Memoirs of the Soul: A Writing Guide

Nan Merrick Phifer
Ingot Press (2011)
ISBN 9780984206001
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (12/10)

 

This is an excellent guide for anyone who has ever wanted to write their memoirs whether it’s for family or publication. Author Nan Merrick Phifer and Hal Zina Bennett, a popular writing teacher who penned the Foreword, both say it sounds easy, but when you actually sit down to write your mind doesn’t know where to start. So what makes this book different from all those other books out there? This author focuses on the writer getting to know themselves- as she says the “inner” you. The author isn’t telling readers or potential writers what to write about, she acts as a guide to get your creative juices going.

There are thirty detailed chapters in this book which range from learning about the real you, which include all the feelings and emotions you have experienced, to who you can become. Each chapter discusses obstacles we will encounter (like procrastination); to writing guide tips; to questions asked to help you remember times and events in your life. Readers will find that there are things we haven’t thought of in years that inspired us to make positive changes or ones that have had a negative impact on us.

The author writes with clarity, is very detailed and you can hear the passion in her voice. In addition, she provides examples of others’ writing that is not only inspirational, but thought-provoking. Each chapter builds on the previous one and as you write you will find you have more than enough material to include. She also suggests using photos; poems, essays and letters to spark visual images.

There are sections on proof-reading, rough drafts and having others read what you have written. Not only is this guide, “Memoirs of the Soul,” a tool for writing, it also is very therapeutic.

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