Category Archives: Journaling

Journaling, Memoir, Memoir Writing Tips

Journaling as Seed for Memoir: A Memoir Moment

26 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

 

“The nicest part is being able to write down all my thoughts and feelings, otherwise I might suffocate.” Anne Frank from The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition.

 

It all started with the pink diary I received for my eleventh birthday. It had a key so I could lock away all my deepest secrets, like what boy I had a crush on in the sixth grade or all the fun I had at the girl scout camping trip even though those half-cooked hot dogs made me yearn for home.

I could write whatever I was thinking and feeling and nobody would ever know.

Now I am writing a memoir and the whole world will know what I am thinking and feeling. I can’t help but ponder how the transition- from guarding my thoughts with a lock and key to sharing my inner and outer story so openly- happened.

For me, it happened through journaling…

I have journaled for years and never realized that all those times I had poured out my feelings onto the pages of my journal , I was planting the seeds for my memoir.

I still have the blue cloth, three-ring notebook that I created for my senior English teacher, Miss Philips back in 1964. The page dividers have pictures depicting the sections: hopes, beliefs, thoughts, ideas with varied colored plastic tabs where the white labels were inserted.

At the time, it seemed like a silly project. What did Miss Philips know? I can still see her, pencil-thin frame, always dressed in some dark-colored–grey, navy blue or black–dowdy dress or suit. Standing so straight by her desk, she never smiled or wore makeup. Her brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun and her wire-rimmed glasses dangled at the end of her nose.

What in the world would I ever do with that silly notebook?

 

My First Journal
My First Journal

 

I packed the journal when I went to nursing school and every once in a while, I’d pull it out to glance through the sections. Sometimes, I’d even jot a few thoughts down. For the most part, it lay dormant.

But, as I began my career and started out on my path to contribute to society as an adult, the pages started beckoning me.

It turned out that I did plenty with Miss Philips’s notebook and if I had the chance, I would thank her for the gift of that handmade journal which provided me with a framework to fill in my life story. What started out as an assumption in my adolescent mind that my out-of-touch teacher was wasting my time became a slowly evolving admiration for a teacher who made a lasting difference in my life…

She planted a seed that has bloomed over and over again as I have worked my way through my life challenges.

Without realizing it at the time, I was planting the seeds for my life story.

 

I have journaled through the heartaches of relationship failures, the searing pain of divorce, the loneliness and exhaustion of being a single parent, the terror of dealing with an alcoholic son, the heart wrenching losses of my maternal grandmother, Nan and my best friend, Judy, my own diagnosis of cancer and the illness and death of my beloved father.

The seed journal has spawned many spiral notebooks and decorative journals to accommodate my evolving thoughts and feelings; to capture my moments of need, longing, passion, creativity, my life…the moments that will matter in my memoir.

The journal tells its own story.

*The pages sit blank and patient just waiting to receive my words. As the words fall on the page, the emotions get sorted out. There is something about labeling a feeling that helps to put it into perspective.

*The feelings that grip and gouge on the inside take on a different shape on the outside.

*Knowledge is power and when one becomes clear with one’s own feelings, there is a sense of empowerment.

*When I journaled my way through my father’s 11-day illness and death, I found clarity and solace in my own words. In sharing my deepest, heartfelt grief, I received support and love in return.

Journaling has become my pathway to healing and hope and has helped me to recall, relive and reflect upon the moments and times of my life that will make up my memoir.

Thank you Miss Philips for helping me plant the seeds that have yielded a garden of stories for my memoir.

 

august 2010 021
Look what is growing in my garden
Photo Credit: Nana

***

Here is a brief journal entry written in response to a writing prompt at a conference. It that has become a part of my first memoir, now in it’s final edits, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse:

” The lime green satin dress with the rhinestone design on the bodice slips over my gentle curves as I guide it over my head and wiggle it into place. I pull my stockings up each leg and attach them at the top with metal clasps on the girdle I don’t want to wear. But, it makes me feel grown up. I am twelve years old and getting ready for the cotillion at the end of Madame Helina’s ballroom dancing class. I pull my long,brown hair back into ponytail and slide into my patent leather flats, ready for a practice session into the dancing world of my approaching adolescence.”

