Writing a memoir may seem like a daunting task to some.
However, author Lucy Kraemer of Mount Forest encouraged attendees at a writers workshop at the Drayton library to let their creative juices flow and not be intimidated.
Kraemer began the workshop on Nov. 18 by explaining the difference between a memoir and an autobiography.
“An autobiography is the factual story of a person’s whole life in chronological order. A memoir is an area of expertise in a person’s life and is a reaction to the facts and how they have influenced the individual’s life,” Kraemer said.
There are many different types of memoirs, including relationship, animal, illness, religion, travel, romance, tell all, disaster, coming of age and call to action. Religious memoirs may consist of faith struggles or questions on faith. Disaster memoirs can involve natural disasters, kidnapping or murder.
Memoirs can be written by people of any age and are known to be therapeutic. The leave a legacy for the next generation and share information with the reader. Barriers to compiling a memoir listed by Kraemer include fear of failure, forgetting details, a feeling the individual’s life is boring, different points of view and lack of confidence in sharing details of another person’s life.
Kraemer quoted Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, a memoir of her childhood.
“It’s honestly sharing what you think, feel and have gone through. If you can do that effectively, then somebody gets the wisdom and benefit of your experience without having to live it.”
On display at the workshop was a collection of memoirs from Canadian authors, including Plum Johnson’s They Left Us Everything, The Education of Augie Merasty by Joseph Auguste Merasty, and Clara Hughes’ Open Heart, Open Mind.
Kraemer led participants through a series of writing exercises geared towards memoir writing – from six-word to three-sentence memoirs.
“Everybody has a story, regardless of their age. That story is original, important and only you can write it. Writing stimulates more memories, so write at least 10 minutes a day. Don’t focus on spelling or grammar as they will be corrected in the rewrite. Others have things to learn from you,” Kraemer said.
As part of National Novel Writing Month, the Wellington County Library held a series of writing workshops in libraries across the county during November.
