Post #59 – Women’s Memoirs, Book Raves – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Are you just starting your memoir? Maybe you’d like to write some personal history vignettes and aren’t sure where to begin. Perhaps you’re not sure that your stories would interest anyone. If you identify with any of these scenarios, then I recommend Erika Karres, Ed.D. and Susan Bowman’s (Ed.S., LPC) new book Memoir Star: Start Telling Your Life Story.
These two women begin by telling a little of their own story and how they came to meet each other and to decide to write a book together. Then, they offer a series of writing prompts. But before asking you to delve in each topic, they share their own responses to the questions. Here are a few of the ones they pose to their readers:
–What is your earliest memory dealing with a parent or caregiver?
— What is your earliest memory of a panful moment/event?
— What was your favorite hobby or pastime when you were a child?
— Have you ever experienced the death (or the loss due to moving) of a loved one, and how did it affect you?
After each writing prompt, the authors respond with their own life story answers. They then invite you with the words, “Now it’s your turn to write.” It’s like Karres and Bowman prime the pump so that your words are ready to flow.
After their 31 prompts and stories, the authors conclude with a series of chapters suggesting how you can organize your memoir vignettes into a book, how you can use the memoir for healing, pre-publication considerations and even a brief final chapter with several suggestions for marketing your memoir.
