How can your memoir resemble Christmas lights?

Christmas: A time of lights. We surround ourselves with lights, sometimes white, sometimes multi-colored. And during the Christmas season, we burn more candles than at other times of the year.

 

Why do we connect lights with Christmas? Because they symbolize Jesus, the light of the world. (John 8:12)

 

We also think of the light spread throughout the heavens by the Star of Bethlehem.

 

During dark winter days, we crave light. When we struggle through spiritual darkness, we also long for light. We are attracted to the brightness and warmth it brings. We associate light with hope and joy.

 

And Jesus said we are to be “lights,” too. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket or a bowl, but on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others. . .  that they may glorify God the Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).

 

In his beloved A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens wrote about the lamplighter whose duty it was to kindle streetlights so people could safely travel on cold, dark winter nights.

 

As you write your memoir, ask yourself these questions:

 

• Who has served as a “light” to you? Who are those people who did what Jesus said and let their lights shine in ways that ministered to you? Who were the lamplighters that lit your way and guided you through darkness? 
• How can you, through your memoir, be a lamplighter for others? How can it shine light for the benefit of others? Include stories that will glow like stars in the dark night sky and bring hope to your readers. Point them to Jesus the light of the world.

 

Don’t hide your story—as if under a basket or a bowl,

but put it out there on a stand

where it will give light to everyone who reads it.

Write your story and share it,

glorifying God the Father.

 

There you have it, your Tuesday Tidbit.

 

Your story is about more than YOU: Think of those who need to know your story

Your memoir, your story, is about so much more than YOU.

 

Your memoir can offer optimism

to those who have lost hope.

It can offer balm

to those with breaking hearts.

Your story can model courage for those

struggling to overcome cowardice.

It can inspire the unforgiving

to forgive.

Your story can encourage calm

for those tangled in chaos.

It can point people back to God

when they’ve strayed.

Your story can shine light in the darkness.

 

Your memoir can right wrongs. “Whenever one person stands up and says, ‘Wait a minute, this is wrong,’ it encourages other people to do the same.” (Clergy Coaching Network)

Your story can offer others camaraderie. “When you share your story of struggle, you offer me companionship in mine, and that's the most powerful soul medicine I know.” (Parker Palmer, On the Brink of Everything.) 

God has a plan for your story. 

You might never know all the ways

He will use it in the lives

of unknown numbers of people,

even some yet unborn.

Just think of that!

 

Your stories are important!

Keep writing!

There you have it: Your Tuesday Tidbit.

 

Tuesday Tidbit: As a memoirist, you need eyes to see and ears to hear

As you write your memoir, think about Howard Thurman's words:

 

“Angels hide in every nook and cranny, magi masquerade as everyday people, and shepherds wear garments of day laborers. The whole earth is brimming with glory for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.” (The Work of Christmas: The Twelve Days of Christmas with Howard Thurman, by Bruce G. Epperly)

 

When have key people in your life

seemed to be angels sent by God?

 

What regular old everyday people

might have been magi-like characters in your life?

 

Who were the shepherds God brought alongside

to guide and protect you?

 

You see, God reveals Himself to us in many ways—and the job of a memoirist is to have eyes to see and ears to hear.

 

“Christ is revealed to us by both shepherds and kings,” writes the Reverend Deacon Geoffrey Smith, “by people of all stripes and walks of life. . . .

 

“We find him not only with those around our dinner table, or with those whom we sit next to at church, but also in the invisible ones who mow our lawns, who shovel our snow, who bag our groceries. . . .

 

“Regardless of whether they’re rich or poor, whether they look like us and talk like us, whether they’re Democrat or Republican, God gives us the chance to see Christ in everyone we meet.”

 

And so, as you write your memoir, consider again those questions:

 

• When have key people in your life seemed to be angels sent by God?
• What regular old everyday people might have been magi-like characters in your life?
• Who were the shepherds God brought alongside to guide and protect you?

 

Write your stories!

 

There you have it: Your Tuesday Tidbit

 

Tuesday Tidbit: Listen for “a deeper sound, a different beat”

 

Because writing a memoir requires reflection and introspection, the process can change our lives.

 

God can use it to change the way we hear.

 

He can use it to open our eyes and tenderize our hearts.

 

God helps us recognize a higher, deeper, broader story.

