1. No one else will do it for you.
2. No one else knows the stories of you life quite like you do. Do you want them to tell it?
3. This is an opportunity to share knowledge, wisdom and advice to those who would be inspired to learn from us.
4. When we record something, we remember more.
5. By reflection and recording we are able to gain a deeper appreciation for all the surrounding happenings that influenced our decisions and experiences.
6. A life examined and recorded is twice precious, first the experience itself and then the memories it evokes when we read about it later.
7. Everyone has a story to tell. We each have a unique view of history from our own perspective.
8. There is an inner need in each of us to be remembered. To reflect and to see that our lives had value.
9. We want to be remembered by descendants as a real person and not just a name on a tree.
10. If not recorded, the stories you learned from your grandparents will die with you.
11. The things you did as a child are as remote from children today as Mars is from the Earth.
12. You will be looking at painful memories of childhood with the eyes of an adult and realize that they no longer have the power to hurt you.
13. You have the opportunity to leave a legacy for friends and family.
14. This is a way to celebrate your own life.
15. It allows family and friends to know you as an individual, not just the role they were familiar with.
16. By sharing how you overcame adversity, it may strengthen another who is facing a hard time.
17. It gives you an opportunity to not only examine events, but feelings and emotions.
18. It allows you the opportunity to say on paper what is sometimes hard to express in person.
19. By writing our stories, we can examine our life's journey with a wider view.
20. It is very therapeutic to examine the past and then to let old hurts go.
21. It is the ultimate journey of self-discovery, even if no one else ever reads it.
22. You can pass down traditions, standards, beliefs or even recipes that have a great deal of meaning within the family or community.
23. As you grow older and less verbal, it helps caregivers and others to see you as you once were.
24. You will be respected, envied and praised for doing what most people just talk about doing.
A recent survey taken of a group of elderly people indicated that their major life regrets were in not:
! Taking more risks-choosing the secure over the unknown and the unknown would have been fine..
! Reflecting more, taking time to stop along the way and decide who we are and where we are going.
! Contributing and sharing more feelings, thoughts and emotions with family, friends and community.
By recording your life story, which is a scary step to take, you can accomplish all three.
There is an old African saying that every time a person dies, it is as if a library has burned down.
Just do it, you will always be glad that you did!!!
If you are interested in getting the answers to these and other questions about life story writing, please contact us at judywright@artichokepress.com and sign up for a tele-class and our FREE e-zine: "The Artichoke" - finding the heart of the story in the journey of life..
?Judy H. Wright, Personal and Oral Historian - www.artichokepress.com
eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..Most writers are familiar with first and third points of... Read More
Do you want to publish something? An article, a non-fiction... Read More
List-making is a favorite journaling technique and is often used... Read More
If you want to be a writer, then you must... Read More
If you are reading this article then you probably have... Read More
As in all endeavors, toil is necessary to succeed and... Read More
I recently read a book where everything was akimbo. Arms... Read More
If you either want to write a book to help... Read More
As an International language, English has been used widely in... Read More
Tips for your writing journeySo, you'd like to be a... Read More
It turns out that "tips and templates on how to... Read More
SALE, SAIL Sale is either offering something for purchase... Read More
There is no doubt that a staff writer enjoys advantages... Read More
Bookcoaching clients come to me at different stages of writing... Read More
Calling all publishers, editors, journalists and freelance writers. It's time... Read More
Why would anyone want to write for trade journals? Aren't... Read More
Peter Abrahams is the author of thirteen novels, including "The... Read More
Ever wondered how the most successful children's book writers get... Read More
The first step in the writing process is to put... Read More
[When I was a nineteen-year-old high school student and budding... Read More
How do you describe a scene without slowing down the... Read More
Remember back in the dark days of your school years... Read More
Pictures they say are worth a thousand words, but many... Read More
Despite the widespread use of e-mail in commerce today, traditional... Read More
There is an image most people carry of the artist... Read More
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..As in all endeavors, toil is necessary to succeed and... Read More
The journey to having my first novel for children published... Read More
Good writing requires self-examination. Why is one writing? What part... Read More
We've all been told that we need to use all... Read More
When one population in one century survived five wars, two... Read More
Have you ever started a creative writing project with great... Read More
By far, I have found that the lack of discipline... Read More
Back in my school days, if the teacher demanded a... Read More
Freelance writer STANLEY BURKHARDT has a passion for animals. He... Read More
Rudolph Flesch, a pioneering advocate of readability, put great stock... Read More
Working on my first humorous novel, I started with a... Read More
Before you even begin writing your novel, you need to... Read More
People can't believe I did it, but I did. I... Read More
If Ben Franklin were alive today, he would be...uh, very... Read More
So, you want to freelance as an editor, writer, copy... Read More
Human beings seem to be born with a gene for... Read More
Golden Rules For New Writers - Things you need to... Read More
Writing leads to reading. Therefore, it's only fair to supply... Read More
SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More
You can learn a lot about what it takes to... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?When an idea comes to us for... Read More
If you either want to write a book to help... Read More
When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?How we usually begin the preparation stage... Read More
I've been in the communications business a long time?over 25... Read More
Writing |