Writing Your Memoir and Your Idea List and File

YOUR IDEA LIST AND FILE

Your 125 memories and your Future Journaling List comprise your idea list and idea file for your memoir writing. This is where you put every single memory and possibility of something or someone to write about in your memoir writing--this book or in future books. This is your catch-all. It's your project file and contains everything that is possible now or later. 

This is your holding bed or crock pot of ideas that simmer for long periods of time as you sort out what to include exactly in your memoir--and what not to. 

Make sure to literally write anything that comes to mind: memories, thoughts, ideas  people, places, things, objects, experiences, memories, lessons learned, etc. that comes to you as you journal your rough draft. 

By the way, anything you do not include in your memoir still should get a journaling entry done on it to expand just the listing of future journaling. Write it out. There is a reason why it came to mind. Make sure to explore everything you can about it. 

Make sure to write it all down--anything that comes to mind--and keep in this catch-all list/file. 

JOURNALING EXERCISE OR PROMPT

Think of how you want to write your memoir. Jot down anything that comes to mind.

Then, read through your list of 125 memories and jot down anything else that comes to mind.

~ Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper

Writing Your Memoir: The Steps

What are the steps of writing a memoir?

1 Make a list of the first 125 memories in your life that come to mind.

2 Write a full account of each of the 125 memories. Do a SOC, a mining your memories exercise, and memory snapshots of each of the 125 memories. 

3 As you list and write about each of your 125 memories, other memories will come to mind. Make sure to jot those down on a Future Journaling List so they are not forgotten. They will be covered in another memoir that you will write later. 

4 Once you get all 125 memories journaled out and at least 1 page of journaling each, it's time to look at your old journal entries if you have them. Journal about what your recollection today is different, and the same, as when you wrote about it originally. If you did not keep past journals, skip this step.

5 Look at your journaling and see if any patterns emerge. Whatever patterns you see, or whatever seems to fit together is what you will write about in your first memoir. You may use only a handful of the 125 memories, or you may use a majority. See what feels right to you and what makes the most sense.

6 Start to write your memoir. Remember that a memoir does not go in chronological order. 

7 Finish your rough draft.

8 Edit your first draft.

9 Edit your second draft.

10 Edit your third draft.

11 Publish it. 

Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Author

* My Storykeeper Odyssey in 2013: Journaling & Memoir

* The Journaling & Storykeeping Encyclopedia of 2013

MEMOIR WRITING

Have you always wanted to write your story? Or is it something that has just come upon your heart--and won't let go? Either way, this blog post is for you.

4 QUOTATIONS THAT MATTER

There is something really important you need to know before you take another step in the direction of writing your story. Listen carefully and read carefully.

Your story matters.

There is something else that is critical for you to understand:

Your story is sacred.

And, there is one more thing for you to know:

Your story matters, and is sacred, because it's exclusively yours--and because it intertwines with every single person you come across in your life--including those who hear about you and your story.

And, the final thing to know is that:

Every single person you come across, their story intertwines with yours and shapes and transforms your story.

Stop. Re-read those several times and let them sink in slowly, word by word. 

You should not write your memoir until each of those quotations sink in and you take them to heart. 

Go through and journal about each of those 4 quotes. 

Spend a couple of days fully digesting, pondering/contemplating, and journaling about these quotes before you continue to the next section of this blog post.

YOUR PAST JOURNALS

Given the 4 quotations written previously, what do you think I am going to say about your past journals? 

Here is the answer: Until you look back at your memories through today's lens, I would not look back at your previous journal entries. In other words, I would start to write my memoir today through journaling my past memories today. Then, I would go back and look at old journal entries--and journal about those--from today's perspective. I would then see what has changed and how my perception has changed. Also, I would look at how they've influenced the road I've traveled, how I got here  who I am today, and where I am headed in the future. 

This is critical. It is important to keep this in mind. Please re-read that previous paragraph and then read ahead. 

WHY SHOULD I NOT LOOK AT OLD JOURNAL ENTRIES FIRST?

They will cloud your perception today.

Figure out who you are today and where you stand today--then look back. After all, there is a reason why you see the things you do today and in the manner you see them. Do not ever shortchange this. Do not ever take this for granted. There is a reason why you perceive the things you do today. There is a reason why you remember the things, and in the way you remember them, today. Do not ever--and I mean EVER--not take this into consideration. It's important what you see and how yous ee things today. Your point-of-view today matters far more than it did then. 

The previous paragraph is critical and important and should not be overlooked or taken for granted. (Yes. I was just extremely redundant in what I said. That was intentional  I want to get your attention and cannot stress this enough.)

HOW TO WRITE YOUR MEMOIR: YOUR LIFE STORY

1 Figure out where you are today. Journal about things from today's perspective. Then, look at the past. Journal your memories from today's perspective. 

2 Then, look back at your old journal entries. Do a new journal entry talking about what you observed, including what you had forgotten, and how your perception of the memory and journal entry has changed and/or remained the same. 

3 Look for lessons learned--then and now. Journal about them from today's eyes. 

4 Look for patterns in your old and new journal entries. These are important. These patterns are what make your memoir and shape it. Journal about the patterns.

5 Taking everything mentioned in this blog post  including items 1-4, start to write your memoir. 

2013 STORYKEEPER ODYSSEY

I am taking 2013 to do #1. I have 125 memories I am focusing on. This is the first part of my memoir. Then, in 2014, I am going to look at items 2-5 and write the next part of my memoir. After all, I need to fully know where I am today in order to understand yesterday and get the most out of tomorrow. 

