Tag: memoir
Writing About Life With Epilepsy
Like many of us, I have long thought I had a story worth sharing. As a physician with epilepsy, I felt that my own illness gave me a unique perspective on caring for those with chronic illness. As a mom and doctor with seizures, I hoped that sharing my story may help others also dealing […]
Crafting a Passion into Writing
Someone asked me recently how I am able to come up with ideas for books to be published. At the time, I answered the question flippantly, saying that I am just very creative; a storyteller at heart. Nonetheless, this question did make me reflect on where an author gets their inspiration. With billions of books […]
Interview with Linda Gray Sexton
Linda Gray Sexton is a novelist and memoirist who lives and writes in San Francisco. In 1994, she published her first memoir, Searching for Mercy Street: My Journey Back to My Mother, Anne Sexton, in which chronicled her experience growing up as the daughter of poet Anne Sexton. In her second memoir, Half in Love: […]
Lessons Learned From Writing a Memoir or Two
“Who would read a book about your life?” That question came from a former friend, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who in 1995 aimed to convince me writing a memoir was pure folly and would likely ruin my career as a serious journalist. After selling nearly 100,000 copies in seven languages of I Closed My Eyes […]
How to Use Memories to Enhance Your Writing
There is no such thing as a dearth of writing material. We sit with fingers poised over the keyboard and are met with a ghastly silence that threatens to be our undoing. All we need to do is to call up the past. One’s own past might seem mundane, but get out your microscope. Look […]
Beautiful Affliction: a Memoir
I never dreamed of writing a memoir. I just always had words in me. When I was seven years old I started to write poems, and the words somehow seemed stronger scribbled in my small notebook. In middle school my teacher constantly reminded me: “Speak up, Lene! We can’t hear what you’re saying when you […]
Painful to remember, too important to forget
It would be difficult to overestimate the impact of Northern Ireland’s violent past. Victims are haunted by it. Politicians stalked by it. Peace initiatives stymied by it. Some observers argue that we should draw a line under it and move on. Given its sensitivity, I agonised over the ‘right’ thing to do when I unexpectedly […]
The Adventure of Writing
When you see the word adventure, you probably think of action, travel, and the outdoors. You don’t naturally think of writing. However, I beg to differ. I define adventure as something new, challenging, and perhaps frightening. In almost all cases, it’s all consuming. Deciding to do it and then executing it despite the fear is […]
Uncovered: How I Left Hasidic Life
I was a Hasidic woman, from age fifteen to forty-five. You’ve seen them, the Jewish ultra-orthodox, the men in beards and hats and black clothes, the women in long modest covered, even covering their hair. I had an arranged marriage to a Hasidic man while still a teen and bore seven children, birth control forbidden. […]
You Are Not Unique
My love of writing didn’t come to light until I actually sat down and did it formally. It wasn’t until a topic stirred me with such intensity that it made me realize that maybe it was worth sharing with the world. Once I put my proverbial pen down to rest, and sat back to admire […]
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