Your Story Matters!
Memoir Writing Instructor Answers Your
Questions
Post #2 in Series
Every
life is made up of stories—some are deliriously happy tales, others are
devastatingly sad, and our life experiences represent every imaginable kind of
emotion in between. We all have
family history and life stories, and the sad truth is that if we don’t
preserve them, they are permanently gone. There is no rewind. There is no going
back to capture them.
Follow
this series of Questions & Answers over the next few months! Learn more about
memoir writing, pick up your pen or grab your keyboard, and produce a written
legacy for loved ones. Participate by emailing your memoir writing questions to
info@awriterspresence.com.
Question #2
Q2. I feel as though my life has been horribly
boring. There is nothing exciting to tell. Why should I write my story?
A2. I
wish I could calculate how many times someone has said to me, “My life has been
dull. I don’t have any stories to share.” Prompted by a few simple questions
and with further conversation, the individual begins to realize that he/she
really does have valuable memories to pass along. Sometimes it is merely simple
memory triggers and encouragement that we need in order to generate important
stories that are definitely worth sharing with loved ones and future
generations.
I
believe that every person has a worthy story to write. It does not have to be
as dramatic as a war story or a tale of abuse, neglect or addiction. Life has a
way of involving each of us in some unique circumstances, and it is beneficial
for loved ones to read and understand the pertinent experiences, turning points
and life-altering decisions that you made. It helps them know who you are, what
made you tick and the path that brought you from Point A to Point B to Point C
during your time on this earth.
Sharing
your stories offers the opportunity to connect more deeply with family members.
Interviewing or conferring with key relatives about THEIR recollection of family
history can create a closer bond and clearer understanding of relationships and
events.
Seize
the chance to tell it YOUR way. You can tell the family stories that you have
heard and discovered, and you can share your own accomplishments and disappointments
in life. Providing your stories is a wonderful way to pass along life lessons
and values to your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and
nephews that you may have learned the hard way. Perhaps you have some
eccentricities that they will finally be able to understand after they read
your stories. They will appreciate hearing your history from the perspective of
the person who walked in your shoes.
You may
be continuing or even starting the family memoir tradition. Reading your stories
may encourage and inspire loved ones to continue the tradition of capturing and
preserving family history.
Your
stories are a priceless legacy!
Mary Anne Benedetto is the
owner of A Writer’s Presence, LLC, a writer, speaker, blogger, Certified
Lifewriting Instructor, and an affiliate teacher with the The Memoir Network. Author
of 7
Easy Steps to Memoir Writing: Build a Priceless Legacy One Story at a
Time!, she offers beneficial tips, hints and critical steps in memoir
writing in order to remove the “overwhelmed” factor in memoir projects.
E-mail: info@awriterspresence.com
Follow Mary Anne:
