Post #206 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompts and Life Prompts – Matilda Butler
Let’s Consider an Ethical Will
Ethical wills have been gaining in popularity over the past decade. Never heard of this? Don’t worry. Even though more people are talking about it than ever before, most still think of a will as the document that distributes their tangible goods.
But we have a legacy of intangibles that we just might want to pass on as well as that favorite quilt you made or you good china or your savings account.
What about your values? What about the life lessons you’ve learned? Don’t you want to pass those on as well? That’s what an ethical will — a document that lets you pass on your wisdom and love to future generations. It is much less formal than a memoir. But it is valuable and will be treasured by your family.
Writing an Ethical Will
In this writing prompt, I’m suggesting that you start your ethical will this way:
1. Write a list of your top FIVE lessons that you have learned in your life and would like to pass on.
2. Begin with just a couple of sentences about each lesson.
3. Then go back and write each lesson out more fully, beginning with a specific event that helped you to learn the lesson. It is the particulars that will make the list valuable to your family.
4. Remember that all of the elements we have been using — character development, emotional states, dialogue between characters or within yourself, sensory details, and time/place are still valuable here as they make your “lesson learned” more vivid and intriguing for others. Even knowing your theme and message will help you focus. Without developing the details, your lessons will sound like platitudes and will probably be ignored.