You can find your rhythm. But, whatever you do, make sure you look at things through today's point-of-view before you look at yesterday's or tomorrow's. 

THE END OF THE WORLD: A JOURNALING EXERCISE AND PROMPT

Some say the end of the world is right around the corner, on 21 December 2012. That's else than two days away. So, what a perfect time to do this journaling exercise and prompt.

Let me say that I do not believe the world will end in two days (see Mark 13:21.). However, let's be real. 14 December taught us something very real and true. Life changes on a dime. We could very well die in two days. Aren't we supposed to live every day as if it was our last anyway? 

JOURNALING EXERCISE

It does not matter if you believe this to be true or not. Let's say that it is true--or we are told we have only two days to live. Answer these questions with that frame of mind:

* What would you do to prepare for the end of the world?

* What would you want to tell your loved ones?

* What would you want to do?

* What would you want to journal--in case there were any survivors? 

* What were your most powerful memories? Describe each of them. 

* Give a summary of your life. 

* How does this change how your live today, regardless? 

* Journal anything else that comes to mind.

~ Stacy Duplease

(Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online.) 

MINING YOUR MEMORIES WITH LISTS JOURNALING EXERCISE

LIST TO DETAILS

The best journaling helps you to put your life on the page and leave your legacy. It also helps you to dig deeper and live a fuller, deeper, and more intentional life. This is where you start to live on purpose.

However, how do you do that? What does that look like and why would you want to do that?

It's important to mine your memories. That way, you learn what is really important to you and what is less important. Every memory you have is important, it's a matter of what you find most important today and how it has shaped you to be who you are and what you have done. Get them all down on the page in lists. 

Then, you take items of each list and write more about each. You get to what is most important and what stands out most in your life--today. And you focus on that. You try to get every memory and every detail out of that (Whatever "that" is.)

For instance, take a simple coffee mug in my cabinet. It's one of two favorites. This seems simple enough and not very important. It's just a mug, after all. However, if I look further into it, the mugs are important to me. There is a reason why they are my favorites. So, I need to explore this. How do I do that? First, I do a SOC 

Both read, HISTORIC JAMESTOWN. 

MINING YOUR MEMORIES JOURNALING EXERCISE

Start with writing lists of your memories. Do all sorts of journaling prompts to make as many lists as possible (List suggestions: people, places, things/objects, memories, favorites, least favorites, 10 objects of each room of your house, songs, books, TV shows, games, specific years in your life, decades of your life, etc.).

~ Get it all down in the lists--your memories and anything else that comes to mind. Do a SOC (Stream of Consciousness) writing to get them all down. Write down everything that comes to mind in a list.

~ Then, take three of those items and write more details about each. Do a SOC on each of the three items. Do a word association, mind map, SOC, or anything else that comes to mind about each of the three items. 

~ Take those three items and write a longer journal entry on each. 

~ Write about the six senses of: smell, sight, smell, touch, taste, and perception/intuition on each of the three items. 

~ Ask who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about each of the three items. 

~ Then, a week from the time you finish this, do it again for this list. Choose three items to write more about. 

Then, take two weeks off and do it again.

Then, take a month off and do it again. 

Then, do it in three months.

Then, do it in 6 months.

Then, do it in one year. 

Then, do it in 1.5 years.

Then, do it in two years.

Then, do it in 5 years.
Then, do it in 10 years.
Then do it in 20 years.
Then, do it in 25 years. 

~ Stacy Duplease

(Image Credit: Stacy Duplease 2012.)

Blog Number One

Today is the first day of my blog. I hope I don't bore you. I've never done this before and am a little apprehensive. So, bear with me, please.

My goals with this blog are:
1. To share stories with you. I will talk about all of the books I'm in the process of trying to get published, am writing, or are in the process of editing. I write several different aspects of the drama genre. I write thrillers, murder mysteries, speculative fiction, and romance. There's always a romantic theme, a lesson learned, and I show how life is real and raw.
2. To help you escape for a while.
3. To help you look at life from a different perspective.
4. To help you learn how to leave a lasting legacy or create a way to preserve your memories.
5. To develop a stronger interior life.
6. To share my process of making my dream of becoming a published author come true.
7. To talk about writing.
8. To share how I am in the process of moving to a different state with my husband and hope to start our family soon and how that impacts life.
9. To show how life is difficult, but it's what we put into it, the lessons learned, guard our hearts and minds, and how we hold fast to our faith that makes the difference.

What lofty goals I have and wish I could make it simpler. However, in order for me to be realistic about life, faith, relationships, and dreaming, I am forced to recognize that I cannot put it in a pretty box with a pretty bow. Life is complicated. However, we can find a simplicity in it and I want to share how I've learned, and am learning, how to do so.

A wise man in my life taught me a long time ago to focus on making my every today and tomorrow better than my every yesterday. Even though life sends me curve balls, I can look beyond them and life a life focused on leaving a meaningful lasting legacy to future generations of how to live life fully and simply through the sharing of stories and the lessons learned. I would love to hear how you've learned to do the same.

I want this blog to be interactive. Write me. I will choose what gets put on my blog and ask for no profanity, but beyond that, I welcome differing perspectives as well. Life is hard enough without learning from one another and helping each other through things.

I also welcome critique on my stories. I will share my writing with you. Again, I have the choice as to what to apply and what to ignore, but I welcome it.

How do you plan to live a meaningful life and leave a lasting legacy? What's your story?

Blessings to You,

Stacy D.