Memoir Labyrinth, Write Through It Series: No. 7

Memoir as a gift…

When you write true tales, while walking the memoir labyrinth, it is appropriate to think of the stories as gifts. And here is why I believe that to be true.

“Give the Gift of Story” is the title of my guide book, so it goes hand-in-hand with the type of writing I encourage you to do, which is writing a short and true “Mother Memoir.” (If you’re new to my blog, I want to let you know that I use the term “mother” rather loosely when asking people to write a short, true tale – a bio-vignette that captures character and spirit. The person you choose to write about can be any woman who holds a significant place in your life. For that matter, writing about any person, male or female, fits the bill.)

 —- Yes, back to my point: Some of you may turn away from thinking about your memoir as a gift, because the person you pick as your main character and the experience you intend to use as the basis for your story is unpleasant (or worse). Obviously, in this situation, and from your point of view, you certainly don’t think of this memoir as a gift. However, from my point of view, it is truly a gift. If you don’t deem it appropriate as a gift to give her, then accept it as a gift you’ll give to yourself by writing it.

Remember the potent healing aspects of writing we talked about awhile back? For many of you, stories about “mothers” bring up dreadful memories. But when you write through painful experiences, you work through layers and layers of crud, and you eventually come to some understanding about what happened due to the fact that you have opened your mind to those things buried deep inside and placed the painful events out in the open through the process of writing memoir.

You might decide not to let anyone else ever read what you’ve written. And that’s okay. The story can be for your eyes only. When you make this process fully intentional, like walking the memoir labyrinth by simply putting one foot in front of the other, and take personal control over the emotions linked to the events, you have given yourself a very special gift. It could just be the best gift you’ll ever receive.

On the other hand, when you write a heartwarming, even poignant, memoir, it’s a natural to want to give it as a gift to the person you have chosen to portray with clarity in a short memoir. You believe your gesture will be well received, and you can imagine her delight in reading this particular story – a memoir where you’ve taken the time to look at her as an individual. What’s more, your gift of memoir will preserve treasured memories of her spirit for years to come.

Either way, writing memoir is a powerful gift. Please join all TellTale Souls in giving gifts of story.

If you’re want an easy-to-follow guide to Give the Gift of Story for yourself or to help someone else learn to write memoir, click  The Story Woman BOOKS  on this website or go to Book Passage.