Excuse 1: “I’m not a writer.”

How do you know? Everyone has to begin somewhere. When you’re ready to share, your peers here at eGenerations won’t give you low grades or red marks, as your teachers might have. We are here to encourage you and make constructive suggestions.

Correctness is one of the last things to worry about, not the first. Even experienced writers can create giant writers’ blocks if they rewrite each sentence several times before going on to the next one. Don’t do it! Rewriting can come later. It’s telling the story that counts most!

Later, you can find a helpful relative, friend, or copy editor if necessary. Yes, correctness will eventually matter, but that’s a finishing step, not a beginning one. You may write better than you think you do.

Excuse 2: “I don’t have time to write.”

You don’t need endless free hours. How about ten or fifteen minutes a day for journal writing in the early morning, in the evening, or during a break or lunch period if you’re still working? And yes, it’s O.K. to skip a day now and then if necessary, but keep at it. Once you get started, you may want to write more.

Excuse 3: “I’m too old (or too young) to start.”

No way! There’s no minimum or maximum age requirement. If you have an active mind, you can write. Harry Bernstein began The Invisible Wall, his story of his childhood struggle with an alcoholic father amid an atmosphere of anti-Semitism in a northern England mill town, at 93, and the book was published when he was 96. You can find a link to Bernstein’s success story in an April 3 post to Seniorwriter’s Journal.

Excuse 4: “It’s hard to get a memoir published.”

Yes, but so what?  Unless you’re a celebrity or have a very unusual story to tell, like Harry Bernstein, traditional publishers will probably ignore your memoir (they ignored his for some time). If your main goal is to make money, you’ll probably be disappointed. But how about writing for yourself, your family, your friends? Bernstein’s daughter Adraenne always “had the sense that her father had a story inside him that he needed to get out.”

Depending on your budget, you can self-publish, use a print-on-demand or other small, independent publisher, or even the local copy shop when you’re ready to share your writing. If you do create a book, it’s always possible that a traditional publisher will pick it up later (that doesn’t necessarily lead to riches either), but the real payoff will probably be self-satisfaction. Your family will be grateful for your story as well.

No more excuses. Where do I go from here?

I’ll have more to say about journaling, an important, ongoing part of writing your memoirs, in  later columns, but for now, here are ten suggestions for getting started. Pick one, or something similar, and write for ten or fifteen minutes. See what happens. This is a good way to warm up even after you have a writing project underway.
 
 A. What’s worrying you? What’s on your mind?
 B. Describe your mood, your feelings, the state of your health right now.
 C. Are you happy today? Why, or why not?
 D. Describe an interesting person you saw or met recently.
 E. What are your plans for today (or tomorrow)?
 F. What happened in your life yesterday?
 G. What are your writing ideas or plans and goals for the future? What would you really like to write about? Why?
 H. Describe your writer’s block, past or present. What stopped you or is stopping you now?
 I. Describe your past writing experiences, good or bad, in school or out.
 J. What interesting thing(s) have you read or heard or seen lately?

No ideas? Just begin by describing the weather. Put words on paper or on the computer–any words.

Please send me your questions about writing and your suggestions for future columns; I’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Next: Need more Writing Suggestions?