The Life Writing Workbook (ePub)

I stumbled upon life writing at age?twenty-nine. I was?at?that moment in?a divorce?when you know its over?and its 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?wasnt going to work out?and faced with raising?a?lovely?child?alone?as I?made?my way?toward this certain something I couldnt even name.

I moved in with my best friends 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 carefullylooking 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 wasnt 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.?