The Hermit Crab Essay

I’m struggling to find something to write about. Should I do more fiction, more how-to on punctuation or writing in general? Should I branch out into something completely different–create a memoir-based posting for every few weeks? Should I just post memes? (I’d really like to do that one, but then y’all would get bored). Comment some, tell me what you’d like to read. Inspirational, perhaps? Do you want to hear more from me, or less?

For this week, I think I’ll focus on something called the Hermit Crab essay. No, it’s not an essay about a Hermit Crab, though it does have a little to do with the crustacean. The Hermit Crab essay was a writing form created by Brenda Miller and Suzanne Paola. The idea was to write stories (mostly creative nonfiction) by using existing forms as containers for the prose. For instance, a want ad, or a list, or even an obituary. For some examples, check out the article here:
https://brevitymag.com/craft-essays/the-shared-space/
In short, this writing form allows to writer to repress the feeling of dis-motivation that comes with knowing our work cannot be perfect the first time around. It helps writers start writing, and can trigger memories which might be useful to the story they’re working on, or a later one. The Hermit Crab essay allows writers to play–to experiment with the forms and see what kind of thing they end up with.
My creative writing professor absolutely loves this idea. She writes predominantly creative nonfiction–she is mystified by those who write fiction–so this method fits in with her style rather well. However, the Hermit Crab essay is not limited to one genre. I began my next long story for her class today, and ended up styling it in a step-by-step guide on what NOT to do when you’re a Knight Errant rescuing a princess (which is obviously fiction). So far, I think it’s turning out pretty well. The initial thought was to do a stereotypical “Once upon a time” story of a knight rescuing a princess, just with a really sarcastic narrator; then, just before I started writing, I had the idea to make it a step-by-step guide–that way I could add many various scenarios and still make the story coherent and funny.
I think the only possible deterrent this concept could create is the fact that it might be challenging to an indecisive person. With so many different “shells” that you can use, it might be hard to pick one and start writing. Therefore, I recommend making a list, closing your eyes, and wherever your finger lands is the one you pick. Another good way to choose would be to look over all of them, and listen to your emotions–which form triggers the most ideas or memories? After all, the more memories there are behind it, the more alive it will be. For me, when we did this practice in class, I chose a want ad. Mostly because I could think of a few funny ways to go with it (Want: A Boyfriend, must be in good repair, have all parts; Want: An Archenemy, must have death laser rays and various other evil tech with which to fight me.) and, although I won’t share it here, I thought it turned out somewhat amusing.