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| Writing Stories of One's Life |
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Many folks share with me their desire to write their life story. Some come with the intent of simply sharing their story with their family; others seek a wider market with the dream that their conquering of the travails of life will speak to others. With those who want to write for family, I celebrate. With those of dreams of a wider market, I share the hard truth that the world is not necessarily waiting for their life story. However, I do encourage both groups of individuals to record their life journey so that at least their own immediate family has some record of holiday gatherings, troubled moments that occur in each life, victories, achievements.
I provide two additional suggestions. First, remember as you write that the reader can not see all that you see and recall in your mind as you record an incident. Your task as a writer is to provide word images that draw the reader into the emotion of the moment - the suspense, the joy, the fear, the celebration, the sadness – and to “see” all that you see. Make that scene and emotion come alive within the reader. The second suggestion I offer is to determine for yourself the why of your sharing: why do you believe it is important to write of events in your life? What do you hope others will gain from it?
I wrote Letters to My Sons: a Father’s Faith Journey because my sons asked me many questions about my faith and my social action involvement. I wrote the letters to share with them the people and events that shaped who I am. I elected to publish the letters because I believed my theological perspective on common issues would be helpful to others.
Write the stories of your life with a clear purpose in mind. Use words that creative vibrant images in the minds of the readers. |