memoir journals

Journal #1:
Draw a floor plan of your home when you were 9-12 years old. If you lived in more than one place, choose one place. Within each room, jot down notes of a memory from each room. (You can exclude the bathroom, unless there was a significant moment there for you.)

Then, pick one memory from one room. It can be either a positive or negative memory. Describe what happened with small details. Try to include details you can see, hear, taste or touch. Also, include the feelings you had about this moment while it was happening. After you write what happened, include a sentence or two about how you feel about the event now. You may start this sentence with a phrase like "Looking back..." or "Even though I didn't know it at the time, I now understand..."

Journal #2
Choose an object which has some memory or significance for you. Describe the object, using small details, so we can see, hear and feel it clearly. Then, describe a moment which shows why this object is so important to you.

Journal #3
Pick a place that has some significance to you or where you remember something happening. Describe that place so that we can see it, what it looks like, what sounds you hear, or even what smells you associate with it. Then, describe a memory that shows why that place is so special to you.

Journal #4
Write a six word memoir which captures an important moment in your life. You can download the six word document on the blog for some of the examples I read in class.