In “The Site of Memory,” Toni Morrison delves into her writing process and the crucial role memory plays in her work. She explains how her stories are deeply connected to her personal experiences and her family’s history. Morrison emphasizes that memory is not just about recalling past events but also about the feelings and images associated with them. For her, writing is a way to explore these memories and turn them into powerful narratives. She describes how she starts with vivid images or feelings from her past, which then guide her storytelling. These memories help her build rich and emotional worlds in her fiction. By blending personal recollections with imaginative storytelling, Morrison creates works that are both deeply personal and universally meaningful. Her writing is a way to understand and express complex emotions, making her narratives resonate with readers on a profound level.

Starting with the Image

Toni Morrison’s approach to writing contrasts with that of Simone de Beauvoir. While de Beauvoir starts with actual events and then explores the images they evoke, Morrison begins with vivid images and uses them to uncover deeper memories. Morrison explains, “The image comes first and tells me what the ‘memory’ is about.” For her, an image isn’t just a visual representation but a doorway into a deeper emotional and historical understanding.

Morrison gives the example of how she deals with her father’s death and her grandmother’s illness. Instead of focusing directly on the events themselves, she imagines the world surrounding these experiences. She reflects on her father’s death and says, “I can’t tell you how I felt when my father died. But I was able to write Song of Solomon and imagine… the world that he inhabited and the private or interior life of the people in it.” For Morrison, the image of her father’s death helps her to reconstruct the world he lived in, not just the event of his passing.

Similarly, she describes her experience with her grandmother’s illness. She recalls reading to her grandmother while she was ill, not by detailing the event, but by trying to reconstruct the world her grandmother lived in. Morrison states, “I could try to reconstruct the world that she lived in.” The images she remembers, like her grandmother’s discomfort, help her to explore the broader context of her grandmother’s life.

In essence, Morrison’s method starts with evocative images, which lead her to explore and express the deeper meanings and emotions tied to those memories. This approach allows her to craft rich, layered narratives that reflect both personal experiences and universal themes.

The Role of Memory in Writing

Memory plays a crucial role in Toni Morrison’s writing. She uses a vivid metaphor to explain its importance, comparing memory to a river. She says, “All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was.” Just as a river remembers its original course even if it is straightened, Morrison’s writing is deeply influenced by her memories. These memories help her to reconstruct emotional and psychological landscapes in her work.

Morrison sees memory as a way to revisit and explore past experiences and feelings. She notes, “Writers are like that: remembering where we were, what valley we ran through, what the banks were like, the light that was there and the route back to our original place.” For Morrison, the process of writing involves tapping into these memories to recreate the past. This allows her to give depth to her stories and characters, making them resonate with real human experiences.

Her writing is not just about personal recollection but also about connecting with collective memory. She explains that her work often involves “extending, filling in and complementing slave autobiographical narratives.” By engaging with both personal and collective memories, Morrison builds a rich tapestry of stories that reflect broader historical and emotional truths.

Through this method, Morrison’s fiction becomes a way to explore and express the deeper layers of human experience. Her memories, both individual and shared, serve as the foundation for her narratives, giving them authenticity and emotional depth. This approach helps her to create stories that are not only grounded in personal history but also resonate with universal themes.

Research and Inspiration

Toni Morrison’s approach to research and inspiration often begins with vague memories or fleeting images. She describes her process as starting with “something as ineffable and as flexible as a dimly recalled figure, the corner of a room, a voice.” For instance, the character Hannah in her novel Sula was inspired by a faint memory of a woman she vaguely remembers from her childhood. Morrison recalls, “I don’t remember seeing her very much, but what I do remember is the color around her—a kind of violet, a suffusion of something violet—and her eyes, which appeared to be half closed.”

This vague recollection of Hannah, combined with how people spoke about her name with a certain secretive smile, led Morrison to delve into themes of female friendship and forgiveness. She notes that the way the women spoke about Hannah, and the secretive tone they used, sparked her curiosity about what could be unsaid or hidden in their relationships.

Morrison prefers to keep these initial images and memories mysterious. She explains, “I don’t want to know any more about Miss Hannah Peace, and I’m not going to ask my mother who she really was and what did she do.” By preserving the mystery of these initial images, she allows herself the freedom to explore “both the actual and the possible worlds” that these memories suggest. This approach helps her to create rich and imaginative narratives, as she can expand on these initial impressions and uncover new dimensions of her characters and themes.

Through this method, Morrison’s fiction is able to capture the complexity and depth of human experiences by allowing her imagination to work with both the known and the unknown.

The Writing Routine

Toni Morrison’s writing routine is flexible and varies according to her needs and inspirations. She explains that sometimes she writes with great intensity for long hours. At other times, she steps away from her work, allowing herself a break. Morrison shares, “I go out shopping, and I stare, and I do whatever. It goes away.” This shows that she does not confine herself to a strict writing schedule but rather allows her thoughts to flow naturally.

