Story Post: Recalling a Life Story of Family for Generations

Since this is a creative writing class, tell us about yourself in a brief introduction and then tell us your first story!
For the introduction, write about
• Where are you from?
• What are your career interests?
• Who are your favorite writers?
• What are your favorite books, stories, poems?
• What do you hope to gain from this class?
For your this story post, recall a story. It might be one that has been in your family for generations—a story about the time Uncle Ben saw a flying saucer; the fish your grandfather caught when he was ten, and what happened when he looked it in the eyes. It might be a story your best friend once told you—about the ghost who haunted her neighbor's duplex, or the time she went horseback riding with her sister, and her sister's horse got spooked. It doesn't matter where you heard the story—or whether it's true or not—so long as it's one that has stayed with you.
Keep in mind, however, that this should not be a story you've invented, one that has been wandering around in your head for years just waiting for the opportunity to be told. There will be other exercises that ask you to tell your own tales. This exercise is reserved for someone else's story, a story you've heard and have never been able to forget.
Get the story down on paper. Feel free to begin with something like: "This is a story my grandfather told me." And then start writing; write as though you were actually speaking to someone. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation, or form or structure. Just write.
After you've finished writing, put the piece away for a few days. During that time, ask yourself questions about the story. What did you like best about the tale? Least? How did you feel when you first heard the story? Angry? Frightened? Inspired? Why do you think you felt that way? What is it about the story that makes you remember it?
After you've given some thought to these and similar questions, add a paragraph at the end of the story. The paragraph should begin "I remember this story because …."