***

On Tuesday evenings in May, I will be conducting an online workshop Journaling as Seed for Memoir for The National Association of Memoir Writers (NAMW):

May 6-27 2014, 4 weeks (Tuesdays) 4PST, 5 MST, 6 CST, 7 EST

 

$125 for non-members

 

$110 for members

 

To write a memoir, you need to mine memories and get in touch the significant events in your life that have shaped you into the person you are today. It is a voyage of self-discovery. Journaling can help plant the seeds for the story you need to tell. It can become a pathway to healing and hope and help you to recall, relive and reflect upon the moments and times of your life that become your story.

 

What you will learn

 

  • Journaling as a creative process
  • The physical and psychological benefits of writing and journaling
  • Specific techniques for stimulating creativity
  • Methods for organizing a journaling routine
  • How to identify vignettes that can be turned into a larger story
  • How to identify possible themes of a memoir through your own writing

 

 

How it works-From Kathy

 

We’ll get together for four 60-minute telephone sessions. During each session, I’ll offer a lesson on journaling. Then each of you will have an opportunity to share your own journaling experiences and writing. By exploring your own journal entries, we will build a trusting, mutually supportive atmosphere. Between each session, you will write a brief assignment—a response from a writing prompt- and email them to all the class. Because we will be able to read your pieces on our own, you won’t need to read them aloud. We can use class time to work through issues and offer feedback. At every step during and between classes, I will offer guidance to help you discover the heart of your own story. By the end of the sessions, it is my hope that the vignettes you have gathered through writing prompts may become the seeds for your memoir.

 

You can sign up here.

 

How about you? Does journaling help you find your story?

 

I’d love to hear from you . Please leave your comments below~

 

 

Next Week :

 

Monday, 4/28/14: 

Sue William Silverman will be featured in a WOW!Women on Writing Book Tour and Giveaway for her new memoir, The Pat Boone Fan Club with a review and guest post on “Confessions of a Memoirist: My Serial Personalities.”

 

 

 

Authentic Refreshment, Journaling

What is Your Authentic Refreshment?

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Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

 

” Silence is creativity’s best friend, and solitude is refreshment for our souls.” Naomi Judd

 

Author’s Note: This post is an adaptation of an interview that was originally presented on Dawn Herring’s blog, Your Authentic Refreshment on 6/28/13

 

You met writer and #JournalChat host Dawn Herring in her guest post last week, “Do You Recognize Your Authentic Voice?”.

 

Welcome back , Dawn!

biophoto Dawn Herring

 

Dawn is hosting a series on “My Authentic Refreshment” on her blog.

 

She defines Authentic Refreshment as “engaging in refreshment that is authentic to your personality, preferences, purpose in life, the kind that enables you to appreciate yourself, validate emotions and feelings, and nurture your soul.”

When Dawn asked to interview me about my “authentic refreshment”, I looked forward to taking the time from my busy schedule to explore the ways I incorporate authentic refreshment into my life.

 

Here’s what I said:

 

How I authentically refresh:

 

The three things that come to mind when I think about what charges my batteries, adds positive energy, inspires and helps me keep a fresh perspective are: Prayer, Journaling and Positive Visualization.

 

 

This excerpt from my second work-in-progress memoir Hope Matters: A Memoir of Faith, reveals my prayer roots and ways I have used positive visualization:

 

As a “cradle Catholic” I was brought up with all the traditions and ceremonies of the Roman Catholic faith; so prayer has always been a part of my life. My faith slowly matured from a religion to a spiritual journey where I felt God’s presence in a personal way. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, Stage Four Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1996 that I sought and found an even deeper relationship with God that sustains me in my times of trial. Journaling and positive visualization also added to my authentic refreshment in a meaningful way, especially during this cancer journey.

