Editor’s note: The writer is a Lawrenceville resident and author of 29 books, including After I Die: What My Executor Will Need to Know.—eeb.
By Fran Stewart
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Most of us want to tell our stories. If one isn’t comfortable with writing, though, it can seem a daunting task to put our stories onto paper.
Stewart
Over the years that I’ve taught memoirs-writing classes, I’ve found that most people simply need a jump-start. They ask: How do I begin? What if nobody wants to read my stories? What on earth should I write about?
There are definite answers to each of those questions, and by starting gently with simple writing exercises, such as “remember a particular smell—maybe grandma’s sugar cookies or the stink of hospital cleaning agents when your tonsils were removed—and tell why that smell still lingers with you after all these years,” people find that they can ease into the telling of those stories that are so important.
Each person is like a library. Your stories may be as simple as the day the dog ate your birthday cake or as intricate as the bullying you endured when you were in grade school. Nobody else can tell your stories. Even a close family member will have different memories about the same event. The important thing is to get down on paper (or on your computer) the lessons you’ve learned over the years: put the cake in a room where you can close the door, for instance!
First, write in the way most comfortable to you. Many use computers (or typewriters), while others want to write it out, perhaps on a yellow pad. Some would rather dictate into your iPhone. (Some would rather dictate into an iPhone app, which can be converted into text which can be put into a document or sent as an email.)
So, how do I teach non-writers to write?
I guide them gently into reviewing the importance of their life stories, give them a few basic tools, and then let them have a safe space in which to begin using those new skills.
I’ll be teaching a writing session beginning tomorrow. I have an upcoming three-session class at the Lawrenceville Library that runs November 6, 13, and 20. I hope to see you there. Registration is required, and the class is filling up fast. Click to register.
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