Writing the Story of My Heart: Memoir Writing Tips
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” Joseph Campbell
Writing the Story of My Heart
Memoir writing is both a blessing and a curse…
There I said it.
After eight years of tackling my own memoir(s), the crossroads I find myself at leaves me pondering why on earth I choose to put myself through so much angst?
It’s a love-hate relationship. I love the elements of self-discovery, transformation, healing that memoir writing brings. I hate the nagging feeling that the story is always with me 24/7 and won’t rest until I put in on the page.
Photo credit: dreamstimefree
Somewhere between love and hate there is a sweet spot where the words flow, the inner critic is banished and the story that begs to be told reveals itself to me–my journey through my son’s addiction. The story of my heart…the story that touches me on a deep level whenever I sit down to write it.
It has taken years with many periods where I have had to walk away for a bit to regain my focus and get back to my life as it is. In the moment.
I’m back…
After an eight-month hiatus where I let it “marinate” and also dealt with acclimating to home peritoneal dialysis and a fractured left wrist. Life happens.
It’s the going back that’s the hard part. Reliving the confusion and terror all over again.
I am not the same person I was back then. Rather, I am the person I am today because of these difficult life circumstances. Somewhere between the person I was and the person I’ve become is a story with lessons; a story that may help another person out of the abyss and into the light.
As much to help myself as to help others going through putting one’s life into a story that anyone else would want to read, I developed a list of tips that have helped me see my way through.
A Few Tips on Writing the Story of Your Heart:
Memoir writing is a journey that leads to unknown destinations…expect to persevere in the long haul.
Connecting with your purpose for writing will fuel your journey.
You can’t hurry the process but remaining open to where your writing will take you will speed it along.
Take it in manageable doses...stop when you need to, walk away, let it marinate. Take care of your self and your writing will take care of you. Whatever it takes. Involve yourself in another creative activity, get counseling if you need to, journal.
It will call you back when you are ready. Or not. Trust the process.
Our ability to see our project through is directly related to the level of commitment we feel about our story.
Our stories matter..and if we don’t write them, who will?
Be self-aware and know what works for you.
Some people develop a structured schedule and define a word count goal for the day or week. Others write whenever the muse strikes, which can be sporadic.
There’s no right or wrong way. How you do it is individual.
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Life update:
We all have lives and daily demands that divert us from our writing. Sometimes that’s an excuse. Sometimes, there’s no choice but to focus on other things.
Last week, I met with the kidney transplant surgeon to discuss the possibility of a kidney transplant. After a full four hours of meeting with each member of the transplant team–doctor, nurse, social worker, dietician and financial representative, my two live donors and I went to the lab for blood work. These results and my case will be reviewed by the team at their next meeting in mid-March where a final determination will be made. My best bet is a live donor given my age and medical conditions so a lot of pieces have to come together.
The transplant surgeon gave me his “enthusiastic endorsement” to move forward, I’m open and ready for it (and a little scared) and my faith in God gives me the peace of mind that it will all work out–one way or the other as it is supposed to.
As I stand at the threshold of this life-altering event, I am filled with humility and gratitude for all the second chances at life that I’ve been given.
It is from this place of vulnerability where my precious life will be dependent upon the medical team and my Divine Healer that I will continue to write and trust that the words that flow onto the pages will reflect the true story of my heart …to share what matters and to touch others who need it the most.
Photo Credit: Google Free Images
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How about you? Do you know the story of your heart? How did you find it? What keeps you writing?
I’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
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This Week:
February 2017 Newsletter: Updates, Memoir Musings, Max Moments:
“A Time of Purification”
Podcast Interview with Charlene Jones on her Soul Sciences blog.
Next Week:
Monday, 03/06/17:
“Mary Kelley on Why I Wrote the Book, “Weeping Angels”: A WOW Blog Tour”
The Weeping Angel: Letters and Poems from World War I France is Mary’s father’s account of war in northern France as he lived it through a collection of letters and poems.
