Jennifer Basye Sander - Theres More You Should Know: A Journal of My Life

Copyright 2014 Jennifer Basye Sander

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-62873-659-5

Printed in China

Contents

Ready to Write Your Life Story?

Are you ready to work on the story of your life? There are so many reasons that compel us at some point to sit down and try to put our story on paper. We might be trying to make sense of it ourselves, we might worry that our family stories and traditions might be lost, or there might be information we want our descendants to have. Whatever your reason, now is the perfect time to start. We live in a day and age where it is perfectly normal to work on a personal project. Perhaps when you were younger you were taught that it was impolite to talk about yourself, but those times have passed and now is the time to share. In fact, your younger family members will consider it odd if you dont! They might talk about updating their Facebook page, and now you can say that you need to update your keepsake book page.

Writing about yourself may make you feel awkward or shy initially, but do remember this is your own private material and it will only be seen by the people you care to show it to. You might start off by working on it only when you are by yourself, avoiding the chance that someone in the room might ask what you are writing. Or perhaps you are not at all worried and are ready to let the world know just what you are up to. Go ahead and sit in full view of your family and friends and scribble away on these pages. Dont be surprised if someone peeks over your shoulder, curious to see what you might be putting down.

Where exactly does one start? At the beginning, with your very first memories of childhood? In the middle, when you begin to have adult experiences? Or should you start where you are now in life, and work backwards? There are so many entry points in a life, so many stories to relay. The following pages have a variety of questions to prod your memory and get you to remember details. You will soon be filling page after page with your recollections.

This book is filled with questions to help you get started because writers typically run dry at some point as they stare out the window twiddling their pens. Or as they rearrange the objects on their desks for the hundredth time and dust off their laptop screens. Or as they wish the phone would ring and create a reason to get up and answer it. Any minute now, the creativity is sure to kick in and they will get back to work.... Prompts help ease writers past these sticky moments. They give writers an immediate assignment here, write about this! The imagination starts working right away instead of spending all that time waiting to get started on the writerly task at hand.

When answering these questions you might close your eyes and go back in time to try to remember as much detail as you can. Was it hardwood or a carpeted floor you stood on in your grandparents parlor? Was the radio on? Were there sounds from outdoors? This is your chance to be a reporter on your own life. With every question, stop and think who, what, when, where, why? If each of these requires two or three sentences, soon enough you will have filled the whole blank page and turned to the next one to continue writing. This is your chance to write about life from your own unique perspective.

One thing to keep in mind with everything you put down in black and white to be read by others is this crucial question: How might this make someone feel after you are gone? Answer yourself truthfully. Are you putting something down on paper that should be discussed with someone now, something that might have the power to hurt in the future? Be truthful and honest, but balance it with an eye toward your readers feelings. You might decide that some of what you want to write needs to be brought up in conversation while you have the chance.

Lets move on to the next phase then, and get started on writing about your life.

How to Use This Book

Okay, ready to begin? Get yourself a favorite pencil or pen and then... but wait. Is there a right way to do this? A wrong way? Do you have to start on the first question and work steadily through each one, not moving on to the next until each one is finished? And what if there is a question you hate? What if it simply doesnt apply to your life?

This is not a life test. There is no right way or wrong way to fill in these pages. You might want to sit down with the book first and flip through to see if there is something that sparks your attention right away. If so, start there. You might spot some uncomfortable questions as you flip through. Perhaps as you get more comfortable with the process you will want to tackle those later, or you might ultimately decide to just ignore them. It is totally up to you.

So go ahead and take the plunge. Pick up that pen. Sharpen that pencil. Start thinking about your life and how you have lived it. Start thinking about what youd like to pass on to future generations. Start thinking about what moments youd like to savor and experience for a second time as you write them down here for all to enjoy.

One Hundred Questions to Prompt Your Memory

E ARLIEST M EMORIES

Do you remember the very first time you tried to ride a bike? Where were you? Was it your bike or an older siblings? Who was teaching you how to ride it?

Before too long I am going to have to write Chapter One. John Steinbeck

Did you grow up around brothers and sisters? Describe them as though to someone who has never met them before.

Flip through a family photo album and describe a scene or a person in detail. Use it as a jumping-off point...