Episode Details

What turns a memory into memoir?

In this episode of Making Memoir Magic, Kerry shares the story of her grandmother Nana's unusual collection of dated “I Voted” stickers—and how something the family once lovingly teased her about took on an entirely different meaning years later.

The lesson? The memory is what happened. The memoir is what you understand about what happened.

Kerry explores how present-day reflection adds depth to memoir and why some of our smallest, most ordinary memories can reveal the biggest themes in our lives.

In this episode:

• The important difference between memory and memoir
• Why your younger self and present-day narrator bring different perspectives to the page
• The Then, Now, Meaning method for finding deeper significance in a memory
• How to use ordinary objects as doorways into larger stories
• Why you don't need extraordinary experiences to write meaningful memoir
• How family stories can become part of the legacy you preserve
• A simple 15-minute writing exercise to uncover the meaning inside one of your own memories

Try This Writing Exercise

Choose one ordinary object or small memory from your past and write from these three sentence starters:

I remember...

I didn't understand then...

Now I know...

Don't force the meaning. Follow your curiosity and see where the memory takes you.

This Week's Essay

This episode was inspired by Kerry's Life Lived & Written essay, “What It Really Means to Leave a Legacy With Your Words,” about voting, voice, family stories, and her grandmother's unforgettable “I Voted” shrine.

One Thought to Take With You

Enter through the small door.

The object, habit, phrase, recipe, photograph, or seemingly insignificant memory may be the doorway into one of the biggest themes in your memoir.

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

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