Preserving your life story made easy

Preserving your life story made easy

Start with a workshop

Life writing workshops contribute to our emotional health and social connections, help us to re-connect with our families and communities, and see that our lives have been, and continue to be, worthwhile.

My workshops are designed to help improve feelings of wellness and empower participants to feel acknowledged and comfortable in sharing their story, their memories and experiences.

The emphasis is on storytelling with participants sharing everything from their favorite memories from earliest childhood to life-changing experiences such as illness, and their dreams for the future.

• Have you thought you would like to write your life story but don’t know how to start?
• Have you had a long-time passion, and now you want to record what it has taught you about life?
• Would you like to write your story for your descendants?
• Have you experienced illness or trauma and want to write about your experience to help put the experience in the context of your full life, and be free to move beyond the struggle?

Maybe you have been a collector – of dolls, tools, books, or anything – or maybe you have been a traveller, a sportsperson, or devoted to a career or voluntary service. Your stories are valuable! They deserve to be bottled and preserved so that your experience has value for years to come.

Besides providing pleasure and fulfilment, the written word also can be a companion and a therapy. At every age, writing can help make sense of our thoughts when we feel misunderstood or lost, and fill us with a gratifying sense of accomplishment and purpose.

For instance, writing a memoir helped me move on from childhood traumas and illness. The experience of unearthing, confronting suppressed emotions and reliving the darker moments was painful and challenging at times, but I’m glad I persevered as ultimately the overall experience was healing, cathartic and liberating.

If you’d like to learn how to write a short story or a memoir about your life, I am here to guide you through to a finished work. Computer skills are handy but not essential. If you haven’t written a word for years, don’t let that stop you – everybody has a story to tell, and I will help you preserve it in words.

The power of a personal story

As the facilitator of life-writing workshops, I provide tutoring on journaling and simple storytelling. I describe the many benefits of acquiring such a skill and participating in this pastime.

Everyone has a story to tell and my role as a workshop leader is to help each person tell it.

Personal stories help loved ones, carers, and others to appreciate the rich life experience and understand the thoughts and feelings and values of the story-teller.

Personal stories help raise awareness that while you may be in need of support and care now, you have contributed to life in many different ways to our communities of today. And still, have much to offer!

Ideally, stories created during the workshops, which can comprise three to six sessions over a period of six to 12 weeks, culminating in the creation of a book, in either individual or group format, for presentation to each participant.

Importantly, each story is told in each participant’s own ‘voice’.

Assistance is provided where participants are unable to write or use a computer.

Sense of belonging

Participants in this life-writing workshop find they feel more respected, acknowledged and enjoy a greater sense of belonging as a result of their involvement. Your story, besides providing caregivers with insight into their needs, will be cherished by your families, children and grandchildren and by the community at large, for generations to come.

This is an excellent opportunity for you to have fun and fellowship, and contribute to preserving your own story, and your family’s and community’s life history by the people who know best – yourselves.