You, reader, have a compelling story to tell. And, according to Cynthia Schaub, other people are eager to hear it. Cynthia facilitates a memoir writing class for Senior Resources of Guilford in which she’s discovered a refreshing willingness to share the events of our lives through writing.

Memoir writing can be a deeply personal exercise in which the emphasis is more on truth and revelation than on plot and character development and grammar. “The only prerequisite is a piece of paper,” says Cynthia. “And a little discipline.”

Cynthia pens journal entries every morning. “The first thing I do is write three pages—anything. Whenever we write our own truth it makes us more accepting of ourselves and those we come into contact with.”

Truth comes after a page-and-a-half, as described in a practice called “the morning pages” by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way. Cynthia attributes her inspiration for memoir writing to Cameron’s work and to the example set by May Sarton, the twentieth-century poet and novelist who may be best known for several memoirs written later in life.

Writing is only part of the experience. Much of the memoir process is listening and communicating. Cynthia began her work by talking with her relatives: “I started to tell the stories that have come down in my family. Not about me, but about my aunts and uncles and great-grandparents. I wanted to get their stories down on paper. Otherwise there would be nothing to pass on. I wanted to capture the values, myths…it’s all good information, even in stuff that you know isn’t accurate.”

The Senior Resources class is very informal. Cynthia led the first class of six writers earlier this year and explains that it has to be casual, because writing is only part of the process. Reading and listening makes the class complete. “We do writing then sharing. First we give a specific thing to write about to help ground us. It might be food, an outfit you liked, a best friend in high school. Then we write. Then we each share what we write.

“It’s wonderful that no one was shy about reading what they wrote,” says Cynthia. “Everybody wants to tell their story.”

With a personal memoir of over 100 pages, and her passion for writing, you might get the impression Cynthia is a professional author, but according to her, it’s a new discovery in her life’s “third act.” “I’m not an expert, I just facilitate. I’m an organized kind of gal,” she explains.

The “organized gal” has an MBA and retired recently from her position of Chief Operating Officer at Arbor Acres nursing home. Hearing the eulogies of so many former residents gave Cynthia pause, “I thought if only I had known about their rich lives while they were living, how much more robust my relationship could have been.”

The memoir writing class is an opportunity to tell your authentic story. “Showing ourselves, warts and all, makes us more human and believable,” explains Cynthia. “I really came to appreciate that showing others as real people makes their life much more meaningful. And this freed me to go deeper and be more authentic about myself and my memories.”

For more information on the upcoming Memoir Writing Class (dates TBD), call: 373.4816