Your Life Story - #1

Ever thought of writing your autobiography? Maybe you don't think you have anything special enough to share. You haven't invented anything; you're not a war hero or a rock star; nothing important has happened to you. But I guarantee you do have a lot to share. Your life matters. You don't even have to plan on publishing your story. Maybe it's just for yourself or your family or others close to you.

If you're interested in trying an autobiography, I thought a series of assignments might help. You'll mail each assignment to 2 partners. This should be NO MORE THAN 25 double spaced pages (approximately 6200 words) so as not to overwhelm your partner.

Assignment 1 is for an emotional piece. Choose a particular incident that had a big impact on your life. It might be positive or negative, from childhood or as an adult. See if you can capture and convey all the emotion surrounding the incident. How did you feel in the moment? Exactly what caused those feelings? How did the incident affect your later feelings or actions? How do you see it now?

Possible emotions could be humor, love, pride, hate, fear, awe, despair. Those are just some off the top of my head. If you want to add more ideas, please do so in the comments below in order to give others ideas.

Please confine this piece to a specific incident. Don't try to tell how hard your college career was; make it about the grade you got in one particular class or JUST graduation day. Not about your married life; make it about what attracted you to your first love or what it felt like when you discovered your spouse was cheating on you. The day your baby was born or the day you lost a child.Try to draw your reader into that one particular incident and FEEL it!

The difference between this exercise and a journal is to create a story out of it, not just a narrative. Any questions, just let me know.

I hope your partners will let you know how well you succeed but the rating should not be based on that. Come on, members, take a chance! You've gotta get started writing somewhere. I've found the people in this group to be kind and supportive.

Recap: 1 emotional incident in your life. NO MORE than 25 double-spaced pages (or 6200 words). Snail mail. 2 partners. Receiving partner, please maintain confidentiality and kindness. All level and type of writers welcome.