What is the date you began writing this memoir and the date when you completed the memoir? I began December 4, 2020 and I published and completed the work on February 23rd, 2022.
Where did you do most of your writing for this memoir? And please describe in detail. I wrote mostly in my office which is located in the basement of our house in Snellville, Georgia. I have my desk and my laptop set up there and it is where I felt the most comfortable in the evenings when I was given the opportunity to write. I have two very young children so time comes at a premium – especially uninterrupted time.
What were your writing habits while writing this memoir- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? As I stated above, time comes at a premium. Most of my writing took place in the late hours of evening and in the early hours of the morning. I did it mostly in quiet – with only my nosy thoughts to spill from my brain to the screen. My laptop was my conduit. Everything funneled directly from cranium to Microsoft word.
Out of all the specific memories you write about in this memoir, which ONE MEMORY was the most emotional for you to write about? And can you share that specific excerpt with us here. The excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer, and please provide page numbers or Chapter number as references. Chapter twenty-seven. The first sentence was a hard thing for me to reveal. I felt that I had to be honest about something that happened to me in my life and that it was the most important thing to lead out with.
“I was molested at age eleven by a friend of the family.”
I hadn’t revealed that to but two people in my life. My mother and brother had no idea and I had to inform them before I published the book. Reading and rereading that chapter causes me anxiety still, but I felt it was a required part of this book. It was part of the reason that I even wrote the book because it ties into all that was and is going on in the book and in my life in general.
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Can you describe the emotional process of writing about this ONE MEMORY? When writing that memory, it took me back to that location in my life and in my mind. I had to revisit a very painful, and emotionally wrenching part of my childhood. I felt all of the emotional fluctuations that I felt as an eleven-year-old going through that type of trauma. I knew I wasn’t over it but there was a feeling of catharsis in making that secret trauma public. It was in some ways empowering – yet painful. Pain though is temporary.
Were there any deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? I didn’t delve into areas that were not associated with a time frame that I wanted to cover. This is the first memoir of a few. Part of a larger story of me.
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