Thanks for visiting, and thanks for your note. I am looking forward to digging into your memoir-style books. I like your titles, “Life in the Boomer Lane” and “Invisible No More” and the sound of your workshops. I love your comment that “Little did we know what a huge impact this would have on us.” I think the reason the wave is growing so strong is because people try and discover its power and then spread the word.

Jerry

Jerry

I found you via your beautiful comment on Kathy’s post. My two co-authors and I have written two memoir-style books for women over 50. Little did we know when we started what a huge impact this style of writing would be for us. I always say that as the journey went farther, it went deeper as well. Based on the value we derived from writing this way, we developed a workshop called “Writing Your Life.” The joy I receive from watching women start on their journey of self-discovery and of healing is beyond words.

Best,
Renee Fisher (born and raised in Philly)
Invisible No More: The Secret Lives of Women Over 50
Saving the Best for Last: Creating Our Lives After 50
http://www.invisiblenomore.com

Thanks for stopping by. I checked out your blog and it looks lovely. Congratulations for completing the book, a huge undertaking and wonderful accomplishment. I’m glad you found it healing, because I think that is the powerful magic of memoir writing. The second part of the magic, reaching out to readers, can also be healing because it brings you into contact with the rest of society in a manner that honors and reconstructs your authentic presence. I think this is wonderful, and my motivation for “Memory Writers Network.” I wish I could read all memoirs, (which of course I cannot) but by networking together through the internet, we memoir readers and writers can stick together and find each other, sharing a virtual community.

It took me a minute to find the link to your book, because the link says “Dancing in Heaven.” If any readers of this comment want to click straight through: , here is the link.

Jerry

I’m glad you found my website, too, and thanks for sharing your story. All these things add up, and it’s hard to make sense over time. Writing is one of the best ways to gather this information, lay it out, and see how it all worked. It’s great that you want to share your whole story with your kids and let them see the whole person. Even if they are not ready to hear it yet, someday they will thank you for sharing more about their mother’s history. However, the real payoff comes much sooner, as you experience the pleasure of climbing this writing mountain, and achieving a higher vantage point over your own life.

Best wishes,
Jerry

My kids are in their 20′s and busy establishing their own lives. They only know me as their Mom. I want to leave my kids more than the usual tangibles. My (third) husband died at age 48 years old about three years ago. My kids aren’t ready to get to know me as a mortal woman. They talk as if they know I will live another thirty years.

My current idea is to leave my memoir in my safety deposit box for my children to have when I’m gone, or until they become curious about who I am outside of being just Mom.