Richard Campbell - Writing your legacy: uncovering your life story through guided autobiography

WritersDigest.com
Cincinnati, Ohio

Long ago, on her first Christmas morning, I promised my niece that I would dedicate my first book to her. Danielle, it took many years, but this is for you. Elle, this is yours as well.

First and foremost, this book is written with love and admiration for Jim Birren, who introduced me to the power of writing and sharing life stories. Without Jims wisdom, guidance, and ability to ask the right questions, this book would not have been possible. Secondly, I deeply appreciate and value all of my Guided Autobiography students. Without their willingness to write and share the deepest stories of their lives, I would never have become so passionate about the value, nor understood the necessity, of writing life stories.

Today we live in an impersonal age. New technology has propelled us ever forward, moving from the agricultural age through the industrial age and into the age of information technology. We now have instant communication and information at our fingertips. With this reliance on ever-changing technological advances, we are losing the opportunity to relate to one another face-to-face. Shopping, banking, postal services, etc. are often conducted over the Internet. It is efficient yet impersonal. Seldom do we meet a clerk or bank teller in person but rather connect with them via cyberspace.

Possibly as a backlash from this increasingly impersonal life, more and more people are sitting down to write their memoirs. They understand the absolute necessity of writing down their life storyto prove they existed, that their life mattered, and so that future generations may understand who they were, how they lived, and how they became the parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, or sibling they became. We make sense of our own lives while leaving our life legacy for posterity.

As each generation moves into adulthood, the past assumes greater significance. Our accumulated life experiences often take us on an unexpected journey in search of answers that may have been ignored for too long. We start compiling our family history. In this age of instant technology, looking backwards can be a giant step forward. Clarity emerges from reflection. We live our lives in the moment, but each step resonates with the learning we have brought with us. The wisdom we gain is a gift that we can share with those who come after us. We can now pass down our life stories to family, friends, and institutions.

Cheryl and Richard have created a compelling work that makes this journey a worthy one. Writing Your Legacy is a milestone guide that will stand the test of time. It takes that enormous block of a persons lifetime and breaks it into manageable chunks that can be written in two- to three-page segments. In Guided Autobiography these are called life themes. Cheryl and Richard have taken this concept to a new level by identifying several core legacy themes and adding others that prime our memories and bring meaning to the world we live in. Their book explores new territory worth discovering.

In discusses titling your book, how to enhance your story with images or video, and deciding on a final format.

Writing Your Legacy is a book to be read and used. Readers can expect a compelling life story narrative that closes the gap between wanting to write down their story and actually doing so. This book helps individuals write their life stories and offers themes that help organize those experiences. The themes prime many memories of the past that can be woven into the story of ones life. This book will help many people who wanted to write their life story but have postponed doing so. It breaks new ground.

JAMES E. BIRREN is the co-author of Guiding Autobiography Groups for Older Adults, Where to Go from Here: Discovering Your Own Lifes Wisdom in the Second Half of Your Life, and Telling the Stories of Life Through Guided Autobiography Groups. Dr. Birren received the Distinguished Career Contribution Award from the Gerontological Society of America in 2002, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the American Society on Aging in 2004. In 2013 the Fielding Graduate University presented The Creative Longevity and Wisdom Lifetime Award to Dr. Birren at a plenary session of the International Conference on Positive Aging in Los Angeles. Jim Birren is an icon in the field of aging.

All the words I use in my stories can be found in the dictionaryits just a matter of arranging them into the right sentences. W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM

W. Somerset Maugham was rightthe words can all be found in one place. The real work lies in writing them down and making sense of them. For centuries, writers have pondered the connection between developing their thoughts and capturing them on an empty page. Often a disconnect exists between the two. Writers block can be the scourge that stops the well-intentioned person from crafting a life story.

Writing Your Legacy will help guide you through the unknowns of getting your life story down on paper. You will not only write about what happened and when but also how and your feelings associated with specific events and milestones. It is a remarkable reality that as we move forward in our life journey, we do so while looking back. We have one foot in the moment, the other in the past. Perhaps Winston Churchill said it best: The further backward you can look, the farther you can see. Thats what life story writing is about. Thousands of people everywhere are reaching a stage in their lives where they want to slow down, smell the roses, and gaze back on their journey. This book will help you accomplish this while leaving behind a record.

Writing Your Legacy is written from experience. We have taught life story writing to many students in both classroom and online settings. Cheryl has worked for many years with James E. Birren, originator of Guided Autobiography, the life story process out of which legacy writing evolved. She says, After working closely with hundreds of students from all over the world who have written their life story, I know more than ever the power gained from this process. Through this experience people come to look back over their life, view it in a new perspective, and gain new insights as they begin to understand their life events. This helps them acknowledge where they have been, appreciate where they are now, and plan for the future.

One of the greatest hurdles to writing your life story is where to start. Dozens of books are on the market, and most are organized in the same manner. They instruct aspiring life story writers to begin their narrative when they were born and follow it through until the present moment. The result is a serviceable, year-to-year life account that their family will appreciate owning. But most times the writer never completes her story. The drudgery of moving through a lifetime, year upon year, can be monotonous. The linear progression of events begins to blur into one messy lump of living, scattered across the pages. Those pages often dont reach the end of the first chapter.