Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Memoir

I've always kind of been a bit of the type to spend time reflecting on my life. I suppose many, if not most, people who have journals of any sort are. I find myself doing it more as I get older. In part it's probably because there is more to reflect on.

I recently read an article in Readers Digest about writing memoirs. It was a great article but I have no idea what month or even what year it was from. I don't even want to get into my method, if you can call it that, for reading Reader's Digest. I'll get them all read eventually, maybe.

Anyway that article struck a cord with me. Of course any article on writing tends to do that. At first I thought, but I do that in the form of my journals both online and my private journal on my computer. I used to do a hardback jounal written long hand but have not done that for several years. It was it's own form of relaxation that you just don't get when typing on a screen. I probably should resume it again.

After thinking about it for a bit I realized that journals and blogs are seldom really memoir. They can have elements of it but, at least the way I do it, it's closer to an ongoing autobiography than a memoir.

I have begun to toy with writing one or more memoirs but it's being a slow process. That's ok because what is slowing me down is the need to examine my life in more detail than I usually do and with brutal honesty. The brutal honesty part is harder than you would think. Harder than I thought anyway. I have come to realize that there are parts of my life that I can write in a memoir that I could possibly even post here. I really can't see any of it being worthy of trying to publish. There is more though that I'll be writing just for me to read, or at least to know I've written even if I never go back and read it. There's a lot that I wouldn't, or couldn't, share with many people, maybe not anybody.

I don't know what to come of it but if you know me you know I'm usualy my happiest when I have some sort of writing project in mind. For now that will probably be what is occupying me when I'm writing. Who knows some of what I re-discover about myself may leak out into entries in this journal. It wouldn't surprise me at all if that happened.

If you're reading this then you've probably been a part of my life in one way or another. I'd love you to write me an email sometime and tell me about some memory you have of me, something we shared together or maybe just the first thing you thought of when you read this. I think it would be interesting to see my life from the other side and I can't do that without help.

Help me....please?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like still having a hardback journal so I can take with me and sit outside, at the park, by a lake, to the beach.. I know you can take a laptop, but I have never gotten used to or enjoyed a laptop. I have never thought about doing a memoir. Yes I can imagine how difficult it would be to remember things from my past and face my faults and mistakes. Right now I am doing a hardback Gratitude journal...Listing things I am grateful for and how they have changed my life. Even that brings up some painful memories though. But I have a lot of great memories too.

I couldn't possible pick ONE favorite memory of you. There are so many special ones, but what they all have in common is your patience, forgivness, and unconditional, non-judgemental friendship.

JOHN said...

I enjoyed this entry,Ihave been keeping a hard back handwriting jojurnal since 1983 and now all my neices and nephews and a few friends want me to type it up and make theem copies.Im going to do that for them.I enjoy reading your blog and plan to follow it
JOHN