Keeping a Notebook
If you want to write about your life, there's no substitute for a good
notebook. There are as many methods for notebook-keeping as there are writers.
But whatever your notebook looks like, it's your source material for all
sorts of writing: for essays, stories, poems, whatever. There's only one
rule here: write in it daily, or as often as you can, and write as much
as you can.
For many writers, the most important notebook is their journal. A daily journal in which you have recorded events, thoughts, feelings, fears, hopes, dreams, disappointments is a primary source for your memoir and for other kinds of personal writing. Be sure and date every entry. Be playful and creative with your journal--include newspaper clips, photos, mementos, drawings. Write with different colored markers and pens. Don't edit, just write write write.
Another important notebook is a reading journal. In this notebook, you can write about each of the books you have read. It's a good idea to date every entry and note the bibliographical information (title, author, date, publisher). Write a short summary of the book if you like, or just a few sentences of commentary. Be sure to include quotations (note the pages on which they occur). If you want to get fancy, you can list your books by category (fiction, non-fiction, memoir, etc.), which can be especially important if you're aiming to write for publication in one of these genres. A reading journal is an on-going source of ideas, as well as a fine complement to your library.
For many writers, a writing journal is an indispensable tool. It is a notebook in which you write to yourself about your writing. Here's what Rosemary Daniell has to say about keeping a writing notebook, in her wonderful book, The Woman Who Spilled Words All Over Herself:
Date the first page and list your writing goals. In your writing notebook, talk to yourself about your writing. Analyze your own process. Give yourself suggestions for improvement....develop a criteria for what you like and don't like in a piece of writing...copy and analyze passages you like...work out problems in writing...give yourself pep talks.
Whatever the form of your notebook--whether it is a personal journal, a reading journal, or a writing journal--it can be a powerful tool for you as you begin to focus on telling your life story.
Want more ideas for writing your life? Go to the Story Circle website
and click on LifeStory
Briefs.
--Susan Wittig Albert