The Writing Life (Page 4)

Why I Wrote My Memoir – Part 2                                   (Part 1 is here)

Getting the stories outside myself. Much of my life was a vague jumble in my mind. Writing and then seeing the black and white of words on paper brought my life into a clearer focus. I began to understand myself better, to see deeper layers, and to understand why, for example, I behaved in certain ways.

Health and healing. Several weeks into writing the stories, I began a voracious self-help reading project. In time I learned about Dr. James Pennebaker, the research psychologist who accidentally discovered, in a 1980s experiment, the power of writing. He asked people to write about a traumatic or everyday event for 15 minutes a day for four consecutive days. In the months that followed, he found those who wrote about trauma needed less medical care than before writing. I have followed Dr. Pennebaker as he devoted the rest of his career to researching the mysteries of emotional writing.

Opening Up. I began sharing some stories (none were big or shameful, yet) with other women. I felt myself begin to open from the isolation I had long felt as well as from support that my stories had value.

Give my stories to my children and other descendants.  One day someone in my family might want to know my story. If so, they could discover threads to better understand their own lives. Thus I revealed my true story on paper and felt myself emerge further from my cocoon.

Publish a book? Remember what the book reviewer said in Part 1? We’re so tired of reading about all these problems in your lives!I knew some would feel that way about mine, yet also began to remember those who told their stories while I was breaking into mine. Those brave people gave me powerful gifts: the growing assurance that I was not crazy, their experience to which I connect and feel not alone. Could my story provide gifts to those following behind me?

Give my story to those who could connect. In the end, I decided to risk publishing my memoir for those in the world who could use it in any way that could to help their own healing process. With my support and love.

There are many more solid, excellent reasons to write memoir. I particularly liked this article in Psychology Today  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-empowerment-diary/201609/why-should-you-write-your-memoir

In closing, I consider what I might say to the reviewer if we were sharing conversation with tea. I decide I’d suggest a break from memoir and perhaps try another genre that would resonate better. Maybe she’d be interested in David Baldacci’s new book The End Game. A small, poor southern town finds a way to treat their opioid crisis and, in my opinion, provides a powerful model for many communities.