tales of gen x nothing: A synthesis of theory and practice

Date of Completion

5-31-2003

Document Type

Open Access Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

First Advisor

Peter Taylor

Abstract

Tales of a gen x nothing is the true story of Generation X as seen through the eyes of thirty-one million adult children of divorce. As children, how do they see the world after daddy packs up and leaves? How do they cope in a society that hates children? As adults, how do they come to terms with their lost childhoods? This book describes the lifetime of chaos that was the result of the divorce revolution. This book originated as a way to put to rest the misery that defined my childhood and the anger that blemished my twentysomething years; it was all brought to the surface through my work in the Critical and Creative Thinking Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Mine is a synthesis in two parts: 1. tales of a gen x nothing, a creative non-fiction book-in-progress, 2. A companion practitioner’s narrative that analyzes my creative process from inception to active writing, through writing blocks and creative breakdowns, and finally to a product nearly ready for mainstream publication. In the practitioner’s narrative, I strive to draw parallels between my experience as a member of Generation X and the creative process involved in committing that experience to paper. In this narrative, I show that my writing process, my inspiration, and my motivation is distinctly different than those described by writer’s of other generations. I show that my writer’s blocks were closely related to lingering insecurities from my typical Generation X childhood. The voice with which I chose to write the practitioner’s narrative defies convention, a defiance that is a fundamental attribute of Generation X. This defiance rails against what older generations declares must be. The narrative must be written in a formal manner. The narrative must not contain slang or “offensive language”. The narrative must present the topic in a reverent manner. The narrative must bore the reader to death. There is nothing boring about either section of this Synthesis Project. It is an honest account of a young life thrown into chaos and what it took to make sense of that chaos.

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