 

Henri Nouwen writes, ““When we listen to the Spirit, we hear a deeper sound, a different beat. The great movement of the spiritual life is from a deaf, nonhearing life into a life of listening . . . in which we . . . hear the guiding and healing voice of God, who is with us and will never leave us alone.” (Henri Nouwen, Discernment)

 

When we start writing, we have no idea where our memories and our ponderings and writings—and God—will take us.

 

“The written word

preserves what otherwise might be lost

among the impressions that inundate our lives.

Thoughts, insights, and perceptions

constantly threaten to leave us

before we have the opportunity

to grasp their meaning.

Writing can keep technology-driven,

fast-paced, quick-fix, ambiguity-tolerant

modern life from overpowering us—

and give us something palpable

upon which to reflect.

 

Reflection slows matters down.

It analyzes what was previously unexamined,

and opens doors to different interpretations

of what was there all along.

Writing, by encouraging reflection,

intensifies life.”

Editors Ben Jacobs and Helena Hjalmarsson,

The Quotable Book Lover

 

There you have it, your Tuesday Tidbit.

Happy writing!

 

Tuesday Tidbit: Celebrate God’s grace upon grace in your memoir

Take time—make time—to remember:

God’s blessings one after another after another,

His favor,

His mercy,

and gifts,

heaped upon you—

all because of the abundance of His grace.

 

And when you have remembered them,

write them into your memoir.

Create a memoir that is

a conscious celebration of God

in all His goodness, faithfulness, holiness, and splendor.

(Click on that link!)

 

There you have it: your Tuesday Tidbit.

Tuesday Tidbit: Your Thanksgiving memories for your memoir

 

Pay close attention to the smells of Thanksgiving: Turkey roasting in the oven. Stuffing, too. Logs burning in the fireplace. Pumpkin spice candles. Jot down those Thanksgiving smells now so you can include them later in your memoir.

 

What are the sounds of Thanksgiving? Guests visiting with one another. Your uncle sharpening the carving knife. Grandpa’s weak old voice blessing the food before the feast. Listen carefully and jot down Thanksgiving’s sounds now so you can include them later in your memoir.

 

What are the tastes of Thanksgiving? Cranberry sauce. Green bean casserole. Pumpkin pie. Mincemeat pie. Pay close attention and jot down Thanksgiving’s tastes now so you can include them later in your memoir.

 

What are the sights of Thanksgiving? Autumn leaves. Frost on the shrubs and trees outside. Aunt Sue with flour on her apron. Uncle John’s face lighting up when he walks in the door. Family members hugging each other. The way Grandma’s eyes light up when her great-grandchildren run in the front door. Pay close attention and jot down Thanksgiving sights now so you can include them later in your memoir.

 

What are the feels of Thanksgiving? The feel of your cousin’s coarse wool sweater when you give him a hug. The feel of Grandma’s fine linen napkins. The feel of a warm mug full of hot spiced cider. The feel of a full stomach. Pay close attention and jot down Thanksgiving textures and feels now so you can include them later in your memoir.

 

Sensory details: smell, sound, taste, sight, and touch. Take note of your Thanksgiving’s sensory details now so you can write them into your memoir later.

 

There you have it: Your Tuesday Tidbit.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! And remember:

 

“Give God a standing ovation every day. . . . 

We won’t be happy until 

we can forget our problems long enough 

to look up to heaven and be stunned 

into heartfelt thanks 

for a life overflowing with goodness.”  

Mike Mason, Champagne for the Soul

 

Tuesday Tidbit: Remind yourself of all the reasons to keep writing

Writing a memoir is a lot of work—a lot of work!

 

Because of that, sometimes it’s easy to get discouraged.

 

But take heart!

 

Remind yourself of all the reasons to keep writing.

 

You want to bless your readers in any number of ways—you want to leave a spiritual legacy, you want your story to inspire others in their own lives:

 

• to never give up, never quit fighting, and always hope
• to make good choices and be trustworthy people of integrity
• to speak up when something’s not right
• to always love, always forgive, and always extend grace
• to grow in their faith

 

The list goes on and on.

 

So: Inspire your readers to be courageous.

 

Inspire them to pray.

 

Offer them solutions.

 

Encourage them to laugh and love—to love God and others.

 

Be of good cheer,

all you memoir-writers out there!

 

Your story is important.

 

Remember the words of Jeff Goins:

“Never, ever, ever underestimate

the power your words can have.”

