Your literary legacy
You don’t have to be a Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald or even an Emily Dickenson to leave a literary legacy behind. In fact, you don’t even have to be a published author at all. How is this possible, you ask? The answer can be as simple as keeping a journal. Or, maybe you’re a little more advanced in age and have experienced some interesting things throughout your life, then the answer lies in writing down your memoirs for future generations to enjoy and even study.
A journal entry a day keep writer’s block at bay
Cheesy sayings aside, keeping a simple journal has dual benefits: you create a written record of your life as you experience it, and for those serious about writing, it helps to hone their craft. Writing every day, no matter what form, will help your writing improve. It’s all about practice, practice, practice.
Journal writing can even help with writer’s block. Putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) opens up your imagination and an entry in your journal might even inspire that million dollar novel idea. Even if it doesn’t inspire greatness, at least you’ll be writing daily, which is the best thing you can do for yourself as practice.
Writing you memoirs
Maybe you’ve lived through some great experience, or feel you’re life should be remembered by generations to come (I think we all fit into this category in one way or another). Writing your memoirs is a little more challenging. But the benefits are just as good as keeping a journal. If you’re serious about writing your memoirs, check out your local colleges and community centers, as many will offer classes in memoir writing. A class isn’t necessary, of course, but a good teacher can help you organize your jumbled memories into an organized narrative that is both informative and interesting.
Therapeutic benefits
Writing in a journal or penning your memoirs is not just good practice or preserving your literary legacy for future generations, it can also be therapeutic as well. Writing about difficult or painful experiences is a way of letting go. Here’s an excerpt from an article that I found regarding this sort of writing:
"It can be a way to resolve issues," says Janice Stevens, who teaches classes on memoirs writing through Clovis, Calif., Adult Education’s Older Adult Program. "When people write about things that have been difficult for them to come to grips with, it can be therapy. Once the horror is down on paper you can look at it more objectively and with the perspective of distance."
The article (How to leave a literary legacy) talks about the therapeutic benefits more in-depth. But whatever your reason for writing a journal or your memoirs, the benefits are almost endless. If you’re a serious fiction writer and/or poet, then such activities are almost a must, as they’ll help you develop your writing "voice" and you’ll learn (just by doing) different strategies for writing narratives.
I keep my own journal, even though it’s been a while since I’ve written in it. To be successful, it’s a habit you have to get yourself into each day (or even a few times a week at the very least). There are no rules for what you can write about, as long as it is significant to you.
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