What to write in memory of someone
6 Steps to Writing a Memory Book
hi everyone good morning it's Margaret
Manning here and welcome to 60 and me
good morning and welcome to a new day I
hope you're doing great this morning I
have been up for a while this morning I
couldn't sleep so I was up really early
before the Sun came up and I actually
quite liked that time of the morning I
don't know about you but I find it just
really so peaceful and if I'm you're not
too tired but I've got no seven hours
sleep I'll just get up and make a cup of
tea and sit read a bit sometimes I'll
meditate or write but yeah I just find I
like the early morning are you a morning
person or a-- or a nighttime person that
they carry often one of each but anyway
I'm having my I think this is the third
cup of tea this morning but it's my
green tea and its really lovely it's um
it's one of my favorites as always but
um hope you've got a cup of tea or
coffee and you're feeling good just
settle down for a little bit and I just
wanted to take you on a little trip down
memory lane a little thinking a little
bit about you know our legacy and
documenting our lives and writing like I
mentioned I write sometimes in the
morning can be really cathartic you know
it can be a way to really put your life
in perspective and interest and uncover
things that you didn't where you didn't
make connections it's really a cool way
to you know just tell your story really
and I one of our bloggers Stephanie Roth
Locke wrote a really nice little article
about how to tell your story but not get
overwhelmed by trying to write a book
because I mean you know how many books
have you started to write in your life
it doesn't doesn't usually happen but
you know instead of writing a detailed
book just write a memory book and put
time in that book the things that have
been highlights in your life and you
know where you've had to make decisions
perhaps and how that decision took you
somewhere but it's based on really just
documenting memories and this is just
one way of writing a memoir writing a
book of memories but I think it just
shines a light on you know kind of where
we um you know where we've been with our
lives and where we're going so she gives
six really good steps for writing a
memory book
and the first one is to live like a
writer now some people like Stephanie
and and many others are they're just
born writers they just don't like life
without writing their current their
characters take them over in real life
and they just have to be writing all the
time I'm not one of those people but I
do love reading and jotting down you
know I like to write bit in a different
way but anyway she says live like a
writer and this means bring a notebook
with you everywhere you go a notebook
and a pen and just pop it in your bag
just a small one and everywhere you go
be an observer of the world so a writer
always is listening to conversation and
watching engagement in or watching how
people are interacting with one another
and just using their senses like 100
percent so for example if you go to a
cafe you're sitting down there listening
to the conversations around you what are
people really talking and you know sort
of trying to make it up in your own head
um but just just make a note of
observations for listening smelling you
can smell the baked goods being you know
just freshly out of the oven nice aroma
and you know that the panic was arisen
and the croissants and they just fit
taste you can smell them they just smell
delicious and then look around you you
know watch the world watch how people
are greeting each other you know the
hugs the kisses the shaking hands the
just the engagement so watch that into
that sense of vision and what children
playing you know watch them with their
parents I I love watching little kids I
think there's so inspirational they I
just loved looking at their little eyes
as they just like look at the world it's
just well everything is a well and I
like God I just I just smile with them I
almost kind of silly but you know get
your it your writing prompts though from
people and send your senses and of
course hearing hearing the siren as the
sounds that laughter the maybe the tears
just pay attention I'm finding them it's
a meditation technique that I just
sometimes use where I just close my eyes
and try to listen for what's close to me
and then go further and for
out so I can hear even the cars on the
street or maybe even someone took it
yelling or saying something anyway so
use your senses that's the first thing
second thing is to create a writing
space now you may have a desk or a table
that you write on anyway the place that
you feel cozy and maybe it's your a
chair in your living room
well you just like to bring up your
laptop and just work there I'm actually
by the way assuming here as I was
describing all of that I was writing
with a pen is it in a notebook but you
may like to just write on your on your
phone or on your computer
so just find a space add a favorite
chair and light a candle you know light
a candle or some incense and just let
this be a moment where you put what's
immediately in front of you out of your
mind
and just go back to your memories missed
out is very powerful on lots of levels
not just for writing but for good brain
health and I could just sorting stuff
out it just sounds like a good time to
let those memories sink but you know
maybe you have a favorite cafe I have a
little cafe close to me actually I go to
