TellTale Souls: Keeping Spirits Alive One Memoir at a Time by Lynn Henriksen
Simply do this:
1. Write a short, true story of 600-1500 words in answer to my trademark question: “If you could tell just one small story that would capture your Mother’s character and keep her spirit alive, what would it be?” In other words, the story I am encouraging you to write embraces a special kind of memoir that takes a look at the heart and soul of an important woman in your life by looking at her as an individual.
2. Mother is meant in a broad way; write about any woman who has/had a significant impact on your life, e.g., grandmother, aunt, mentor. Not all memories are positive, nor are all mothers; that’s the way it is in life. If you find portraying your mother’s character brings to mind mostly negative images, write about those memories since they are every bit as real and honest as positive ones, and writing about them is cathartic and brings about greater understanding and healing.
3. When writing your story you want the reader of your story to come away feeling like they have a good idea of what your mother is like through your writing about an incident, an event, or moments in time that reveal her character and spirit. This honest tale is not a history or a time-line, but rather your illumination of a small slice of life where your mother takes center stage. Remember it is the ordinary things in life that we most clearly relate to.
4. After you’ve chosen the woman you will write your true tale about, find the memory you will elaborate on by immersing yourself in thoughts about this woman in a meditative manner. Look through old photographs and letters, think back to where you were raised, or what happened at different ages or stages of your life with your mother. Think of the events or anecdotes associated with vacations, work, music, books, cooking, rituals, and family gatherings. Discuss old times with a sister or brother, cousin, or grandparent. When a memory or thought comes up, jot it down immediately so you can come back to it later (you don’t want it to vanish like a dream that’s not been written down).
5. Using passion and emotion and setting the scene through descriptive storytelling that makes use of all of your senses (seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, & touching) will make your memoir rich and powerful. Write a rough draft not worrying about grammar and punctuation – there will be time to smooth the memoir out later.
6. On top of everything else you must believe in yourself and your voice. Write like you talk. Writing the story as though you were telling it to a friend or relative is very important so that the authenticity of your voice comes through. Keep in mind that you, and only you, can write this particular story about your mother, and her character can best be remembered if you write it down. I believe, “If we don’t write it down, it will be lost. Wouldn’t that be a shame?”
Write your true tale that captures the character of a loved one using The Story Woman Method for possible inclusion in new book, TellTale Souls: Keeping Spirits Alive One Memoir at a Time (working title).
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