I’m hosting a guest post today by Cherie Kephart, author of “A Few Minor Adjustments”. Welcome to my blog, and thanks for taking the time to write a guest post for on here.
Healing Through Writing Memoir – Cherie Kephart
How do you heal through writing memoir? Writing a memoir is a restorative and soulful experience. By crafting a memoir, we learn how our experiences have shaped us, and we make a conscious choice to share this found wisdom with our readers. Memoir writing then becomes a healing experience that is a shared discovery.
Most memoirists, at one time or another, feel frozen, attempting to write about the deepest and most sacred parts of their lives. How do they deal with these foreboding and overwhelming feelings?
There is not one way to write a memoir, or one way to heal. There are multiple paths. Discovering what works best for you is important. In my case, I felt paralyzed while creating the beginning scenes in my memoir that dealt with the two times I almost died. Tears flowed instead of words. It felt too personal, and it was obvious I still had scars from those events. I struggled for months while the blank page haunted me. But I didn’t give up. Instead, I went deep within and asked for answers. One morning while meditating, I had the inspiration to write under a pseudonym: Maya. It was like a new open road I had just discovered. The streams pouring out of me were no longer tears, they were words. I could write about Maya, and it felt safe. I felt lighter, more connected to the story, and proud to help “Maya” with her journey.
But I didn’t keep the name Maya.
I reached a point where I was able to let go of the fear of speaking my truth, and embraced that people would read my story, my mistakes, my pain, and my struggles. It became a defining moment in my writing career, and life. Could I have started writing with my real name? No. I needed Maya to help me graduate to that space of comfort with my story and the gifts I was giving to myself and eventually to the world.
So what’s the bigger picture to writing a memoir? It’s not about names. Each writer has to choose whether a pseudonym is right for her or not. For me, it was a ladder to reach new heights. The essence of the story is what matters. Memoirs are about exposing both the dark and light of our lives, creating a profound conversation connecting our humanity.
We heal when we write memoir by owning our experiences and releasing them, not by being attached to our stories. It’s a sensitive arena, and sometimes difficult to navigate. Fundamentally, it’s about relinquishing the power your story has over you. By learning to let go of the story that is holding you back, you can craft the story you were meant to tell.
Through the craft of writing memoir, we evolve in our journey beyond what existed when we first embarked on this worthy, literary endeavor. I encourage you to enter the unwritten, write from a healing vantage point, healing for you, and for the world. It will be a transformative experience. It has been for me!
Press Release
San Diego Author Cherie Kephart
Empowers Those with Undiagnosed Illness in
Inspirational Memoir, A Few Minor Adjustments
Carlsbad, CA – San Diego author Cherie Kephart announces the release of her inspirational memoir, A Few Minor Adjustments (ISBN 978-1947127-01-2). A Few Minor Adjustments won the Autobiography: Female Inspirational/Motivational category of the 2017 Bookvana Awards and the Best Unpublished Memoir Award at the 2017 San Diego Book Awards. It was also featured in the 2017 San Diego Annual Memoir Showcase and has been performed onstage at the Horton Grand Theater.
Cherie Kephart, a young woman who longed for adventure, traveled the world from the remote villages of Central Africa to the majestic coastlines of New Zealand until a mysterious illness thrust her to the precipice of death. The persistent health challenges led to years of suffering, during which her symptoms time and again were undiagnosed by well-meaning medical doctors and healers who were sometimes competent, sometimes careless, sometimes absurd, and always baffled. The anguish, the uncertainty, and the relentless pain would have caused many people to simply give up and end their lives—and Kephart came close.
Told with brutal honesty, astonishing wit, and a haunting vulnerability, A Few Minor Adjustments is an unforgettable memoir that will move readers with its fiercely inspirational account of one woman’s incredible journey to find life-saving answers. In the end, she finds much more than a diagnosis.
“I wrote this book to help others who are also on a journey of healing,” said Kephart. “Oftentimes people like me, who have undiagnosed illnesses, go years without help and without hope of ever finding a cure. We feel like outcasts, even within the sick community. I often felt lost, alone, and afraid, never knowing if I would ever find a diagnosis or heal. It’s frightening. I want people to know that if they are open and believe, they can heal in ways they never imagined possible, even without a clear diagnosis.”
A writer, editor, and poet, Cherie Kephart holds an M.A. in Medical and Cultural Anthropology, and has worked for many years as a scientific and technical writer. Her memoir, A Few Minor Adjustments, won the Autobiography: Female Inspirational/Motivational category of the 2017 Bookvana Awards and the Best Unpublished Memoir Award at the 2017 San Diego Book Awards. It was also featured in the 2017 San Diego Annual Memoir Showcase and has been performed onstage at the Horton Grand Theater. Kephart’s essays, stories, and poems have been featured in The San Diego Writers Ink Anthology, The San Diego Poetry Annual, the Oceanside Literary Art Walk, the Wild Lemon Project, and the Magee Park Poets Anthology. Kephart resides in San Diego and has been celebrated for her holistic approach to healing and her willingness to examine her life lessons in her writing.
For more information on the author or A Few Minor Adjustments, please visit www.CherieKephart.com.
For further information, please contact:
Paula Margulies Communications
8145 Borzoi Way
San Diego, CA 92129
858-538-2047
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