TRAGEDY or MATERIAL?
Can you turn your darkness into light?
I have a new memoir writing coach!
I decided to commit to keeping myself accountable so I will be talking to him weekly. I think it’s a great fit for me.
Although I am a very disciplined self motivating person (usually!) when I’m on a mission and when I have a specific goal , other times I just want someone to keep me ‘on target’. A one on one person not a group of writers.
That is just my preference.
My new coach is also a great idea for me because I feel he will give me the extra boost, shot in the arm, confidence and cheerleading so I can stay focused on telling my story. He has a degree not only in counseling but creative writing.
I like that he looks at memoir writing as a form of therapy but also believes in the art of storytelling.
We agreed that I do not want my memoir to be a ‘misery memoir’. NO NO NO! This will not be a vengeful tale of woe or rage or anger at friends, family or even ex husband.
It does have misery, pain and heartbreak in it (OH, yeah. I was left broke in a foreign country by my abusive Vietnam war vet husband who almost killed me while I was off singing/starring in a show — supposedly at the height of my music career).
That IS misery. Actually it was more than misery it was a time in my life over 20 years ago that I am just NOW getting the bravery to talk about and write about, BUT it is a tale of survival and triumph too.
I think this memoir coach will help focus me on ‘turning my tragedy into a triumphant tale!’
He said this today which resonate so much with me or any storyteller/ writer:
‘Humans have learned to deal with their confusion by turning tragedies into tales of the human condition. In stories ..shocking events are considered normal. They even intrique us, as we eagerly look for clues to understand what went wrong and how it will be made right’
I love that about artists, writers and creative people.
We can turn
Crap into beauty.
Pain into hope.
Messes into messages.
Tragedy into triumph
Darkness to light.
This article I read recently by John P. Weiss inspired me also and speaks to this subject wonderfully. It had me ruminating about this topic.
Thank you John P. Weiss for this wonderful article!
Oh, John will be featured in my new book coming out soon called “Creative People and what makes them tick’ too.
Stay tuned.
THANKS FOR READING!
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