 

“On December 19, 1996, worsening shortness of breath and a dry cough had precipitated an early morning trip to the emergency room. As I was pacing near my stretcher, waiting

for the results of the CT scan of my chest, realizing something serious was happening, I cried out in desperation,

 

‘Dear God, please give me the strength to do whatever it is I need to do for this is the battle of my life and for my life.

 

A peace beyond understanding flowed over me and stayed with me throughout my eventual diagnosis of Stage Four Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and my two-year treatment course which included chemotherapy, radiation and a peripheral-stem cell transplant. I allowed myself to be open to accepting help from others–meals, gifts, prayers. God had answered my plea to “do whatever I need to do” to fight the battle.”

 

Throughout my treatment, I journaled my feelings and worked on positive visualizations. On March 17, 1998–Ash Wednesday–the night before being admitted to New England Medical Center in Boston for a peripheral stem-cell transplant, I wrote a list of twelve positive visualizations: attend my friend’s wedding in May, visit my friends in Wisconsin and Missouri during the summer dance at my niece’s wedding with hair in October, etc. I even leafed through an LL Bean catalogue and ordered out an outfit–denim shorts and a gingham blouse in my normal size–that I visualized wearing in the summer.

 

And every single visualization came true.

 

 

Here’s the specific process I use to prepare for effective positive visualization:

Finding a quiet, distraction-free space and time to think and journal, playing soothing background music to get in the mood, taking a hot bath in a darkened bathroom with a lit candle, prayer time and playing the piano.

 

 

 

A list I created and visualized during my illness:


My anxiety and sense of vulnerability–fear of the unknown–over traveling to Boston to start the process of my peripheral stem-cell transplant prompted this list. I wrote these visualizations in my journal while sitting in the hotel room the night before my scheduled appointment at the medical center where I was to discuss the details of the procedure with the transplant RN, see the Oncologist who would do a bone marrow biopsy, see the Cardiologist who would make recommendations since previous chemotherapy had damaged my heart. The visualizations helped me to center my thoughts on the positive rather than the myriad of potential negative outcomes. It worked!

 

 

The frequency of my authentic refreshment:


Positive visualization, prayer and journaling helped me to tap into positive energy during a time when my prognosis was uncertain. It worked so well that I have made it a part of my daily routine. I try to journal daily, even if it is jotting a few thoughts down, but I usually pick up my journal when I need to reflect on my feelings or reactions to something that has happened.

 

My preference for refreshing– solitude versus sharing with a group:

 

Often times positive visualization, prayer and journaling are solitary activities, but any of these can be shared when it feels right. I did have an experience while undergoing chemotherapy that steered me away from sharing temporarily. I had attended one meeting of a cancer support group facilitated by the staff at the cancer treatment center. My expectation was that I might not feel so alone if I talked with other cancer patients. The exact opposite happened. I felt dragged down by the negative energy and pessimism in the group. I wanted to focus my limited energies on the hope of survival not the despair of the diagnosis. I never went back.

 

 

Ways I enjoy and sometimes experience surprising benefits of my authentic refreshment:

All three authentic refreshment activities I have engaged in have grounded me by offering self-awareness, solace and clarity. Sometimes I have been surprised by an insight or recognition of a pattern. Often it has helped me sort out and frame my thoughts. And we are what we say we are, even if we have to “fake it til we make it” initially!

 

 

Engagement provides me with validation of emotions and feelings:

My authentic refreshment provides a safe and sacred place to pour out my deepest feelings and needs.I do not need to worry what others may think or deal with their responses. I can feel free to unload it on the page. Then when I read it back, it may take on a different shape than when it was grinding away inside me. Somehow labeling a feeling feels validating and empowering.

 

When I can identify what I’m feeling, I can decide on actions I may need to take.