Over time, Morrison has learned not to panic if she doesn’t capture a good idea immediately. She no longer fears that a fleeting thought will disappear forever if she doesn’t write it down right away. Instead, she trusts that new, better ideas will come. “When you first start writing… you’re scared to death that if you don’t get that sentence right that minute it’s never going to show up again. And it isn’t. But it doesn’t matter – another one will, and it’ll probably be better,” she notes.

This relaxed approach to writing has made her more patient and confident. She understands that writing is an evolving process, and she doesn’t need to fixate on perfecting every sentence on the first try. Morrison appreciates the thrill of finishing a draft and then revising it repeatedly. “The best part of it all, the absolutely most delicious part, is finishing it and then doing it over,” she says. This iterative process, where she revises and polishes her work, is central to her writing practice, allowing her to create polished and impactful narratives.

The Joy of Rewriting

Toni Morrison finds the rewriting and editing process to be the most enjoyable part of writing. She takes great pleasure in revising her work until it feels seamless and effortless. For her, the initial drafting is just the beginning; the real work comes in refining and perfecting the text. She explains, “The best part of it all, the absolutely most delicious part, is finishing it and then doing it over.” This highlights her enthusiasm for the revision stage, where she has the opportunity to improve and polish her work.

Morrison emphasizes that rewriting is not just about correcting mistakes but about making the text as powerful and concise as possible. She strives to ensure that every word and character in her work is necessary and contributes to the overall narrative. “I rewrite a lot, over and over again, so that it looks like I never did,” she says. This process involves carefully scrutinizing each element of the story to make sure it serves a purpose.

Her goal is to create a final text that appears effortless but is the result of extensive effort and revision. By refining her work repeatedly, Morrison aims to eliminate any unnecessary elements and enhance the impact of her writing. The joy she derives from this process underscores her commitment to crafting stories that resonate deeply and maintain a high level of quality.

Memory and Slave Narratives

Toni Morrison’s writing is profoundly tied to the history of slavery. She explains that her work aims to “extend, fill in and complement slave autobiographical narratives.” These narratives, often written by former slaves, provide a crucial historical account but can leave gaps in capturing the full emotional and psychological depth of the experience.

Morrison’s fiction addresses these gaps by exploring the emotional and mental landscapes that slave autobiographies might not fully cover. She believes that while these historical accounts are essential, they sometimes miss the deeper personal and emotional truths. Her goal is to “reveal the truths that were left unwritten,” offering a richer and more complete picture of the slave experience.

She uses memory as a tool to connect with this history. In her view, memory functions like a river that remembers its original course despite being altered. This metaphor illustrates how Morrison draws on emotional and psychological memories to reconstruct the past. She reflects, “All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was,” suggesting that just as water seeks its original path, her writing seeks to recover and represent the lost or hidden aspects of history.

By engaging with these memories and historical narratives, Morrison’s work aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of the slave experience. Her writing helps fill in the emotional and psychological aspects that historical records may overlook, making the history of slavery more vivid and comprehensive.

Creating a Male-Centric Narrative

In her novel Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison took a new approach by focusing on male characters, which was different from her previous works that centered on women. She explains that this shift was partly driven by her own personal experiences and emotions. After her father’s death, she felt a deep sense of loss and wanted to explore the world he lived in, even though she couldn’t directly recount his life or feelings.

Morrison shares that Song of Solomon was her way of dealing with her father’s death and the void she felt. She explains, “I was re-creating a time period that was his—not biographically his life or anything in it; I use whatever’s around.” This shows that while the novel wasn’t a direct biography of her father, it was a means for her to fill the emotional gap left by his passing.

The novel allowed Morrison to delve into a male-centric world and explore themes of identity, loss, and discovery. She describes her process as a way to understand “what he may have known” and to express the rage and grief she felt. By creating a narrative centered around men, she was able to give voice to her emotions and reflect on the male experiences and perspectives that were part of her father’s world.

Through this novel, Morrison sought to understand her father’s life and her own feelings of anger and sadness. The male characters and their journey helped her process and articulate these emotions, allowing her to address the personal loss she experienced in a creative and profound way.

Emotional Memory and Imagination

Toni Morrison highlights how crucial emotional memory is in her writing. She explains that emotional memory is not just about recalling past events but about feeling the emotions tied to those memories. Morrison uses the metaphor of a river to describe this process: “All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was.” This means that memories, like a river, remember their origins and constantly seek to return to them.

