As you journal and/or write your story (your memoir), you start by writing the facts of a memory. you write a report like a reporter of just the facts, ma'am. This is the best way to start.
Then, you ask: who, what, where, when. why, how, and what-if questions and answer the endless possibilities.
Next, you add the five senses of: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.
Finally, you look at the finer, smaller details, more minute--like the sight of Granny's gravy boat--what it looked like, what it meant, and how you have a gravy bowl you use, but it always makes you think of Granny's--and of her--and how much she meant and means to you.
It's those smaller details that go to the heart of the matter--and the heart of our story.
These are the memory snapshots. These are the memories we mine and we find the msot valuable treasure in these details and in these memories.
Look at the smaller details in your journaling. This is when you are finally writing deeply. This is where your true exploration begins. This is what you include in your memoir. This is what you should journal most about.
But, it takes all of those other steps to get to the heart of the matter.
These smaller details mean the most and are what will capture your reader's attention mroe than than anything. they also define who you are and what makes you who you are and what make you tick.
The smaller, finer details are what mean the most.
It's in the small details you find the most meaning.
~ Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Memoir Writer
