Post #220 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompt – Matilda Butler
Welcome Jan Marquart
I am delighted to welcome Jan Marquart to Women’s Memoirs today. Jan is a memoirist and life writing coach who also writes in multiple genres. With her training as a psychotherapist, Jan brings a unique depth to both her writing and her coaching.
I recently heard from Jan that a new volume has just been released in her series entitled: Can You Find My Love? This is the latest in her books for children. Read Jan’s article below and learn more about how she became a cross-writing memoirist. She will help to broaden your perspective on your own writing.
Free Copy of FAMILIES
I’m really excited that Jan has offered to give a free copy of FAMILIES: Can You Find My Love? to one of the commenters on this article. Write a comment telling Jan why you’d like to get a copy of her new book. You just might be the lucky winner.
The first book in Jan’s series is called SEASONS. Jan uses her “love + learning” education method designed to help children retain information through image associations, artistic interactivity, and positive reinforcement. Her newest book, FAMILIES, teaches about animal, fish, and insect families. Definitely not memoir, but teaching and sharing stories in an intriguing way — a way that just might inspire you.
And if you don’t win, I urge you to get a copy for your child, grandchild, or great grandchild. It will make a perfect holiday gift. No longer have young children in your family? You still may want a copy to give you fresh ideas on writing. One of my students recently decided to take a message from part of her life and turn it into a coloring book for children. Exploring new ideas leads to creativity with our own life stories.
[UPDATE: Our winner is Ginny Johnson. Congratulations. Although the contest is closed, Jan welcomes your comments and thoughts about her article.]
Jan, I’ll turn this over to you.
–Matilda
Pages of Time: Thoughts of a Cross-Writing Memoirist
Journal writing was recommended by a college friend in 1972 after I stated that I was lonely for my friends and family 3,000 miles away. Tamara was her name and she told me that through writing I could become my own best friend. I didn’t hesitate to buy a notebook as I had been smitten by a Girl Scout Diary my mother bought me as a young girl. I suspect she took it away when she realized I was only writing about boys. My mother and I never discussed the missing journal but writing the few entries I did set a seed that bloomed years later sitting on a hillside at the university with my friend Tamara.
Decades later I have published books in many genres. They include poetry, fiction, non-fiction, self-help, and children’s books. My publisher said I need AA for writers. I suppose he is right because I have written daily ever since 1972 and just began my 99th journal. I never started out to write any of the books, essays, travel episodes, short stories, articles, or poems that eventually got published in either books, newspapers or journals. The variety of genres offered different structures to fit with the variety of my life events and forced me past my comfort zone into spaces and over horizons that gave me a place. I truly don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t written.
When I lost my parents, I wrote; when I was physically paralyzed, muted by an illness and needed to tell my story, I wrote in my head; when I was too sick to be with people, I wrote; when I was homeless and scared and my friends turned away, I wrote; when I was stalked and the police left without helping, I wrote; when my possessions were repeatedly stolen, I wrote; when I moved to a new city and knew no one to call, I wrote; and when the seasons changed and the birds sang and the ocean roared, I wrote. The reasons for my writing were endless. Writing kept me in faith, productivity, and kindness. Writing became my most powerful healing tool. It helped me keep my conviction that I was going to make each experience work for me and not bring me down.
As ideas came to me through writing I put them into my journal and watched them grow into the books I eventually wrote. One day I decided to write a love poem to my nephew’s two-year-old son and new baby girl when I realized that all children should feel loved. As a psychotherapist I had heard dozens of adults over the decades talk endlessly about never having felt loved. It broke my heart. Out of that realization came my new children’s series – Can You Find My Love?
I’ve just released Families
The earlier books in the series are:
Seasons: Book 1 in the Can You Find My Love? Series
Things To Do Outside: Book 2 in the Can You Find My Love? Series (Volume 2)
Why We Need Rain: Book 3 in the Can You Find My Love? Series (Volume 3)
And Things With Wheels: Book 4 in the Can You Find My Love? Series (Volume 4)
It takes time to develop a life philosophy and as I age my life philosophy has shifted. I know that it was my daily writing that set this course for such philosophical scrutiny and I feel blessed to have had it. My mother and I had our issues and you can read some of my story in my book Echoes from the Womb. Despite my mother taking away my Girl Scout Diary I will always be grateful for that gift because it set me on an inner journey that serves me well today. I have always been determined to take my pain and transform it into something useful and then share it with others. Writing lets me do that.
___________________________________
JAN MARQUART is a renowned psychotherapist and author.
She has published 11 books for adults and has had articles, stories, poems and essays published in various newspapers, journals and magazines across the United States, Australia and Europe.
She teaches writing for those over fifty and has taught a dozen writing workshops for Story Circle Network. Jan has designed a 6-week writing course titled Unveil the Wounded Self – Write to Heal which focuses on healing PTSD and has also designed a 6-week writing course titled The Provocation of Journal Writing to encourage everyone to write their personal stories.
___________________________________
Memoir Writing Prompts Based on Jan Marquart’s Cross-Writing
1. Thanks to Jan, we can all look at our writing goals in a new way. For example, in addition (or instead of) a full length memoir, you might consider writing articles to be published in magazines or your local newspaper. You might write a poem, a short story, a children’s book, a self-help book, a cookbook, etc. Create a list of genres that appeal to you. Then next to each one on the list write the specific topic or theme you might explore for that genre. Use this as an opportunity to expand your comfort zone. Don’t immediately say, “Oh, I could never write fiction.” Instead go ahead and make the list and force yourself to consider it. Let each one eventually come off the list only because you have given it careful consideration. Who knows, even something you eliminate now might return later because you have let your mind seriously evaluate it.
2. As Jan points out, each genre has its unique features and challenges. Take the list you have just created and think about issues you’d need to address. If you were to write a children’s book, for example, what age would you write for? Would you need illustrations and if so, how would you manage that? Maybe you have a friend who would love to work with you. What research would you need to do? Etc.
3. Think about your story taking shape in a different genre. If you take this exercise seriously, you may find that you return to memoir writing with a different approach or with new ideas for how you will present your life story.
Be sure to leave a comment below for Jan to be entered in the contest to win a free copy of FAMILY.
