The Memoir Revolution

Tag: Journaling

February 14, 2011

A novelist comes alive in a memoir, or is it the other way around?

Rick Skwiot

Author Interview, endings, essay, Journaling, memoir, Mexico, Rick Skwiot

Life is struggle, for everyone, and those who have the inner resources and high spirits to fight on in the face of great adversity are those we most admire. Like you, I want to hear their stories, not the stories of quitters, pessimists and whiners. The protagonists don’t have to succeed in reaching their goals,…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
February 4, 2011

A Memoirist Talks About the Backstory of His Memoir

Author Interview, Rick Skwiot

Author Interview, backstory, essay, expatriate, Journaling, memoir, Mexico, Rick Skwiot, structure

I don’t think I consciously crafted a self-portrait here. I was just trying to report on this guy who went to Mexico and found himself, and how that came about. For most any memoirist, there are two first-person characters: the author/narrator who is writing it and the historical character who experienced the events in the…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
January 28, 2011

Turning Journals and Notebooks Into a Memoir

Author Interview, Journaling, Rick Skwiot

Author Interview, essay, expatriate, Journaling, memoir, Mexico, notebooks, Rick Skwiot, structure

Rick Skwiot: My journals were crucial in my development as a writer. Not only did I record events of my life, but I also, as you suggest, wrote fictional scenes there, experimented with writing styles, penned criticism on the books I was reading, recorded my dreams and more. It was a mishmash of fact and…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
September 23, 2010

Interview with Diana Raab about Healing With Words: A Writer’s Cancer Journey

Author Interview, Cancer

breast cancer, cancer, Diana Raab, healing, interview, Journaling, memoir

My mother gave me my first journal when I was ten years old after my grandmother committed suicide in my childhood home. She didn’t know of any other way to help me cope with the loss of my beloved grandmother who was also my caretaker. She told me to pour my feelings onto the pages…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
September 22, 2010

Healing With Words, Hers and Yours

Book Review, Cancer, Journaling

Book Review, breast cancer, cancer, Journaling, memoir

Once you have written in your journal, you may desire to publish your story or you may not. Many aspiring memoir writers ask “why should I write my story?” While there are many reasons to consider, one factor to take into account is the value your story might have for other people. Consider the support…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
May 7, 2010

What is the difference between journaling and memoir writing?

Introspection, Journaling

compare, define memoir, free-writing, Journaling, published writing, Shyness

After years of practice transferring the contents of my mind on to paper, I became a faster, more agile writer. But despite these benefits, the journals themselves were neither informative nor entertaining, and I finally grew tired of writing only for myself.

Written by

Jerry Waxler
December 22, 2009

A diary for social change. A young girl’s terrible experience of war.

Journaling, Social Activism

Coming of age, diary, Erin Gruwell, freedom writers, Journaling, Sarajevo, war, Zlata Filopovic

Somehow Zlata Filopovic’s diary transcended these limits. Perhaps the readability of her entries arose naturally from the war itself. Dramatic tension erupted when, frightened by explosions, her family scrambled to the basement, not knowing how long they would be there or what would be left of their world when they emerged.

Written by

Jerry Waxler
November 16, 2007

5 Memoir Starters for Beginners

How-to, Writing Prompt

beginner, fearless moral inventory, Fourth Step, getting started, Journaling, memoir, Twelve Steps, Writing Prompt

by Jerry Waxler To learn more about the cultural passion for memoirs, and reasons you should write your own, read my book Memoir Revolution: A Social Shift that Uses Your Story to Heal, Connect, and Inspire, available on Amazon. Click here for the eBook or paperback. When you face a daunting task, the only way…

Written by

Jerry Waxler
August 23, 2007

Memoir about Caregiving for Mother offers lessons for life

Aging, Family

Aging, Alzheimer’s, caregiver, dementia, Journaling, memoir, Sandwich Generation

There is nothing pretty about the helplessness of aging, but unless our parents and everyone we love die fast and young, at some point we can no longer push aside the recognition that aging happens. One way to prepare for that realization is by learning about the experiences of those who have gone before us.…

Written by

Jerry Waxler