Do you know the ONE thing memoir writers never do – but if they did, it would immediately improve their stories? This video is all about a narrative therapy practice that will empower you to write a more compelling memoir. It’s what I like to call “radical retellings” of our foundational stories.
Watch the video here
In this episode on memoir writing, you’ll learn:
- One of the foundational tenets of narrative therapy theory.
- What most writers fail to do and how it impacts their memoir writing.
- An entirely new way to look at a story.
- How to flip the script on a difficult story.
- How to write a radical retelling.
Resources Featured In This Episode On The One Thing Memoir Writers Never Do (But Should):
Your key takeaways from ‘The One Thing Memoir Writers Never Do (But Should)’
A few years ago I completed my foundation certificate in narrative therapy. If you aren’t familiar with narrative therapy theory, one of its foundational tenets is that all of us are multi-storied individuals. That means that a life contains many stories, and people can have different realities of the same experience.
Many writers feel compelled to write about difficult experiences – both from the wound and from the scar. But what most writers fail to do is recognize themselves as survivors or heroes, identifying what it is inside themselves that helped them live to tell their story.
I think in part this is because it’s not our natural instinct to write about our positive qualities – what is inside us that makes us strong and resilient. We tend to look for where the trouble began and in our writing try to make meaning or understand its impact. And that often means not recognizing some important elements about the story we’re telling.
In a narrative therapy context, you might ask yourself what resources helped you cope with an experience – identifying the personal qualities that helped you survive a situation that caused fear, harm, or loss.
If you were to do that with one of your stories, how would it change the way it felt to write it?
How would it change the story itself – its focus? It’s tenor? Would it feel more like a story of empowerment? Would it change the way you feel about the story or yourself?
By considering the qualities that helped you survive a difficult situation you may find an entirely new way to look at your story.
Is there a story you’d like to tell from a more empowered point of view? Let me know in the comments what story you’d love to flip the script on.