It’s been awhile since I surfaced on the virtual page here at True Stories Well Told, so I thought I’d take a break from publishing others’ stories and show up myself.
I have Guided Autobiography workshops going on this summer. These workshops are organized around a sequence of themes that are common threads in the fabric of just about anyone’s life. The themes start in fairly neutral territory–things you might discuss with someone sitting next to you on an airplane–and progress to more personal topics as the group members build trust in each other and comfort with the writing process.
My groups are at the midway “pivot” where the more personal themes emerge. The stuff we’re writing can get dark. I share some tips on how to keep ourselves safe as we do what can be difficult work, digging in the dirt, hoping to find gold.
What’s the point? Why is this important work to do? Dr. James Birren, founder of Guided Autobiography, would frequently say, “Autobiography can be therapeutic, but it is not therapy.” Its primary purpose is not to cure or improve anyone’s psychological, social, or emotional problems. Even so, its principal product, in addition to written stories, is INSIGHT. And that’s why writing about the dark as well as the light is important work.
Writing about your difficult experiences can be good for yourself and good for others.
It’s good for you to get your story down on paper. It’s a way to familiarize yourself with your “narrative identity” — the story you create about yourself, peopled with heroes and villains, made up of major branching points that form the plot. You tell yourself a story of challenges overcome and suffering endured. With insight, you can find a resilient arc in that narrative. Like Shirley MacLaine singing “I’m Still Here” in Postcards from the Edge. you can glory in a battle won against a past that tormented you, that wanted you dead.
It’s good for others to hear your story. There’s more than one way to view life. Hearing how you look at your life stimulates others to see their own lives in new ways. It feels amazing to have others validate your view of an experience, and powerful to bear witness to others’ experiences.
So how do you go into the dark cave of memory and come back safe?
I recently found Tommie Ann Bower’s post “Conditions of Artistic Safety” on the Brevity Blog. It’s funny and wise–which reminds me that those are great characteristics to bring to your writing about your “dark stuff.”
Both posts are worth a look before you go into that dark cave. Come back safe–and bearing the “boon” of a gift for yourself and others!
My blog "True Stories Well Told" is a place for people who read and write about real life. I’ve been leading life writing groups since 2004. I teach, coach memoir writers 1:1, and help people publish and share their life stories.
True Stories Well Told
Musing on Why We Write “the Dark Stuff”
By Sarah White
It’s been awhile since I surfaced on the virtual page here at True Stories Well Told, so I thought I’d take a break from publishing others’ stories and show up myself.
I have Guided Autobiography workshops going on this summer. These workshops are organized around a sequence of themes that are common threads in the fabric of just about anyone’s life. The themes start in fairly neutral territory–things you might discuss with someone sitting next to you on an airplane–and progress to more personal topics as the group members build trust in each other and comfort with the writing process.
My groups are at the midway “pivot” where the more personal themes emerge. The stuff we’re writing can get dark. I share some tips on how to keep ourselves safe as we do what can be difficult work, digging in the dirt, hoping to find gold.
What’s the point? Why is this important work to do? Dr. James Birren, founder of Guided Autobiography, would frequently say, “Autobiography can be therapeutic, but it is not therapy.” Its primary purpose is not to cure or improve anyone’s psychological, social, or emotional problems. Even so, its principal product, in addition to written stories, is INSIGHT. And that’s why writing about the dark as well as the light is important work.
It’s good for you to get your story down on paper. It’s a way to familiarize yourself with your “narrative identity” — the story you create about yourself, peopled with heroes and villains, made up of major branching points that form the plot. You tell yourself a story of challenges overcome and suffering endured. With insight, you can find a resilient arc in that narrative. Like Shirley MacLaine singing “I’m Still Here” in Postcards from the Edge. you can glory in a battle won against a past that tormented you, that wanted you dead.
It’s good for others to hear your story. There’s more than one way to view life. Hearing how you look at your life stimulates others to see their own lives in new ways. It feels amazing to have others validate your view of an experience, and powerful to bear witness to others’ experiences.
So how do you go into the dark cave of memory and come back safe?
I have posted about this some time ago on this blog. Have a look at “Two tips on “dealing with the dark”.
I recently found Tommie Ann Bower’s post “Conditions of Artistic Safety” on the Brevity Blog. It’s funny and wise–which reminds me that those are great characteristics to bring to your writing about your “dark stuff.”
Both posts are worth a look before you go into that dark cave. Come back safe–and bearing the “boon” of a gift for yourself and others!
If it feels like something you’d like to publish, feel free to submit it to me for this blog. You’ll find guidelines for submissions here.
© 2023 Sarah White
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About first person productions
My blog "True Stories Well Told" is a place for people who read and write about real life. I’ve been leading life writing groups since 2004. I teach, coach memoir writers 1:1, and help people publish and share their life stories.