almost every day now and maybe just for
half an hour I taped my phone and my
notepad and sometimes I write sometimes
I don't I get caught up in a visual but
anyway find a place a writing space
listen to music sometimes now this is of
course something that has been proven by
science as well that music is a huge
stimulator of memory and this has been
specifically the proven with Alzheimer's
patients if you should play them
nostalgic music they can remember words
to songs they can recognize people they
really start to come alive actually is a
really beautiful film called inside it's
got inside alive dr. bill Thomas was
involved with it and it basically went
through the story of how music brings
out this life that's still inside a
patient it's really really wonderful so
we listen to the songs maybe that you
listen to when you were younger you got
an old CD of oh I don't know blondie or
share or someone that or go back further
you know where you um have a memory
associated with the Beatles a memory
associated with those people or thought
that groove maybe had a crush on so
one in that group you know it's just
it's just a matter of just identifying
the music that touches an accord inside
of you now the other thing is to write
at the same time every day
now I know all the great artists and our
authors of the world say this you know
get up and write a thousand words before
you get out of bed just do it every day
and that's the way you write a book and
that's true I think of a memory book to
is just if you get into the routine like
I do at 3 o'clock every day I normally
go to my little cafe it's just done a
ritual it's a habit and they say habits
are powerful for your brain so I think
that's a nice way to write that book by
just going to the same place or maybe
not the same place but take the same
time every day another thing that that
Stephanie recommends is to use a book of
prompts now I always not always I often
pick up a book by Anne Lamott I like
Anne Lamott
as a writer she's crazy very wild in her
way she writes and she inspires me I
also like Al and Gilbert and I often
watch a TED talk that's another way that
I I sometimes job my memory but the
suggestion is to just find a writer or
an author that just joke sure you're
writing memory for example she talks
about one called old friend from far
away by nationally goldberg that
Stephanie's book that she uses and just
kind of she says it kind of inspires you
to start mining in your memories and I
kind of like that image but anyway
that's another thought to have a book
that's inspires you just keep go back to
it and pick it up and you know and start
to use as inspiration another thing is
to write one memory a day for a hundred
days this is an exercise I think that
was a project on this and Stephanie is
that she uses it and it's really
wonderful we know what if you would just
compile all of your stand-alone memory
pieces just one a day no rhyme or reason
no like sequence just everyday write
down a memory I would love us to do this
actually I think this could be super fun
but I'm course not stressing about it
it's not
homework it's just an idea that um you
know I think there's older women there
wouldn't that be fun to do a huh one
memory a day could write a book be
really cool but anyway that's another
suggestion that stephanie has and I I
think it's a good one I've actually
tried keeping a scrapbook and putting a
picture and a quote or like a thought
every day did that for about a year well
a while ago and it was very nice to look
back at I actually still do have it and
I look back on it and think wow those
things were important to me at that time
it's so cool to see I work them through
and you know I'm a new person and that's
that's kind of the power and then
finally you know with with these book of
memories think about events think about
events that have really been milestones
in your life and of course there's the
big ones of children having children
those were pretty amazing you know
moving to a new home changing countries
maybe losing a friend relocating to a
new city or country at that it's just
things about events maybe there's simple
things like a theatre production or more
concert just an event that stimulates a
memory and then write that in your
memory book so we hope this has been
helpful I mean are you looking to
thinking of writing a memory book does
it sound a lot easier than writing a
book I think it does and it also I think
sounds fun and that's kind of all that
we want to be doing this days we are
pleasure animals we should be having
pleasure in our lives this is important
so I would love you to tell me your
feedback on this have you have you ever
written a memory book or a journal that
you that you think would be interesting
to share and what events people or
places would you put in your memory book
just think about it well I know I would
put all you in my book as a group
because I'm so proud of this community I
love you all I'm so happy that we're
here together you know often and talking
about things are important to us I
really do hope that you have a fabulous
day
get out there and enjoy this beautiful
world that we live in despite all its
flaws
feels perfect let's make it amazing and
just take care of yourselves now just
tell me what events books what people
and events might be in your memory book
I look forward to seeing you all back
here again very very soon take good care
for now bye bye
