Post #12 – Memoir Writing, Journaling – Amber Starfire
In my last post, I wrote about using art and photography to inspire journal writing. For a completely different reason, snapshots may also serve as prompts for your journal and memoir writing. With snapshots, you won’t be thinking about form and composition, colors, or emotional impact. Well, at least not in the same way as with art.
Snapshots are pictures taken for the purpose of preserving memories. They can be of family, friends, landscapes, journeys, or gardens. The subject is of utmost importance here, not the form. And prompts will vary, depending upon the subject of your picture. Pictures of people will trigger different memories and feelings than of events and, say, pictures of nature.
Try these ideas:
- Pull out an old family album, preferably one which has pictures in which you were either a participant or the person behind the camera. Look through the photos until you feel an emotional response to one. Emotions can include nostalgia, fondness, regret, happiness, and love, among others. Remove the picture from the album and hold it in your hands. Feel the photo paper between your fingers, the edges of it against your skin, and gaze at the picture for a while. When you are ready, begin to write. You may choose to write about the person or people in the snapshot, what was happening at the time, your memories of that particular picture (why was it taken?), your feelings then and now. If something comes up — a question or an insight — continue down the path it leads you until you have exhausted that particular lead. Then see what else interests you. Continue to write until you feel complete.
x - This time pull out an album with pictures taken during a vacation. Find a picture where the subject is more about place than people. What do you remember about that place and the feelings you had while you were there? How do you feel now while looking at the snapshot? Have you been back to that place? If not, why not? If yes, have your various vacations become blurred in memory, until you can’t tell one vacation from another, or does each have its distinct memories? Write about this snapshot until you feel complete.
The key to using snapshots to jumpstart your writing is that it works best when the picture engenders some sort of noticeable emotional response. If you don’t know what else to write about, start with the emotion and let it lead you to your topic. You’ll find that your journaling practice will become deeper, more enlightening, and more satisfying as a result.
I invite you to share your experiences with us by leaving a comment below.
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