The Life Writing Workbook
I stumbled upon life writing at age?twenty-nine. I was?at?that moment in?a divorce?when you know it's over?and it's time to move on. I?realized how little?I?understood my life and that?I had no real sense of?how to make a life.?I wanted a life.?I wanted?a certain kind of?satisfaction?from life?that I knew existed; yet here I was, very clear that?this?marriage?wasn't going to work out?and faced with raising?a?lovely?child?alone?as I?made?my way?toward this certain something I couldn't even name.
I moved in with my best friend's parents, who were very kind to me. To?try to get a handle on things, I?secluded?myself?in their?basement for many evenings to dissect?my?life story.?It was just instinct.?Starting with?my?earliest memory, I?started the?walk?forward, sifting carefully through each?experience I could?recall. I would approach?certain memories?in the writing, and my body would tighten.?At first I just kept going, but those particular memories called me back. So I went back, slowed down, and?sifted more carefully-looking at the?scene, the?circumstances, the?people involved, and?at?myself, my emotions, my perceptions, and my?fears.
At the end?of this?rather intense?process,?there was no doubt that something?in me?had shifted. I?felt?a new?sense of self-possession. I felt aware of myself in a way I wasn't before.?I can see this same new presence and power arise in the faces of?others as they complete the life-writing process. The Life Writing Workbook guides you step-by-step through eight sessions of deeply engaging, private, and transformative writing through your life story.?