General Grant writing his memoirs, 1885Although I personally have not (yet) tackled writing my memoirs, a lot of the people I know are writing them. Some are writing them as a way to document the past for their children and grandchildren. One of my friends, Jon, is doing this, but along the way has noticed that even the non-family people (like me) are enjoying them and finding them of value.
Others are writing memoirs focused on an unusual experience or period in their lives. Kenton has written a hilarious account of self-discovery through chasing turkeys (no, not hunting—literally chasing). Raina is writing about her experiences as the only woman in the Coast Guard to be stationed on remote St. Paul Island at that time.
What these three memoirs have in common is that they speak to a larger audience than just a circle of friends and family. Part of it is their ability to write (always a plus in a book!) and part of it is that they document the past to show how it explains the present. As a result, anyone can be inspired by their example, can learn from what they’ve learned, and can grow, as they did. And let us not forget another major benefit of memoir-writing: they are part of history.
I recently learned of the publication, Memoir Journal, which is also on line at http://memoirjournal.com/ If you are thinking about writing your memoirs for whatever reason, check the site out. If you are currently working on them, you may want to submit them (or parts of them) to the site. Scroll down to see the contest posting in the August section of The Money Corner.
Others are writing memoirs focused on an unusual experience or period in their lives. Kenton has written a hilarious account of self-discovery through chasing turkeys (no, not hunting—literally chasing). Raina is writing about her experiences as the only woman in the Coast Guard to be stationed on remote St. Paul Island at that time.
What these three memoirs have in common is that they speak to a larger audience than just a circle of friends and family. Part of it is their ability to write (always a plus in a book!) and part of it is that they document the past to show how it explains the present. As a result, anyone can be inspired by their example, can learn from what they’ve learned, and can grow, as they did. And let us not forget another major benefit of memoir-writing: they are part of history.
I recently learned of the publication, Memoir Journal, which is also on line at http://memoirjournal.com/ If you are thinking about writing your memoirs for whatever reason, check the site out. If you are currently working on them, you may want to submit them (or parts of them) to the site. Scroll down to see the contest posting in the August section of The Money Corner.
1 comment:
Hi Erica,
It's fun that memoirs have "taken off" recently - you no longer need to be famous to wonder what your own life was like! Thanks for pointing out that different people have different reasons for writing about life. I've listed at least 10 reasons on my blog and the list keeps growing.
Jerry
Memory Writers Network
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