 

Keep writing!

 

God can use your life and your stories

to help others and to honor Him!

 

There you have it:

your Tuesday Tidbit.

 

Tuesday Tidbit: Write your memoir, even if you start small

Have you started writing your memoir yet?

 

If not, may this Bible verse inspire you to begin.

And if you have begun writing but know you still have a lot of work ahead, you can identify with those words, “small beginnings.” If that term describes you, may this Bible verse comfort you, too.

 

Take heart. We all start small—and that’s okay!

 

In fact, it’s good. Look at the rest of that verse. “The Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”

 

Now, doesn’t that make you smile? Give you hope? Inspiration? Encouragement? A desire to keep at it?

 

I hope so. 

 

Take joy in your writing. 

You have no idea how many people your story will touch.

 

There you have it: your Tuesday Tidbit.

 

 

Tuesday Tidbit: “I’ve failed dreadfully if you have to read a sentence twice to figure out what I meant.”

 

Continuing with your need to strive for clarity in your writing. . . .

 

After you’ve set aside your rough draft for a while, read it with fresh eyes, checking for ways to make your wording perfectly clear for readers.

 

One of your most important goals

is communicating effectively with your readers.

 

Here’s one way to do that:

Aim your writing at an eighth-grade audience.

 

You might be asking: “What?!?”

 

You read that correctly.

 

Years ago, when I studied journalism, instructors taught us to aim our writing at eighth graders—that is, to write in a way eighth-grade students could easily understand.

Recently I saw the same advice so it must still be the best practice.

 

What’s true for journalists is true for memoirists: Aim at an eighth-grade audience.

 

Ken Follett, Welsh author, says his goal is to make his prose “utterly easy to understand.” He calls it “transparent prose.”

 

“I’ve failed dreadfully,” Follet says, “if you have to read a sentence twice to figure out what I meant.”

 

You know what Follett means.

You have had the unpleasant experience

of reading a sentence or a paragraph

two or three times

before you could figure out the writer’s message.

Don’t be that kind of writer!

 

Revise your sentences and paragraphs

and chapters until they are

“utterly easy to understand.”

 

And remember,

“revision is not punishment”

(Donald Murray)

 

There you have it:

your Tuesday Tidbit.

 

Writer’s block? No problem. You can still work on your memoir.

 

Writer’s block: You know how to write. You want to write. But for some reason, you can’t write.

 

Take heart. Everyone gets stuck from time to time. Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charlie Schultz, and Mark Twain struggled with writer’s block, too.

 

If “writer’s block” describes you today, don’t despair!

 

I have good news for you:

 

Writer’s block is temporary.

 

And here’s more good news: You can still make progress on your memoir.

 

This is your opportunity to spiff up your already-written segments, those chapters still in rough draft form, those beautiful stories that will someday—soon, we hope!—be compiled as your memoir.

 

By “spiff up” I mean to tinker, to rearrange, to polish—to revise.

 

“Revision is not punishment,” says veteran writer Donald M.Murray in The Craft of Revision.

 

“Writing evolves from a sequence of drafts,” Murray says. “Scientists . . . experiment . . . . Actors and musicians rehearse. Retailers test markets, politicians take polls, manufacturers try pilot runs. They all revise, and so do writers. Writing is rewriting.”

 

Professional writers know the benefits of revision.

 

So . . . Be like the pros: If you’re stuck with writer’s block, use this time to revise the chapters you’ve already written.

 

Revision, Murray says, is “re-seeing the entire piece of writing.” That’s so important.

 

This is your opportunity to re-see what you’ve written. Re-seeing will show you where, specifically, to revise.

 

Revision involves checking punctuation, grammar, spelling, diction (word choice), sentence length, rhythm, conciseness, organizing, and so on. I suggest you consider each separately as you evaluate your rough draft.  

 

If you’re stuck in writer’s block,

this is a perfect time to revise because

distance and time are a writer’s friends:

They do wonders for objectivity.

The fresher the story is in your memory,

the harder it is to catch things you need to change.

 

Today, let’s consider clarity.

 

“Clarity depends . . . on your ability to put information together so that readers know at every point where they are, where they’ve been, and where they seem to be going,” writes Peter P. Jacobi.

 

“When we read, our minds work in linear fashion. We cannot grasp jumps and jerks or even the sudden shifts of scene. . . .” Jacobi continues. “We [readers] have to be moved carefully, smoothly, through the [story].”

