Mary Anne Benedetto Writing Life: Your Story Matters-Segment #2

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.