“You just write about your personal experiences.” The comment was casual, yet it lingered, adding to a hesitation that kept me from finishing my next book. He may have intended it to be a question, but I had no follow-up response. I had started and stopped writing this latest book many times. This wasn’t my first time feeling this conflict, but hearing it spoken aloud strengthened my resistance. We were walking the Military Trail, and the words came from someone I was getting to know from my yoga class. Perhaps that made it even more unsettling—he had unknowingly touched on something I secretly believed: writing about yourself is selfish, self-indulgent, and dull. In addition, he was an investigative journalist who had shared how he lost his way to the page. Then I heard these words from Clarissa Pinkola Estés from her audiobook, How to Be an Elder: Myths and Stories of the Wise Woman Archetype. (I listen to her as I walk the same Military Trail out of Mount Horeb.)
“What is an elder?” she asks. “Elders are the keepers of stories, the holders of memories. We tell the stories because we remember them. Stories come to those who are able to tell them.” She explains how the stories we share—whether through writing, in therapy, or around a fire—are all forms of transmission. Just as Tibetan elders pass on wisdom through teachings and transmissions of stories, we, too, who are born to write, teach, serve, and guide, transmit wisdom through our personal stories. She speaks about how these stories that come to us are meant to be shared. “Recording and sharing the stories of your life is how you transmit knowledge to those younger than you.” Younger in consciousness or understanding, not necessarily in age. “An elder,” she says, “is recognized by the stories they carry.” I felt a surge of energy as I realized that my stories are transmissions—of what I’ve learned, the mistakes I’ve made, and the wisdom waiting to be shared. All our stories are here to be written or spoken, inviting connection, reflection, and transformation for ourselves and others. A painter creates from what they see, know, and experience—they paint their stories. We would never suggest that they shouldn't draw from their own lives to create their art. I have always written from my experiences—from my life—eleven books to be exact. Even my (unpublished) novel is borrowed from my life. When a story becomes a transmission, I’ve turned what is meaningful to me into something meaningful for others. Let’s have the courage to push through the resistance that tries to silence us. As women, we’re often told that our stories are "just" personal, not significant. Yet within these very stories lies the medicine that can heal us. So, what stories have come to you? Write about them. List pivotal moments in your life and write about one at a time. Go to my home page on my website to get your free PDF on how to write powerful stories from personal experiences:Turning Your Life into a Story. One final note—in writing this piece for you, I laugh with joy and relief. I have not only written from personal experience, but much of my teaching and mentoring is all about successfully writing from our life experiences. So yes, I do write about (and from) my life.
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©2024 Julie Tallard Johnson, MSW, LCSW
Mentor, therapist, citizen
Transformational & Embodied Counselor & Mentor
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Mentor, therapist, citizen
Transformational & Embodied Counselor & Mentor
Most rights reserved. Admin