38. Writing about family and difficult memories

Do you have personal moments of your life that you want to write about, but you're not sure how to approach difficult memories? Or you fear backlash from the people you'd have to write about in order to tell that story?In today's episode, I'm going to share how I navigate those issues, after I read for you one such story that I wrote.Topics discussed in this episode: Reading of Erin’s personal essay, Erin Go Brách: How My Irish Heritage Found MeWhy Erin wrote this personal essay about her father and heritageThree ways to prepare writing about difficult memoriesWaiting until the right timeGaining internal permission to write these storiesKnowing when you’re ready to face and share your woundsReturning to our big why for telling this storyWriting to help yourselfWriting to help others and overcoming fear of judgmentAddressing fear of backlashIdentifying your intention behind telling this storyNotice what language you’re usingExploring the other person’s point of viewPlay worst case scenario and make a planIf you fear physical harmChanging details to conceal your identity Approaching writing about these moments with cautionHave a TLC plan in place post-writingAbout Erin: Erin P.T. Canning has worked for more than 15 years as a magazine and book editor, encouraging each writer’s individual voice and strengthening their writing goals. She always planned to write a book. Then she had kids. While she focused on them, she stopped writing—for six years. Something deep inside was missing. Depression, anxiety, and anger forced her to search for herself, both for her sake and her family’s.Despite fearing her skills had atrophied, Erin started writing again. One journal entry led to one blog post that led to her creating her podcast, Parents Who Write. Erin’s current role as a podcaster and writing coach enables her to help others pursue their writing dreams.Finally, she finished writing her own shitty first draft and will release her first novel in 2023. She earned her MA in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and she lives with her husband and their two boys in Maryland.Connect with Erin: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinptcanning Twitter: http://twitter.com/erinptcanning  Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/parentswhowrite Book a free 30-minute consultation call:  https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting Resources discussed during the show: Read my personal essay here: https://lifebeyondparenting.com/Erin-go-Brach Send us Fan MailREADY TO TAKE YOUR WRITING FURTHER? Join our Patreon community and access our vibrant Discord writing group to get writing prompts, participate in sprints, download free resources, and more: https://www.patreon.com/erinptcanningeditor