Post #11 – Memoir Writing, Journaling – Amber Starfire
Life Stories Matter
As a journal writer and memoirist, I sometimes struggle with the idea that my stories don’t matter. After all, who except me cares what I’ve experienced or been through in my life? I know, because I’ve heard it through the grapevine, that most writers suffer these same doubts.
But Susan Griffin — poet, essayist, playwright, and screenwriter — said of writing about one’s own life:
“It is only when one writes about the most
intimate and seemingly idiosyncratic details
that one touches others.”
She reminds me of what I know: our stories, no matter how “ordinary” they seem to us, have the ability to touch others. Our shared stories help us to make meaning of our lives and to help others do the same.
Daily Inspiration Writing Prompts:
- What are some of the idiosyncratic details of others’ lives that have touched you in some way? (The way your father used to hold the paper close to his nose while he read? The dedication displayed by your friend who bags food for the homeless every other Friday?) And how have these details touched or changed you?
x - What is a small, but intimate fact about your life that might touch and inspire others if they knew about it?
x - Do you ever doubt the value of your life stories? Write about the source of any self-doubt you’ve experienced. Was it something you learned from your family? The larger culture? Perhaps a part of your personality? In what ways can you use your writing to transform doubt into belief in yourself?
x - Think about your day. Describe one event or situation in your day that touched you in some way. Is it possible that your response to this event or situation might also affect others in the same way? Write about it.
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I invite you to share your thoughts in the comment section below. Also, if you have a quote you’d like to see in a future Daily Inspiration post, send it to me, Amber Starfire, using my contact form on WritingThroughLife.com.
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