What a joy to coach memoir writers! You’d think after years of holding memoir writing workshops and seeing my students publish both books and short memoirs, I’d no longer be bowled over by the remarkable stories people bring to this work, and the talents they discover they possessed all along.
But here I am again, jumping with joy right along with them. It’s the best kind of partnership, one which respects what each person brings.
Put simply, the writer brings the story. I bring the tools and techniques the writer needs to craft the story into a book others will want to read. Coaching individuals to tell powerful stories from their lives means sustained one-to-one work. I start where the memoir writer is, and we journey along together as the story takes shape.
As my “coachees” complete their manuscripts, spots open up. Right now, there are 2 openings.
If you’ve ever wanted to write your memoir, or a non-fiction narrative that combines your personal and professional experience (2 of my writers are doing exactly that right now), do contact me, please.
it’s a different world, becoming a fairly new grandparent.
Spending time with my “grandgirls” is one of the most important things I do in my personal time. It makes for a very different life.
I sometimes get exhausted with the more physical activities. Where do they get so much energy? I keep asking myself.
But what joy!
In addition to the more boisterous playtime activities – climbing, sliding, running around, etcetera – both girls love reading and writing, and the older one is crazy about math and problem solving. Luckily for grandpa and me, they like our help.
Luckier still, older granddaughter is also crazy about gardening. Fairy gardens in her playhouse and indoors. Outdoor gardening in spring and fall.
Daffodil bulbs
Recently, with a little help from us, she planted daffodils in her family’s backyard.
But she’s probably proudest of what she did last spring and the 2 springs before – when she was just a toddler. She is quick to remind us that she helped her parents plant their front and side gardens.
Time spent with 2 young children is a source of joy and wonder.
Because they’re little, the grandgirls see things I don’t, or things I take for granted. Like the worm wriggling in the soil. The ant carrying a dry leaf. A wildflower in the lawn.
For me, it’s a chance to watch and admire my daughter and son-in-law parent. They do some things very differently than the way we did. And it often works.
It’s also a chance to inhabit the world of small children again. To really see a smaller world up close. To rediscover the beauty in a leaf, a small stone, a tiny flower.
I often think about the future – their future. As they grow, their world will get bigger and bigger. What kind of world will it be? I try to not worry, to return to the present.
Luckily, as I watch my grandchildren explore their worlds, life consists of small moments in which they are totally present. It’s something I could do more of.
Most of you know that I write books and short-form stories. But did you know that I also lead memoir workshops and coach memoir writers?
After publishing 3 successful memoirs, I began teaching and coaching others. My church group, below, was the first to ask me to run a course. (Actually, they bugged me till I agreed!)
I teach individuals and groups to write an engaging story, first of all. Then to write a book about their own lives. Below are just a few of my students’ books.
Along the way, I made a surprising discovery: anyone can learn to write – and to write their memoir – well. If they have the interest and commitment, I can help them do it.
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Strangely enough, I had not written anything for years after a car accident. I struggled to think, write and even speak clearly.
One day, my husband searched for and found dozens of short memoirs I’d written over 25 years before the accident. I’d packed them away and forgotten them.
He urged me to read the stories. But I was still struggling, still angry at myself, and very afraid. Who was that woman – the one who wrote all those stories?
My friend Tim, a fabulous writer-editor, called. He put up with my stuttering, the tears, the inability to hold on to a thought, and offered to read and edit some of those stories.
Like my husband, Tim believed I could learn to write again. He coached, pushed, challenged, encouraged. And, with help from him, two other editors (Lesley and Don), and several dedicated beta readers, I completed and published that first book and two others over 10 years.
I was still healing when I started coaching other memoir writers. But the group was wonderfully patient. Week by week, as my students blossomed, I regained my confidence in speaking, giving feedback, and coaching.
The best part? My students were writing powerful stories about their lives! The results astounded them – all adults over 55, most of whom had never done this kind of thing before.
Over the years, many have gone on to publish books and short memoirs – and some have entered and won writing competitions.
They – and I – are all very proud.
FYI:
To enquire about how I may help you produce your own memoir, please fill in the Memoir Coaching Services form on this site or contact me at:
cynthia@cynthiasreyes.com – don’t forget the ‘s’ in the middle!
I’d heard about this nearby nature walk for a few years. Today, I dragged my poor husband along with me and off we went!
It’s the former site of the local mill – perfectly situated between two big streams – but today, there are kilometres of pathway between the woods and the creeks.
Sharing some pictures:
Me looking at the stream belowH listens to the stream on the other sideJewel weed and other wildflowers aboundPurple asters flank path and streamsH explores a side pathI take a closer look at previous scenesH says it’s time to go home.
Despite my wonky leg, I was so happy to be there, I would have kept going. That’s why he had to call a halt: he knows me well.
