Behind the (Writing) Scenes with…
Patricia Daly-Lipe, Jacksonville Branch
Memoirs a Must
From The Pen Woman, Spring 2021
“The mission of the artist in an overtechnalized society [is] to call the old magic back to life.” (Tom Robbins)
To paraphrase Emerson, history is biography. Actually, the instrument the historian uses to look at the past is his or her own mind. When writing a memoir, you are watching yourself watching yourself. A memoir is how you remember your own life.
Will Rogers humorously remarked: “Memoir means when you put down the good things you ought to have done and leave out the bad ones you did.” But the power of memoirs comes because they do more than simply recount the facts of your day. Daily notations reflect history from a personal point of view.
Consider these four attributes we humans have: self-awareness, a conscience, independent will, and creative imagination. The base of the word “imagination” is “image.” So, what we see and consequently what we feel become our sources of creativity and can be exposed in our writing. Much of my research writing my books about La Jolla (“La Jolla, A Celebration of Its Past” and “Historic Tales of La Jolla”), as well as “Patriot Priest,” “Miami’s Yester’ Years,” and “A Cruel Calm, Paris Between the Wars,” came from reading letters from the past. My philosophy? History is someone else’s point of view.
Certainly, political and social issues have changed, or have they? The fundamental issues may be the same, after all. The more we review the past, the more we confront the present. As the French say, the more things change, the more they remain the same (Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.)
With interpretation, today’s events take on a new dimension in light of what came before. No man is an independent entity living in his own private little world. To be human is to have a historical character. This leads us back to the power of memoirs. They do more than recount the facts of the day. Daily notations reflect history from the only true vantage point: the personal perspective. One hundred years from now, what personal information will be available? Email has done away with handwritten notes and private thoughts.
Courage comes from the French word “coeur,” which means “heart.” All good writing comes from the heart and it takes courage to allow yourself to listen — and even more to share.
Feelings do not always equate with facts. Mankind includes a soul in its configuration. And it is the soul that’s characterized by compassion, sensitivity, consideration, courage. This is the aspect of the human psyche that transcribes itself into literature.
Our lifetime on this planet is but a blink in the scheme of things. So why delay? If we listen to the voice within, we will make better decisions for ourselves and for others.
The etymology of the word “recognize” is to re-know. An old Indian adage states: “All this struggling to learn, when all we have to do is remember.” So, taking the time to re-know your past through the written word is not only intriguing, it’s often a surprise to the person doing it. It is also an education for those reading it.
Stories are how we can make sense of events in our lives. It’s essential for our progeny to know our past and the only way they can is to read what we have taken the time to write.
I am astounded at what I saw and heard and thought about as a teenager and later a young 20-something living in Europe. Was that really me? Was Paris/Rome/London really like that in the ’60s? Yes, it’s real. Real because I wrote it on the spot. Much of what I wrote in my diary is included in “All Alone, Washington to Rome.”
Sometimes insight only comes with hindsight. Do not leave an untold story inside you. Tell your story and, more than likely, another story will evolve.
In sum, aspire to inspire before you expire.
Patricia Daly-Lipe is the author of 10 books, each in a different genre. She has a trophy from the International Association of Top Professionals for “lifetime of achievement and success” and another for “Author of the Year.” She is past president of the La Jolla and D.C. branches. literarylady.com