When you write a memoir, the journey will change you. There is no way that we can encounter art, the imagination, and our inner psyches without being changed by the experience. And just like any journey, it shifts our perspective on life and on ourselves. You will not be the same person who began the journey. As poet T. S. Eliot wrote in his wonderful poem “Four Quartets” You are not the same people who left that station Or who will arrive at any terminus. … [Read more...]
Begin your Memoir by Mining Your Memories
Writers often struggle with the issue of memory: do I have enough memories to write a memoir? Are my memories “correct?” Do I have a right to remember things the way I do even if people disagree with me. There’s no such thing as correct memory, Memory is about perception and interpretation. Everyone’s view of an event is like a slice of pie—each section looks toward the middle from a different angle. Everyone in a family would write a different memoir—if they dared! The first step in … [Read more...]
Unplug, disconnect, and disengage
I’ve written some about the creative payoff of disconnecting from Internet, email, and phone. We all know doing so creates space for creativity and productivity, but mostly we think of unplugging as something that would be nice, that we should do. We might even consider it a luxury. In fact, if you can make disconnecting part of your writing practice, you will find that it’s much more than a luxury. It’s an invaluable component of staying on track with your writing goals. One of the best … [Read more...]