Here’s why I've decided to change it. Also, I dabbled in some online digital art and used AI to help me come up with some book cover ideas. Some are totally bizarre.
This is a great exercise to help get inspiration flowing again.
I couldn’t help but think that since most of your memoir is exploring childhood experiences that engaging your senses (from things you ate, heard, saw) could help open some other avenues up. For me, I have a short story that’s been “in progress” for a while now and whenever I touch back in with it, I listen to a spotify playlist of songs I listened to while in this particular season of life. It’s like I’m right back in that cold Colorado basement, dreaming of a life in Boston and trying to muster up the courage to take a big job with a big company in a big city.
Anyways. I would also encourage you to consider these sensory explorations as a way to add “felt context” to the stories you’re telling in your memory. 🧡
Thanks Amanda! I appreciate that and I agree about engaging your senses to conjure up more inspiration - maybe I'll listen to some Boyz II Men and New Edition when I write.
Thanks for the encouragement. I just might play a little more with that story when I put my daughter down for her nap in a little while. :)
Also, I meant to mention one other thing your post reminded me of. And it’s that writing memoir isn’t “writing every detail of your whole life.” It’s writing about your life through a particular lens. (Although I would argue that part of the process is letting things comes out linearly first and then putting that lens on.)
What a cool idea. Thanks for giving us insight to your process and I may try it for my own!
Hi Christine, thanks for your comment! Try it out and LMK how it goes! :)
This is a great exercise to help get inspiration flowing again.
I couldn’t help but think that since most of your memoir is exploring childhood experiences that engaging your senses (from things you ate, heard, saw) could help open some other avenues up. For me, I have a short story that’s been “in progress” for a while now and whenever I touch back in with it, I listen to a spotify playlist of songs I listened to while in this particular season of life. It’s like I’m right back in that cold Colorado basement, dreaming of a life in Boston and trying to muster up the courage to take a big job with a big company in a big city.
Anyways. I would also encourage you to consider these sensory explorations as a way to add “felt context” to the stories you’re telling in your memory. 🧡
memoir* 🤗
Thanks Amanda! I appreciate that and I agree about engaging your senses to conjure up more inspiration - maybe I'll listen to some Boyz II Men and New Edition when I write.
Would love to learn more about your short story!
Thanks for the encouragement. I just might play a little more with that story when I put my daughter down for her nap in a little while. :)
Also, I meant to mention one other thing your post reminded me of. And it’s that writing memoir isn’t “writing every detail of your whole life.” It’s writing about your life through a particular lens. (Although I would argue that part of the process is letting things comes out linearly first and then putting that lens on.)
It sounds like you’re finding that lens.