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Memoir Writing
1: Memoir-writing: overcoming the fear of vulnerability
Don’t let the fear of being judged prevent you from sharing your life stories. This is the first of a series of articles to inspire you to take up memoir-writing.
Margaret sat at her kitchen table, a cup of tea growing cold beside her. The flyer for the memoir-writing workshop lay in front of her, its bright colors promising a journey of self-discovery and storytelling. She had always wanted to write her life story, to leave a legacy for her grandchildren, but the thought of sharing her deepest, most personal experiences with strangers filled her with dread.
“What if they judge me?” she thought. “What if they think my life is boring or silly?”
As these worries churned in her mind, she almost didn’t notice the knock at the door. Her daughter, Emily, walked in, carrying a small gift bag.
“I saw this and thought of you,” Emily said, handing her mother the bag. Inside was a beautiful leather-bound journal.
“What’s this?” asked Margaret.
“Mom, you have so many amazing stories. You should write them down,” Emily replied with an encouraging smile.
Margaret sighed, looking at the journal and then at the flyer. “I don’t know, Emily. I’m afraid of what people…
