“A memoir is a roadmap of what made you who you are today.” ~JB

Your Life is Your Legacy
 
At a meeting of a group called the Memoir Club in Bloomsbury, London, in 1920, Virginia Woolf shocked her fellow writers with the true story of an incestuous relationship with her half brother (“What possessed me to lay bare my soul!” Woolf wrote afterward). Following in that painful tradition, some contemporary memoirists such as Kathryn Harrison, Geoffrey Wolff, and Augusten Burroughs have bared startling family secrets, but a memoir can as often be a story carved from a quiet, ordinary life: a personal history reconstructed from memory and infused with meaning. “It’s all in the art,” V.S. Pritchett said.
 
What are the questions you wished you’d asked your parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles while they were still alive? You know, the questions that today, create a blank space in your family history. Or, you may want to know what your parents or other family members treasured most about their life experience or what made them tick. One day your children and grandchildren, who are now distracted by the self-focused nature of youth, will more than likely face those same unanswered questions.
 
Why not give your family and your community the gift of a lifetime, a record of your life stories, your wisdom, and the experiences that made you who you are today. Although we may leave them material goods, our stories are our true legacy.
 
 From personal experience and that of my clients, colleagues, and friends, I can tell you that capturing your life stories on paper – or screen – will be one of the highlights of your life. It will be a work of art that no other person on the planet could create.
 
Whether you decide to publish your book or just distribute it to family and friends, there are numerous benefits you will derive from the process itself:
 
1- Storytelling is a valuable life-skill. Once you acquire the knack of telling a story, you will learn to organize and communicate all your thoughts more clearly.
 
2- Writing about your life lets you share ideas and lessons. Your knowledge and wisdom can help others navigate their own lives.
 
3- You gain a fresh viewpoint on the ups and downs you’ve experienced through your years.
 
4-The act of remembering challenges your mind improves mental agility and stamina and develops brain cells.

You will have a gift for your loved ones that they will cherish for the rest of their life.
  
Most people who write their memoirs start out with others in mind. Like them, you may be surprised at how much you gain personally. A life review yields gifts you’d never expect.
 
Caution, A voice in your head might try to tell you that you can’t write or that your life hasn’t been that interesting. Ignore it and jump in with both feet. With life’s uncertainties, there is never a better time to begin than the present. And . . . you don’t have to be a great writer. If you have a story to tell, an editor can make you sound good and make your words sparkle.
 
Enjoy!