Post #102 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompt – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Your Goal in Writing About Your Life — In Writing Your Memoir
Once again, I was back in a bookstore, checking on the discounts at Borders. After browsing the bookshelves for a while, I wandered over to the gift section to see if there was anything interesting. They had some lovely wood boxes with laser-etched cutouts. Each contained the following note:
“The Legend of the Dreambox (often attributed to Lemuria) suggests writing down your fondest dream, greatest desire, strongest wish on a small piece of paper, putting that paper in a Dreambox and placing it beside your bed. Every evening as you retire and every morning as you rise, hold your Dreambox and think on your dream, believing with all your heart that it is so. Legend has it, if done faithfully… your dream will come true.”
When I got home, I looked up Lemuria. Have you ever heard of it? It turns out that it is a mythical place, with a scientific origin. That probably sounds a little goofy. A zoologist, Philip Sclater, wrote in 1864 that the only way he could explain the presence and absence of certain animals in different places was to suppose that once there was a large continent in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans that became a series of islands, some of which had disappeared. He then proposed the name Lemuria. Over time, scientists disproved this theory, but the concept of an island named Lemuria continues among some writers.
Do I think writing a note and reviewing it twice a day will bring your dream to reality? No and yes. On the surface, I don’t think that approach works. But, if you focus on your goal, keep it in your mind, take actions to make it happen, then it probably will. You have to put in the hours and the work, but writing down your goal and reminding yourself why you are working so much on the task will help motivate you and keep you going.
Memoir Writing Prompt
So here’s your memoir writing prompt. The end result may only be a couple of sentences. The length is not the issue. Instead, take this time to focus on your true goal for writing about your life. Then write your goal on a piece of paper — handwritten or printed from your computer file. Do you have a little box or even a handy drawer? Put the paper there and read it in the morning and evening.
Then ask yourself this question.
Have I made progress on this goal today?
If you answer is yes, then keep up the good work. If the answer is no, then create a plan for what you will do tomorrow — research, interview a family member, organize your notes, write, edit. There are many tasks to do and you don’t have to spent the entire day. But do something to make your dream come true.
Perhaps you’ll find over time that the goal you wrote isn’t the goal you want to pursue. Then it is time to rewrite your goal. Make it a dream that you believe in and want to achieve. The rest is up to you.
