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Memoir Writing
2: Finding Confidence: Unlocking the Power of Storytelling
This is the second in a series of articles encouraging readers to take up memoir writing. In this article, I tell the story of Eleanor who was letting her lack of confidence in writing hold her back from telling her story. Fortunately, she overcame that lack.
Eleanor stared at the blank page on her computer screen, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. She had always dreamed of writing her memoir, but now that she had the time, she felt paralyzed by self-doubt. She had never considered herself a writer, and the idea of crafting her life’s story seemed overwhelming.
“Who would want to read about my life anyway?” she muttered to herself, pushing her glasses up her nose. Her granddaughter, Lily, had encouraged her to join a memoir-writing class, but Eleanor wasn’t sure she had anything worthwhile to share. And, besides, she wasn’t sure she still had the writing skills she had been praised for by her teachers in school so long ago.
The following week, Eleanor reluctantly attended her first workshop at the local library. The room was filled with people of various ages, all with notebooks and laptops ready. At the front of the room stood Michael, a published author and the workshop facilitator. His welcoming smile and calm demeanor put Eleanor…
