. Like the vast majority of Brevity pieces, I also use the present tense, in order to make the reader feel like he or she is truly drawn into the moment.

However, not all pieces follow this pattern, which is why in my imitation titled “Three Days of New Orleans,” I took a vastly different approach. This imitation, like many Brevity pieces, is a scattered collection of images – memories from my adolescent years. Thus, it follows the “abstract” pattern of many Brevity pieces, taking on a writing style that is more enigmatic.

Memories are present in nearly all Brevity works, and are usually portrayed through the use of heavy sensory imagery – color and sound and scent – so that the reader is drawn deeply into the scene. This abstract piece contains no great epiphany. Rather, it consists of a set of significant moments from my trip to New Orleans, in which the beauty and splendor of the city contrasts with the poverty it swims in. I use the present tense here, as well, but I’ve separated the piece into three sections to give a surreal feeling to the passage.