 

 

Nourishment of the soul is also a benefit:

These activities help me to get in touch with myself. I am taking time out of a busy day to pay attention to what I am thinking and feeling. I am honoring myself as I would honor a best friend or someone I love. This helps me get in touch with what I need to nourish my own soul–reinforcing healthy boundaries, helping me embrace my unique humanness, and helping me stay connected to what matters most.

 

 

How my authentic refreshment personally empowers me:

By reaffirming my values and beliefs, I can act with more confidence. By being clear on my own feelings and boundaries, I can offer the same to others–allow for differences and respect each other’s differences. It reminds me of a quote (author unknown), “You can’t meet the needs of others if your own needs aren’t met.”

 

 

A final word for others looking for their authentic refreshment:

Learn to trust your feelings. Stop, listen and take time every day to get in touch with yourself and your needs. Find a way that works for you to learn about yourself and honor your own story.

 

How about you? Have you found your authentic refreshment in your life?

 

I’d love to hear from you. The comment malfunction has been fixed so please leave your comments below

 

 

 

 

Announcement: Congratulations, Mary Beth Coudal! Your name was selected in a random drawing of commenters to receive Dawn’s e-book, The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child.

 

Wednesday, July 17: I will be posting a review of Donald Dempsey’s riveting new memoir, Betty’s Child as part of a Wow! Women on Writing Book Tour. A copy of the memoir will be given to a commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing of commenters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Authentic Voice, Journaling, memoir-writing

Do You Recognize Your Authentic Voice? A Guest Post by Dawn Herring

20 Comments

Posted by Katheen Pooler/@kathypooler with Dawn Herring/@journalchat

“The authentic self is the soul made visible.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

I am very happy to feature writer ,artist and host of #JournalChat  Dawn Herring in this guest post. Dawn and I met on Twitter when she invited me to her weekly #journalchat on Twitter (Thursday 2 pm PDT), a delightful  and enlightening  weekly exchange about all things journaling. If you are interested in journaling, you will enjoy this Twitter chat.

Welcome, Dawn!

biophoto Dawn Herring
Author and Journal Writer Dawn Herring

 

Authentic Voice

“I knew it was you! I recognized your voice.”

Whether we’re talking on the phone, leaving a message or calling out to a friend we’re meeting for lunch, people often know us by our voice.

Certain vocalists or talk show hosts or teachers we hear are often recognized by voice because their voices have a distinct quality that sets them apart.

Voice through text has the same possibilities especially if we’ve read something an author has written before. The tone, the word choice, the style of writing speaks to their natural, authentic voice.

And in some ways, when we hear or read an authentic voice, recognizing the value and elements that resonate, it speaks directly to our own.

But how do you know when you have found yours?

Whether you’re writing a memoir, poem or essay, or talking to a friend, speaking to an audience, or even singing a song, you know when you’ve discovered the voice that is authentic to you, your personality, your preferences and your purpose.

It carries a certain timber; it reflects your values; it speaks your heart with honesty and candor.

And all of this comes with practice.

A suggested practice approach is journal writing; if you journal every day, it will help you hone your voice, whether written or spoken.

 

The following ideas may resonate and feel relevant to discovering your authentic voice:

 

  • Practice lines of poetry or song lyrics or borrow from a song that resonates with your heart. Then speak or sing them.

 

  • Write dialogue from a conversation you had with a friend that held great meaning for you. Apply what you’ve written to a scene for memoir.

 

  • Describe an unexpected conflict or challenge in detail, whether yours or someone else’s; determine the possible trigger of this conflict and what changes should be made in reference toward resolution. Pay close attention to any intuitive senses you pick up which will speak to your authenticity.

 

  • Express your opinion on a topic that resonates with you either because it makes you laugh, cry or even rage.

 

  • Use an image you’re drawn to as a prompt for written or emotional exploration to dig deeper into the soul; ask yourself its meaning for you right now, what it reminds you of and why.

 

  • Ask yourself a question that has been nagging at you and determine an answer that reflects your authentic values.

 

You may be surprised with your journal writing discoveries as you tap into the Real You. Give yourself the time, space, and approach that opens your understanding and enables you to validate your emotions and feelings and nurture your soul in the process.