 

Donald Murray encourages a writer

to read a rough draft the first time

as the maker of that piece,

and then read it again as a stranger—

as someone reading the piece for the first time.

Good advice, Don!

 

So, put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Does your vignette or chapter make sense, or does it cause confusion?

 

Does your story have “jumps and jerks or . . . sudden shifts of scene”?

 

Look for gaps:

Did you leave out information

readers need to know?

If so, they’ll have trouble grasping

your story’s message.

 

Remember, it’s not in your story

until it’s in black and white on your page.

 

Strive for clarity.

 

Also remember: “Revision is not punishment.”

 

Enjoy making your revisions!

 

Writing about God’s interruptions in your life

Do you like interruptions? I don't.

I make plans. I have a schedule. And long-term goals. Dreams. And I don't want anything or anyone to disrupt me. 

But, of course, interruptions do come into everyone's lives and sometimes they are epic—especially if the interruption comes from God!

In retrospect, we can recognize that God's interruptions were major turning points and opportunities for learning and maturing.

Have you thought about writing in your memoir

about your interruptions?

Recently I wrote that life's interruptions can resemble earthquakes.

Have you ever felt an earthquake?

 

I experienced Seattle’s 1965 earthquake. People felt it across Washington, British Columbia, Idaho, and Oregon. The 6.5 quake (some officials called it a 6.7) lasted 45 seconds, and that’s a long time for an earthquake of that magnitude.

 

And the earth’s eerie roar lasted even longer than that.

 

Sometimes life can feel like an earthquake. Without warning, a jolt rocks your world. What has seemed solid and predictable and dependable suddenly lurches and crumbles. And even when the shaking stops, the jarring trauma rolls on.

 

And the eerie roar lasts longer than that.

Years after the Seattle earthquake, my husband burst through our front door and announced he wanted us to move to South America so he could teach missionaries’ kids.

 

The ground beneath my feet felt like another major earthquake had struck and I literally fell to the floor. (You can read about it in my memoir, Please, God, Don’t Make Me Go: A Foot-Dragger’s Memoir.)

 

In the following months, the eerie roar rumbled on.

My dreams and plans had taken a hit.

My sense of where my life was headed had fallen apart.

 

What I didn’t know then was that interruption—the earthquake that my husband (and eventually, it turned out, that God, too) sprung on me was meant for good.

 

I would later learn that some of my dreams and plans weren’t the best for me and my family. They needed to crumble down in ruins.

 

But I didn’t comprehend that then. Instead, the stuff of earthquakes—like crumbled bricks and debris—covered me. It was dark down there. I felt bruised and broken. Alone.

 

I was only 27 years young. The old me now wishes I could have told the 27-year-old me that I could live a good life even after earthquakes and loss and the shock of it all.

 

In fact, those three years in South America

were the best of our lives!

I praise and thank God

that He interrupted my plans!

 

As Christine Caine said,

“Sometimes when you’re in a dark place

you think you’ve been buried,

but you’ve actually been planted.”

 

That was true for me. What started as a devastating earthquake ended up being a mountaintop experience.

 

God’s interruption turned into

one of my life’s richest blessings.

 

How about you?

 

Think of the ways God has interrupted your plans. What detours did He place in your path? What curveballs did He throw at you?

And what stories can you include in your memoir about God's interruptions?

• Did you welcome God's interruption, or resist it?
• If you resisted it, what eventually convinced you to do what He was inviting you to do?
• What obstacles and fears and worldliness did you have to overcome in order to carry out His task for you?
• How did God's interruption show you your plans weren't His best for you, and that He was steering you in a different and better direction?
• In what specific ways did God's interruption prove to be a divine appointment, a major turning point in your life?
• How have God's interruptions led you to love Him increasingly with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (the most important—the foremost, the greatest—commandment, Mark 12:28-30, Matthew 22:36-37)?

Put your stories into writing! Remember:

Be careful never to forget

what you've seen the Lord do for you.

Do not let these things escape from your mind

as long as you live!

And be sure to pass them on

to your children and grandchildren.

(Deuteronomy 4:9, NLT)

We, your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank You forever and ever, praising Your greatness from generation to generation (Psalm 79:13b, NLT).

