Post #118 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompt – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Topsoil and Storytelling
Do some gardening, and you’ll dig up history. Most of that nutrient-rich ground-topper began as nothing more than a hunk of rock reduced by physical and chemical deterioration. Over time, plants grow in the cracks, and their roots break up the rock into smaller pieces, while adding in organic matter. — Spirit Magazine, Southwest Airlines
I don’t know about you but I can identify with this description. Somedays I feel not all that different from a hunk of rock reduced by physical and chemical deterioration.
But let me now work my way back to the title of the article: It takes 500 years for an inch of topsoil to form.
Where’s Your Storytelling Green Thumb?
This got me thinking about storytelling. Our stories are like our topsoil. Dig around and we’ll find a lot of history. These stories are precious — even the hard ones — because they are part of who influenced us, who we were, and who we are now.
Kendra and I have often heard, “But I’m not a writer.” Similarly, Kendra used to say, “But I’m not a gardener.” Then this last summer she got serious about growing some of her own food. By taking all the steps seriously, she found that she did have a green thumb. She just had to cultivate it.
What does it take to have a green writer’s thumb? Ask yourself the questions below and write your responses in your journal or in a computer text file.
Memoir Writing Prompt
1. Do you want to write or finish your memoir?
2. What steps are you taking to make that dream come true?
3. Are there any hurdles in your way? Name them and then develop a plan to get over or around them.
It’s 2012 — a whole new year. Write about your confidence in what you can do this year. Then begin the hard work of turning that confidence into a memoir.