 

When you’re getting started with finding your authentic voice, you can learn by noting written or vocal voices of others and determine what sets their song, speech, essay or memoir apart from the rest.

 

This will help you determine, with contrast, what makes your voice authentic to you no matter how you exercise it.

 

Whether in word, image, or song, Your Authentic Voice will shine as you gain a fresh perspective on your story and point of view and give space for expression that comes from the heart.

 

Thank you Dawn for showing us how journal writing can help us to find our authentic voices. It is an important reminder that we need to keep practicing through writing prose, poetry or song to be able to hear our own voices and know they are true.

 

Author’s Bio

Dawn Herring is a writer, artist and host of #JournalChat Live for all things journaling on Twitter. Her thematic focus is on journal writing, refreshment, positive change and personal empowerment. She has been published in her local city newspaper and in newsletters and on websites and blogs featuring journal writing and self-care. She publishes her weekly Refresh Journal for a fresh perspective in all of life dimensions. She is the author of The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child, a how-to on creating visual collage to celebrate your child’s birthday, a family tradition she keeps with her daughters and grandboy. She offers private Refresh Sessions to help you discover Your Authentic Refreshment.  Her blog is Refresh with Dawn Herring: For a Fresh Perspective and her website is dawnherring.net.  Her Twitter is @JournalChat and@DawnHerring. Her Facebook is JournalWriter Freelance where #JournalChat Pick of the Day and Pick of the Week are featured. She always reminds folks not to forget to refresh themselves.
tbwcover
The Birthday Wall by Dawn Herring

 

 
***
How about you? Do you recognize  your authentic voice ? How did you find it?
We’d love to hear from you.
Please leave your comments below~
Dawn has agreed to give away a copy of her e-book, The Birthday Wall: Create A Collage to Celebrate Your Child to a commenter whose name will be  selected in a random drawing.
Monday, 7/15: A reblog of “My Authentic Refreshment Interview” from Dawn’s blog
Wednesday, 7/17: WOW! Women on Writing Book Tour: Review of  the memoir, Betty’s Child by Donald Dempsey

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling, memoir-writing, Mother's Day 2013

Reflections on My Mother’s Circle of Love: A Memoir Moment

46 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

 

” All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”  Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president of the United States.

 

Mother’s Day has come and gone and I feel blessed that I shared it with my own mother this year. She lives 200 miles away but I managed to convince her to come for a two-week visit and she agreed.

Mom is 90. She still lives in her own home of 57 years, goes to the local senior center for Zumba classes twice a week, volunteers at the local food bank and visits the “elderly” in the neighborhood.

 

Truth be told, I have a hard time keeping up with her. 

 

Mom getting ready for the "Pie & Glove 5k" in 2012 where she place 3rd in the 70+ division
Mom getting ready for the
“Pie & Glove 5k” in 2012 where she placed 3rd in the 70+ division. Even grandpuppy, Sadie, looks on in amazement.

 

When my husband Wayne and I walk through her front door after a four-hour trip to visit her, the pungent aromas wafting from the kitchen entice us to walk right over to the oven where steaming trays and pans reveal the delicious meal that awaits us. No matter how many times we offer to take her out or make the meal, she insists on preparing a feast.

 

Is it any wonder that hunger strikes as soon as any of us steps foot into her home?

 

My three siblings and I look on in gratitude for how well she is doing and how fortunate we are to still have her with us. Her ten grandkids call her “Grambo”, her four great-grandkids call her “GiGi”, and her four kids call her amazing.

 

We all know things can change in a heartbeat. That makes our time with her now all the more precious.

 

When my dear father died in November of 2010, she lost the love of her life. We didn’t know how she would handle not having Dad around. Married for 67 years, they were high school sweethearts who were genuinely devoted to one another for their entire married lives.  My siblings and I are the beneficiaries of their love and devotion. It wasn’t that they never had problems or disagreements; it was how they always seemed to work together to make it work.

