Episode Details

What if the story you would have written ten years ago isn't the story you're ready to write today?

In this episode of Making Memoir Magic, I'm talking about the dog days of summer—and one very special dog who has me thinking about endings, beginnings, family, and the way our understanding of our own stories changes over time.

Betty is the 16th guide dog puppy we've raised for Dogs Inc. We loved her, raised her, prepared her for what came next…and eventually said goodbye.

We thought we knew how that story ended.

Then Betty came home.

Now, for the first time, we're officially a three-dog household—and I'm looking at Betty's story from an entirely different season of my life.

That's one of the gifts of memoir: the facts of our stories may not change, but we do.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why an event from your life isn't necessarily the story
• How distance and perspective can reveal deeper meaning
• The difference between the person who experienced something and the narrator who writes about it years later
• Why family stories can hold two seemingly contradictory truths at once
• A simple exercise for discovering how your understanding of a memory has changed
• The question that can help you move from “Here's what happened” to “Here's what this experience means”

Try This

Choose one experience from your past and ask yourself:

What did I believe about this while I was living it?

Then ask:

What do I understand about it today that I couldn't understand then?

Finally:

What is this story really about?

You might discover that the story underneath the memory is the one you've been trying to find all along.

Ready to Find the Story Inside Your Life?

If you have years of memories but aren't sure how to shape them into a memoir, I'd love to help.

The next live cohort of Make Memoir Magic begins in September. Over four weeks, I'll help you move from “I have all these stories” to “I know the story I'm trying to tell.”

We'll work on finding the heart of your memoir, shaping your story, developing scenes and voice, creating a sustainable writing practice, and moving forward with greater clarity and confidence.

Join the Make Memoir Magic waitlist: https://kerrykriseman.myflodesk.com/waitlist

Connect With Me

Follow me on Substack: https://substack.com/@kerrykriseman

Join my free Memoir Magic for Aspiring Authors Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/memoirmagicforaspiringauthors

Learn more about working with me: https://www.kerrykriseman.com/personal-memoir-consulting

And remember:

You probably don't need more stories. You've lived plenty of them. The work now is discovering which story you're really trying to tell.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Making Memoir Magic. To learn more about my course, Make Memoir Magic, click here. 

Join my free Facebook Group, Memoir Magic for Aspiring Authors, where we honor your story, provide tips, create community, and help you write the story you were meant to tell. Join here!