Post #117 – Women’s Memoirs, Writing Prompt – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Why Do You Write About Your Life?
I write because…
…my story needs to be told.
…I want others to learn from my mistakes.
…I want to make sense of what I’ve done.
…I want to share my wonderful life.
…I want my family to know about me.
…I want to heal my life.
…I write because I don’t know how to live without writing.
There are many reasons why we write memoirs. I’ve listed some of the ones that we hear from our students. It seems that we are storytellers who need to tell our life stories. Wwho else can tell them?
Recently, I was reading The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
The result was a kindergarten class built in the lobby of the retirement home. After class opened, the seniors began stopping by, asking if they could help. Their questions marked the birth of a Book Buddy program with each student assigned to a resident who helped with reading. Robinson notes that:
“because [residents] are reconnecting with their creative energies, they are literally living longer. … Medication levels there are plummeting. Many of the residents on the program have stopped or cut back on their drugs.”
I loved how the program became a win-win for everyone involved. Children began to ask questions and in doing so learned some history along with reading skills. My favorite question asked by a kindergartener was, “How big was your iPod when you were little?” It made me laugh and then again realize how important it is to share what our lives have been like. I remember when one of my students mentioned the refilling the radiator bag on her parents car as they made their way across Arizona on Highway 66. Ask a young person today about a radiator bag and she may think you are off your rocker (an expression most young people probably don’t know and hence wouldn’t say.)
Was the program equally effective for the children? About 70% of the 5-year olds left kindergarten reading at third-grade level or higher. Any school would be envious of those results.
If writing is your passion, then you understand how creativity surges through you, gets you up in the morning and sparks your interest in many related areas. Writing is healing in different ways. Researchers will continue to learn and understand more about the process in the coming years.
So maybe we need to add another reason to be passionate about our storytelling:
…Because I’ll live longer.
Below is a brief story sent to us by Linda Greeley. In it, Linda shares why she thinks it is important to write about her life.
Restringing Pearls: Small Luminous Stories of My Life
By Linda Greeley
Life happens in moments; tiny segments of time strung as loosely as the pearls on my mother’s necklace before I had them restrung. Perhaps that is what I was doing in writing down my memories: restringing those moments in an attempt to make sense of an ordinary life, looking backward through the haze of midlife. I was going to say old life, but am I old in my 68th year? Isn’t all of life new? Do we not live it concurrently forward in time and backward in memory?
Others in my family have lived through these same events yet their memories will be different from mine. That is the gift of being human. We are graced with the ability to reflect and remember and hopefully to learn from our mistakes to make a difference in our future. I am grateful that my years have been blessed by loving relationships. There have been stumbling blocks in my life, but always there have been others who reach out to catch me. After years of trying I finally understand the difference between alone and lonely.
I had the good fortune to be born into a strong family. My memory pearls were strung on pure silk thread; a solid family tree. Each memory can stand alone, but when you tie a knot between them, they form the fullness of my life.
Dear Grandchildren,
The best advice that I pass along to you is to live honestly and cultivate the relationships in your life. Above all develop a special relationship with your God. This will give you the strength to live your life fully despite any obstacles that may come your way.
Lovingly,
Grandmother Linda
Writing Prompt
1. Think about why you write. Write a paragraph or two, expressing your reasons, goals and emotions. Focusing on your motives may help to clarify what you want to say and who you want to say it to.
Then get busy writing and sharing your stories.
We invite you to tell us WHY YOU WRITE. You can leave your reasons in the Comments section below or email me: Matilda (at) WomensMemoirs (dot) com. Just complete the sentence: I write because…