In writing, Morrison’s approach involves tapping into these deep, emotional memories. She describes how writers, including herself, experience a “rush of imagination” that resembles a flood. This flood of emotions helps her reconstruct and express the emotional landscapes from her past. She says, “Writers are like that: remembering where we were, what valley we ran through, what the banks were like, the light that was there and the route back to our original place.” This indicates that her writing process involves revisiting and exploring the emotional terrain of her past to craft narratives that feel authentic and compelling.

Morrison’s use of emotional memory allows her to create stories that are both deeply personal and relatable to others. By channeling her own feelings and experiences, she brings her narratives to life in a way that resonates with readers on a universal level. Her writing is not just about recounting events but about capturing the emotional essence of those experiences, making her stories rich and meaningful.

Balancing Fiction and Reality

Toni Morrison’s writing expertly balances between reality and imagination. She starts with personal and collective memories but transforms these into fictional narratives. This blend helps her explore deep emotional and psychological truths that might not be fully captured by reality alone.

Morrison uses memories as a foundation for her stories. These memories come from her own life and from the experiences of others, which she reflects on and reimagines. For instance, she draws inspiration from faint memories or images, like the character Hannah in “Sula,” which originated from a vague recollection of a woman from her childhood. Morrison states, “I don’t want to know any more about Miss Hannah Peace… because my experience when I do this with my mother is so crushing.” This quote illustrates her preference for preserving the mystery and emotional impact of her memories.

While her stories begin with these real memories, they are shaped by her imagination. Morrison mixes fact with fiction to delve into complex emotional landscapes. She explains that her writing process involves exploring both the actual and the possible: “What I really want is that intimacy in which the reader is under the impression that he isn’t really reading this; that he is participating in it as he goes along.” This means that her fiction becomes a space where real emotions and imaginative elements come together.

By blending reality with fiction, Morrison creates narratives that are both vivid and profound. Her stories are not just retellings of real events but also explorations of emotional and psychological truths. This combination allows her to craft deeply resonant and engaging fiction that speaks to universal human experiences.

The Importance of Minor Characters

Toni Morrison highlights the significant role minor characters play in her writing. Although these characters might seem small or secondary, they often provide crucial insights and help to enrich the narrative.

Morrison acknowledges that minor characters can sometimes distract her from the main plot. She admits, “Every little road looks to me like an adventure, and once you begin to claim it and describe it, it looks like more, and you invent more and more and more.” This quote reflects her tendency to get caught up in the potential of minor characters, which can lead to them taking on larger roles than originally intended.

Despite this, Morrison views minor characters as essential to the storytelling process. She uses them to reveal important details and to build a richer, more nuanced world. For example, minor characters can carry pieces of information or represent broader themes, adding depth to the main storyline. Morrison explains, “If there are little pieces of information that I want to reveal, I let them do some of the work.” This approach helps her to weave in subtle details that might otherwise be missed.

Morrison strives to maintain a consistent texture in her narratives. She ensures that every character, regardless of size, serves a specific purpose and contributes to the overall story. Her goal is to create a seamless and impactful reading experience, where no word or character is wasted. She notes, “I try to restrain it, so that, finally, the texture is consistent and nothing is wasted.” This careful attention to each character ensures that the final text feels coherent and complete, with each element contributing meaningfully to the story.

The Voice of the Narrator

Toni Morrison focuses on crafting a narrative voice that feels both intimate and guiding, yet remains subtly in the background. She wants the narrator’s voice to be a comfortable presence, helping readers feel involved in the story as though they are participating rather than just observing.

Morrison describes her approach to the narrative voice by saying, “There should be the illusion that it’s the characters’ point of view, when in fact it isn’t; it’s really the narrator who is there but who doesn’t make herself known in that role.” This means that although the voice may seem like it’s coming directly from the characters, it is actually the narrator’s voice providing guidance and insight.

The narrator’s voice, according to Morrison, needs to create an experience where readers feel closely connected to the story. She aims for readers to think, “It’s a comfortable voice, and it’s a guiding voice, and it’s alarmed by the same things that the reader is alarmed by, and it doesn’t know what’s going to happen next either.” This creates a sense of camaraderie between the reader and the narrator, making the story more engaging.

Additionally, Morrison’s narrative voice can seamlessly move in and out of different characters’ perspectives. This allows her to provide a rich and immersive experience. She explains, “It’s a combination of using the point of view of various characters but still retaining the power to slide in and out.” This technique helps maintain a fluid and engaging narrative, where the reader can easily follow the story and understand the characters’ inner worlds without feeling disjointed or confused.

“The Site of Memory” reveals Morrison’s deep connection to her past and her ancestors’ histories. Her writing is a means of reconstructing and reimagining those memories, filling in the gaps left by historical narratives, and exploring the rich emotional lives of her characters. The essay highlights the intricate balance between memory, imagination, and the act of writing, showcasing Morrison’s unique approach to storytelling.