 

How do you let go of a love like that?

 

fall 2010 003
Dad & Mon at their 67th wedding anniversary celebration two months before Dad died, 2010

 

After Dad died, I noticed she started writing notes to him on pieces of scrap paper stuffed inside the books or magazines she was reading. Here’s a short excerpt ,with Mom’s permission, from 11/28/2011:

 

” My Darling,      

Yesterday marked a very sad and memorable day. One whole year of being without you. I miss you more now that time goes on. We both didn’t realize what a beautiful relationship we had…”

With all my love and memories,

Kay”

 

So I bought her a journal with a pastel vintage print cover and a pink rhinestone clasp. Now she writes to her “Prince” updating him on family events and pouring out her thoughts and feelings.

IMG_20130501_114212_504-1 Mom journaling
Mom’s journal

 

One day during her visit, I saw her on the front porch, deep in thought, as she wrote in her journal:

 

IMG_20130501_114212_504-1 Mom journaling
Mom journaling to her “Prince”

 

She writes when she’s happy. She writes when she’s sad and lonely. She shares her longings and frustrations.

 

I know she has bad, sad, lonely days like we all do but the journaling helps her to honor the love they shared and move on.

***

Mom has taught me so many life lessons that guide me through each day, not the least of which are:

 

Unconditional love…”I’ll always be in your corner.”

Boundaries … ” If you don’t respect yourself, no one else will respect you”

Grace in the face of loss…” What will be , will be. Accept it and move on.”

Faith...” Your faith will get you through.”

Coping… “ A nice, hot bath can cure just about anything.”

 

This poem written and read by my daughter, Leigh Ann for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary (1993)  sums up the circle of love Mom nurtured in our family:

I Love You Because…

  I love you for who you are because you are you and

that’s  what makes you special.

When you laugh, I love you because you make me laugh.

When you’re sad, I love you because I hate to see you sad.

When you’re around, I love you because my heart opens for you.

When we’re apart, I love you because when I think of you, I smile.

Never forget, I will always love you

because you have taught me to love.”

Love,

Leigh Ann

11/92

 

2011-10-02_12-41-03_872 leigh & GiGi at marathon
Leigh Ann with “Grambo” after completing a marathon in her Grandpa’s memory, 2011

 

Thank you, Mom, Grambo, Gigi. You are a treasure and we love you!

 

Your circle of love ripples out from you to all of us.

 

You have taught us all how to love.

 

How about you? What lessons have you learned from your mother? 

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comments below~

 

Announcement: Congratulations to Susan Weidener. Your name was selected in a random drawing to receive a copy of Nancy Stephan’s memoir, The Truth About Butterflies.

 

This Week: I’m also over at Pubslush with an interview about Memoir Writer’s Journey. Hope you’ll join me over there too.

 

Next Week: Memoir Author Janet Givens discusses “The Challenges and Rewards of Writing a Peace Corps Memoir.”

Journaling, memoir-writing

Journal to Memoir: Planting the Seeds for Story

34 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

“The nicest part is being able to write down all my thoughts and feelings, otherwise I might suffocate.” Anne Frank from The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition.

It all started with the pink diary I received for my eleventh birthday. It had a key so I could lock away all my deepest secrets, like what boy I had a crush on in the sixth grade or all the fun I had at the girl scout camping trip even though those half-cooked hot dogs made me yearn for home.

I could write whatever I was thinking and feeling and nobody would ever know.

Now I am writing a memoir and the whole world will know what I am thinking and feeling. I can’t help but ponder how the transition- from guarding my thoughts with a lock and key to sharing my inner and outer story so openly- happened.

For me, it happened through journaling…

I have journaled for years and never realized that all those times I had poured out my feelings onto the pages of my journal , I was planting the seeds for my memoir.

I still have the blue cloth, three-ring notebook that I created for my senior English teacher, Miss Philips back in 1964. The page dividers have pictures depicting the sections: hopes, beliefs, thoughts, ideas with varied colored plastic tabs where the white labels were inserted.

