Why I had to write this book 2

Writing a book is not an easy thing. Just ask anyone who has done it.

But I felt compelled to write Paths of Heart—Writing Stories Told at Life’s End   because of the immense satisfaction that writing the memoirs of hospice patients has brought a quite a few people. First, the hospice patients themselves have delighted at having their stories preserved. Then too, in the reliving of those stories through their telling, many have come to an appreciation of the fullness of their lives. They come to appreciate the variety and diversity of their own existence, moreover the uniqueness of it. This perspective has brought many of my writing partners a kind of closure that they might not otherwise have had, I think.

Another benefited group from my memoir writing is, of course, the loved ones and friends of my writing partners. Not only have many family and friends gained added insight to their soon departed, but also they have come to appreciate the fullness of their loved one’s life through the toils, tears and joys that the stories recount. And since the my writing partners are near their ends, sometimes they reveal things for the very first time. Were it not for the the story writing, these revelations might never be voiced, let alone preserved for a larger audience.

Because of all this, many families have tried to pay me for the work I’ve done, but I simply can’t accept such a thing, and there’s a good reason for that.

I too, am a beneficiary of the work it takes to write someone else’s story. I get to experience the telling for those stories. I get to share in the sadness, in the joy, in the revelations of another’s life. There is nothing else like this, I think. I find it nothing short of empathic. And I, too, get to appreciate the diversity and wonderment of the “average” life. I have never written for anyone who has not amazed me through at least a few of their stories. You just can’t make stuff like this up – truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Have a read of the book’s outline here for just a sampling of some of those unusual stories.  And as importantly, through hearing others’ encounters with the stuff of life I have gotten to learn personal  lessons, lessons that everyone might benefit from.

So I wrote a book to share my experiences in doing the kind of writing that I do.

My hope is that others will see how rewarding such work has been for me and my writing partners, and maybe they will be moved to try their hand at it. You don’t have to write for hospice patients, either. Writing for anyone else will have much of the same benefits.

Maybe with the help I’ve tried to give in this web site you can begin. The Writing Resources section is where to start. You can rad so information extracted from a course on how to capture and write another’s story that. And if you want to share some comments, or tips on the subject, you can post on the the writing blog as well.

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