Journaling for Memoir Workshop. A Short Course in Writing Deeply. Workbook

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Arthur Barrett
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1 Journaling for Memoir Workshop A Short Course in Writing Deeply Workbook

2 Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. - Anton Chekhov Journaling for Memoir Teleseminar A Short Course in Writing Deeply by Amber Lea Starfire The Benefits of Journaling for Memoir Writers Most writers have kept journals from time to time, and we re aware of the powerful benefits of a journaling practice catharsis, emotional healing, clarity, making meaning of life s events, stress reduction, and enhanced creativity, to name a few. But we may not be aware of the many ways we can use journaling techniques to enhance our creative writing practice. I divide journaling for memoir into three categories: 1. Journaling today for tomorrow s memoirs 2. Mining past journals for memoirs we re writing today 3. Developing the story Journaling for tomorrow Recording life s events on paper is like taking snapshots and storing them in a photo album. Later, when you want to remember those events, you can look at the photographs. It stands to reason that the more snapshots you take (i.e., the more events you record), the more accessible and accurate your memories will become. Think of journaling as a camera of words: it provides a way for renewing old memories and capturing new ones. Journaling for tomorrow is about capturing your moments as close to when they occur as possible. The goal of writing captured moments is to stop the action and record all the sensory and emotional details surrounding it. Journaling for Memoir Workbook Page 2

3 Here s how you do it: 1) 2) Practice: 1. Choose an experience you had today or yesterday. 2. Briefly, write where you were, who was there with you, and what happened. 3. List 3 things/qualities of the experience for each sense (sights, smells, tastes, sounds, and things touched). Include physical reactions. Sights: Sounds: _ Journaling for Memoir Workbook Page 3

4 Smells: _ Tastes: _ Physical Touch: _ Physical Sensations/reactions: _ 4. Jot down emotions felt, including confusion (you don t know how you felt or feel). Journaling for Memoir Workbook Page 4

5 5. Note contextual items news items, weather, holidays, general mood etc. That s all you need to do to capture a moment for the future. If you have time, after you ve jotted down phrases or lists with the details, go back and write a poem or bit of prose about the moment or event, processing your emotions as you normally would in your journal. Journaling for Memoir Workbook Page 5

6 Mining past journals Now, we re going to review just a few of the many ways and reasons to pull those journals out of storage or off your bookshelves and use them to help with your memoir writing. The simplest methods involve reading entries while looking for information that informs: Scene: Reflection: Context: Another way is to look for Patterns: Seasonal: Thematic: Metaphoric (recurring images) Journaling for Memoir Workbook Page 6

Developing the story Your journal is the place to explore images, concepts, characters, places, and themes all without the pressure of trying to write an actual scene or

7 Developing the story Your journal is the place to explore images, concepts, characters, places, and themes all without the pressure of trying to write an actual scene or story. It s a practice designed to deepen your understanding of your story. Development Techniques: Clustering: Example of Clustering Journaling for Memoir Workbook Page 7

8 Practice Clustering: 1. Use a fresh sheet of paper 2. As your nucleus, choose a person or place and write the name in the middle of the page. 3. Cluster for 2 minutes. 4. Write for 8 minutes, using your cluster for inspiration. Lists of 100: 100 things your character wants 100 things your character hates 100 things your character loves 100 personality traits 100 fears 100 things your character is good at 100 things your character wishes he could do 100 people your character admires 100 things your character believes in 100 physical traits 100 things your character did as a child Dialogues: Journaling for Memoir Workbook Page 8

9 Letters and Interviews: Any journaling prompts or sentence starter: Some Starters (you can substitute it/i/he/she in any of these): He s the kind of man/woman who It s the kind of place that My biggest fear is What she really wants is If he could do anything he wanted, he would It smells like I feel most secure when The most wonderful thing that happened was I am so happy that He was so depressed that The most difficult thing I ever had to deal with was The situation was To me, a true friend is She hated He loved Journaling for Memoir Workbook Page 9

10 More... Do you want to take your memoir writing to the next step? Do you want to use your journal more effectively? This short course is only the beginning Journaling for Memoir is a six-week guided study course in which you will learn additional, proven techniques, including Burning Moments to reveal important themes in your life and drive your writing process. FIND OUT WRITING THROUGH LIFE ONLINE CLASSES Journaling for Memoir Workbook Page 10

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