At the time, it seemed like a silly project. What did Miss Philips know? I can still see her, pencil-thin frame, always dressed in some dark-colored–grey, navy blue or black–dowdy dress or suit. Standing so straight by her desk, she never smiled or wore makeup. Her brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun and her wire-rimmed glasses dangled at the end of her nose.

What in the world would I ever do with that silly notebook?

My First Journal
My First Journal

 

I packed the journal when I went to nursing school and every once in a while, I’d pull it out to glance through the sections. Sometimes, I’d even jot a few thoughts down. For the most part, it lay dormant.

But, as I began my career and started out on my path to contribute to society as an adult, the pages started beckoning me.

It turned out that I did plenty with Miss Philips’s notebook and if I had the chance, I would thank her for the gift of that handmade journal which provided me with a framework to fill in my life story. What started out as an assumption in my adolescent mind that my out-of-touch teacher was wasting my time became a slowly evolving admiration for a teacher who made a lasting difference in my life…

She planted a seed that has bloomed over and over again as I have worked my way through my life challenges.

Without realizing it at the time, I was planting the seeds for my life story.

 

I have journaled through the heartaches of relationship failures, the searing pain of divorce, the loneliness and exhaustion of being a single parent, the terror of dealing with an alcoholic son, the heart wrenching losses of my maternal grandmother, Nan and my best friend, Judy, my own diagnosis of cancer and the illness and death of my beloved father.

The seed journal has spawned many spiral notebooks and decorative journals to accommodate my evolving thoughts and feelings; to capture my moments of need, longing, passion, creativity, my life…the moments that will matter in my memoir.

The journal tells its own story.

*The pages sit blank and patient just waiting to receive my words. As the words fall on the page, the emotions get sorted out. There is something about labeling a feeling that helps to put it into perspective.

*The feelings that grip and gouge on the inside take on a different shape on the outside.

*Knowledge is power and when one becomes clear with one’s own feelings, there is a sense of empowerment.

*When I journaled my way through my father’s 11-day illness and death, I found clarity and solace in my own words. In sharing my deepest, heartfelt grief, I received support and love in return.

Journaling has become my pathway to healing and hope and has helped me to recall, relive and reflect upon the moments and times of my life that will make up my memoir.

Thank you Miss Philips for helping me plant the seeds that have yielded a garden of stories for my memoir.

Look what is growing in my garden
Look what ‘s growing in my garden.

Here are a few journaling resources I recommend:

Amber Lea Starfire, writer and journaling mentor offers journaling prompts and writing tips through her Writing Through Life website, “helping you find meaning in life through the act of writing.

Kay Adams, a pioneer of journal therapy and author of Journal to Self hosts a radio show, Journaling for a Better Life.

Dawn Herring of JournalWriter Freelance and author of The Birthday Wall: Creating a Collage to Celebrate Your Child, hosts a weekly Twitter chat at #JournalChat where she features topics from journal writers. Thursdays 2:00 PM PST.

Julie Cameron, award-winning poet, playwright, filmmaker and author of thirty books, is best known for her work on creativity. One of her books, The Artist’s Way helped spawn a” movement that has enabled millions to achieve their creative dreams”

 

On February 23,2013,I will be co-facilitating a workshop in Exton,Pa, Journaling: A Voyage of Self-Discovery ,with Susan Weidener of The Women’s Writing Circle. If you are in the Philadelphia area, we’d love to have you join us.

 

How about you? Do you journal? If so, has it helped you find your story? I’d love to hear from you.

Please share your comments below~

 

Announcement: Congratulations to Debra Marrs. Your name was selected in a random drawing of commenters to receive Pamela Richards’ memoir, Singing from Silence!

 

Next Week: Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Memoir Author Andrea Lewis will discuss “Writing My Memoir Helped Me Find True Love.” She will give away a copy of her memoir, Dramaville: It’s not a Place; It’s a State of Mind to a random commenter.