Refuse to take the lazy route

 

Chuck Swindoll writes about “people who go through life with their eyes closed. They look but don’t really ‘see’ . . . they observe the surface but omit the underneath . . . they focus on images but not issues . . . vision is present but perception is absent. . . .

 

“Remove insight,” Chuck continues, “and you suddenly reduce life to existence with frequent flashes of boredom and indifference. . . . Please understand, I do not mean to be critical of those who cannot go deeper . . . but of those who can but will not.”

 

Chuck concludes: “Open your eyes! Think! Apply! Dig! Listen!” (Charles R. Swindoll, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life)

 

Chuck’s message is perfect for those who write memoirs.

 

Many a time you’ve heard me emphasize the importance of introspection and reflection when it comes to writing a memoir. Of digging deeply.

 

But it’s hard work to make time for all that contemplating and assessing.

 

And all too often we’re in a hurry to get our stories in print.

 

However, I urge you to do what Chuck says: “Open your eyes! Think! Apply! Dig! Listen!” so that you can write multi-layered stories based on not only what happened, but what it all means—what you learned and where it all led.

 

What do you recognize now that you overlooked in the past?

What do you know now that you didn’t know before?

 

And this is so important: What was God doing?

 

What new places did God take you—

emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually?

In hindsight, what new opportunities did He give you?

What lessons did He teach you?

How is your relationship with Him different now?

 

Sit quietly with your story and imagine God sitting there beside you. He’s eager to help you dissect your past and make sense of it.

 

Listen for what He might tell you. Watch for what He might show you.

 

Often He surprises us with what He helps us piece together. What new person are you now as a result of your past experiences and your examination of them?

 

If you want to uncover the profound parts of your story,

you need to invest in reflection and introspection.

Go deep. Refuse to stay in the shallow end.

 

“Oftentimes insight into what all has transpired comes later and in layers,” writes Beth Moore. “One of the many gifts of aging in a walk with God is that you can look over your shoulder and see that some pieces of the puzzle really did end up fitting. Yep,” she says, “this makes sense. Surely didn’t at the time.”

 

As a memoirist, then, your job is to recollect, reminisce, identify, contemplate, review. And snap puzzle pieces together.

 

Beth Barthelemy asks herself, 

and we memoirists would do well to ask ourselves: 

“Am I willing to sit in silence—

highly uncomfortable for those of us who are new to it—

in order to hear the voice of God?”

 

“Count your blessings backward”

Sandra Clifton was desperately in need. In her discouragement, she cried out to God, “Are You there?”

 

Sandra seemed to hear God answer, “Count your blessings—backward!”

 

Think about that! Count your blessings—backward!

 

And so she did—Sandra began to examine her past, to remember what God had done.

 

In doing so, she discovered God had been guiding and providing for her even though she hadn’t detected it.

 

“I realized what God wanted me to understand: that He had been at work all along, setting up circumstances to bring His will to pass in my life. Recalling previous blessings and answered prayers reminded me of this truth. It is what David meant by ‘encouraging himself in the Lord.’

 

Sandra continues, “Tracing our blessings backward shows us the ‘pattern’ of God’s involvement in our lives. It allows us to see that the very obstacles we face today could be the things that set us up for His blessings tomorrow.”

 

“Today’s blessings are a result of the Father’s masterful orchestration of people and events,” she points out.

 

Sandra’s message is a glorious one, 

and it’s also what writing a spiritual memoir is all about.

 

We memoirists devote ourselves to remembering what God has done in the past. “‘Remember’ is the most frequent command in the Old Testament,” writes Mike Metzger.

 

We examine what happened in the past, we ponder, we take a broader, wider, deeper, higher look.

 

We search for God’s fingerprints.

 

We look for patterns in our lives.

 

We reflect in a deliberate way.

 

We connect the dots.

 

We trace our blessings backward. 

What a superb, blessed experience that can be!

 

What do you need to remember today?

 

Think back on your conversations with God—and write about them.

 

Remember how He confirmed His direction for your life—and write about it.

 

Remember what you committed to Him, remember the Bible verses that inspired you to make that commitment—and write about all that.

 

Remember your joy in setting out—and write about it.

 

Remember all the ways God walked hand in hand with you when you stumbled through rough spots, through dread-filled times, through your anguish—and write about it.

 

Remember raising your hands in surrender to God, trusting Him for His best outcome for your life—and write about it.

 

Remember the ways He brought you to a new and good place—and write about all of that.

 

And take joy in your writing!