Preserve Your Stories

You have amassed a wealth of insight and experience. How can you pass them on to others?

One great way is to write a memoir. If you don’t even know how to start, then let Elaine Marie Factor inspire and instruct you through her upcoming book Scribbling from Memory. ?She is the founder, writing teacher, and memoir writing mentor of her own company Scribblory Writing and Tutorial Services. She has been mentored by Wendy Dale, a Penguin Random House author and memoir writing teacher based in Peru.

As I wrote this book review meant for the Linkedin community, think of memoirs by executives and entrepreneurs such as Shoe Dog by Nike’s Phil Knight or Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson. I have a millennial friend who’s a fan of #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso. Can you imagine hitherto unknown journals by Steve Jobs?

Wait. Where are the Filipino versions?

The only one I can think of is the leadership memoir by Charo Santos-Concio. The rest I have to Google. Has Ramon Ang preserved his wisdom yet? Sure, Lance Gokongwei can reminisce about his dad, but I wish Big John wrote down his journey first-hand. ?When will Manny Pangilinan share his story other than the ones we read in Wikipedia?

And where is your memoir?

To set you off, Elaine Marie Factor’s helpful book, Scribbling From Memory, is made of three parts.

In Part One, “Entering the Library”, the author walks you through the basics:?What literary genre does the memoir belong to? What are the kinds of memoirs? What does it take to write a memoir? Do you write your memoir for personal consumption or for public readership? How can you write about your past beyond “just the facts”?

Then she untangles the tortured thoughts of the would-be memoirist: I am too young to write about my life. My life isn’t interesting.

Next in Part Two, “Traversing the Rapids”, she shares the technical aspects of memoir-writing. While this is unlikely to be Elaine’s objective, this portion is useful for business communication. If you want to weave story-telling in your presentations, do not miss her advice on how to make your stories compelling and organized. She also included templates which you can fill out to put shape into your story.

Then comes the unavoidable grunt work: the writing itself.?We all have our share of writer’s block and the struggle to find the time to write. But Elaine prods the reader as a compassionate coach, not a drill sergeant (Write 500 words a day! Sir, yes sir!) If you need motivation to finish your memoir, check out five triggers for tenacity in pages 54 to 56.

Of special interest is Chapter 9 where Elaine tackles the practical issue of “what if employers read my work and decide not to hire me?”?If you reveal that you have, say, mental health issues and your boss got hold of your memoir… what then? Elaine offers workarounds for this delicate subject. (Sorry, no spoilers here. Read the book.)

Part Three, “Pen and Memories”, is ingenious. Elaine gives a writing prompt at the start of each page and leave the rest of that page blank. The white space is meant for you to fill out. After giving you the techniques and the inspiration, she bids you to write, write, write. Examples of these prompts are:

·????????What joys did you find in childhood?

·????????Did you like your first job?

·????????Is your first romance worth remembering?

·????????Who is that person who sacrificed a lot for you?

Of course, memoirs are not limited to the business world.?You may have an interesting ancestor whose exploits are begging to be told.?You may want to redeem a personal tragedy as life’s lessons. You may have a regret or a heartache that needs to be released.?Elaine’s book tackles these and more. But beware. You may have to resurrect bittersweet memories or relive deep pain. Some memoirs are literally soaked with tears.

One thing I really envy about Elaine is her mastery of descriptive language. I am a writer myself as well as a public speaker, so I am always on the look-out on how to enrich my craft. Here is an excerpt from her earlier work, Finding You: A Memoir of Dreams, Detours, and Destiny (cited in page 41 of Scribbling):

I felt the cold cement floor beneath me.

The ceiling looked 30 feet above me. Sunrays were caught by the glass-paneled mosaic windows painted with smiling cherubim. At the left corner, an empty wooden pulpit stood.

I heard no sound save my breathing. My eyes examined the place while I lay still on my back right on the spot where I fell. Then I realized something. There I was, lying at the foot of the three-step stairs of the altar, where atop it, the Blessed Sacrament stood grand and holy. I felt like I was being offered or doing a symbolic act of surrender.

Someone said that when a person dies, it is as if an entire library had burned down. While you are able, write your own library and leave it as a legacy to the world. Start with Scribbling from Memory by your side. Better yet, contact Elaine Marie Factor through the information below.

About the author: Elaine Marie Factor is a teacher-of-all-ages, creative writer, editor, family biographer, and Philippine-based memoir writing mentor. She finds calm in arts and gains confidence through prayer. Her world stops when she reads and listens to stories, real or unreal.

At age 24, Elaine wrote Feast Books’ memoir, Finding You: A Memoir on Dreams, Detours, and Destiny which became one of the finalists under Youth Category in Jaime Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards 2017. In 2018, she wrote an e-poetry collection titled Gentle Words. Her articles and essays have appeared in Feast Magazine, FiSH Magazine, Angel Rising Magazine, Didache, Didache Youth, Gabay, and Yapak PH.

Learn more about her via https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/elaine-marie-factor-97b09198/ and her website ?www.scribblory.com

Contact her via

·????????Website: www.scribblory.com

·????????Email:[email protected]

·????????LI message: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/elaine-marie-factor-97b09198/

·????????PM: https://www.facebook.com/elaine.factor

Ordering information:?As of this writing (April 27, 2022), Scribbling From Memory is still being polished by a layout artist, but the author is accepting pre-orders via ?https://bit.ly/37L5IlO .

The actual paperback and e-book copies are targeted to be available at?www.scribblory.com ?at the end of May 2022.

About the Reviewer: Nelson T. Dy is an author, speaker and trainer on career, relationship, and spirituality issues. His day job is being an Assistant Vice-President running two factories for a well-known beverage conglomerate. He is among the Top 100 Filipinos to follow on Linkedin in 2021.

Follow him at https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/nelsontdy/ as he continues to share his insights through posts such as the one you just enjoyed.