5.8 The Inspiration to Draft

CONNECTION We will have three days before the memoir needs to be drafted, revised, and edited. Some writers call deadlines “lifelines” because the presence of due dates makes the writing spring to life.

TEACHING POINT Today I want to teach you that you need to think hard about how you can inspire yourself to do your best work. Writing well takes talent, knowledge, skill, AND INSPIRATION.

TEACHING Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past by Bill Zinsser Musician named Mitchell gives Bill this advice: “If you feel a certain emotion while you’re playing the piano, your listeners will feel it too.” You need to find a place inside yourself from which you can write better than you ever thought you could write. It helps to think, “How can I inspire myself to do my best work?”

TEACHING Our drafts need to be different and more special than our regular everyday writing. I reread wonderful writing to build up a feeling of awe, grandeur, and intensity inside myself. I reread bits that I have written that I love. I map out a plan—what kind of writing will I be doing? What will be the first section? Will I start with a claim? Will I support it with reasons? Start writing! If I’m not sure I like it, pause and try again!

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT Recreate what I said with a partner. What preparation do you want to do?

LINK Use your memoir writing checklist to help guide you!

MIDWORKSHOP Are you brave enough to pick the topic that really matters to you? Maybe it is something that makes you uncomfortable or sad. If all you are writing is all-is-perfect entries, you may want to think, “Where’s the struggle in this subject?” and “Is this the truth of what has been on my mind lately?”

SHARE How many of you had the courage to set aside all of your original entries and try to write a whole new draft today—not just a copy and correction of your previous work? How many of you had some new parts? These are FIRST drafts. Share your writing with your partner, giving HONEST, THOUGHTFUL suggestions. We can’t improve without truthful feedback!