Mythmaking

"Memoir writing teacher and psychologist Maureen Murdock invites readers to explore their own personal mythology with practical advice on the craft of memoir writing as well as writing prompts related to each chapter's archetypical focus. Murdock, author of the bestselling Heroine's Journey, looks at thematic connections between ancient cultural myth and popular contemporary memoirs to probe universal questions such as: Who am I? What is My Journey? What is My Purpose? Where is Home? How Have I Been Wounded? Her background as a Jungian psychotherapist helps enrich the way she teaches people to write--urging her students to dig deep inside themselves to examine universal patterns and archetypes that are part of the collective unconscious. Writers who feel stuck or unworthy of writing about themselves will find thought-provoking inspiration and validation in this book, while those simply looking to explore writing as a tool for self-exploration and therapeutic reflection will examine their patterns and stories to reveal a deeper understanding of their inner selves. And all will be left with a deeper understanding of the rich scope of the memoir genre, examining contemporary favorites--like Terry Tempest Williams's Refuge, Joan Didion's Year of Magical Thinking, and David Carr's The Night of the Gun--from a whole new mythological perspective. Examining life stories through the lens of myth is a powerful way to help people map their own personal journeys. Like myth, memoir reveals a certain unity to human experience-that ultimately we all share similar hopes, dreams, and desires as well as fears, losses, and heartbreaks. Although not every memoir reflects an overtly mythic theme, most memoirs writers unconsciously reveal archetypal themes in their desire to understand the trajectory of their lives. The archetypal lens in both memoirs and myths helps us locate and understand our lives within the rich tapestry of human experience"--