Comments for Marion Roach http://marionroach.com Marion Roach Smith's The Memoir Project Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:10:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 Comment on Clever Damage: Writing Memoir About Family Abuse by Lisa Sypher http://marionroach.com/2012/02/clever-damage-writing-memoir-about-family-abuse/#comment-1043 Lisa Sypher Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:10:29 +0000 http://marionroach.com/?p=2234#comment-1043 Thank you for stating this so eloquently, Marcia. Thank you for your post, Marion! Thank you for stating this so eloquently, Marcia.
Thank you for your post, Marion!

]]> Comment on Clever Damage: Writing Memoir About Family Abuse by Heather Marsten http://marionroach.com/2012/02/clever-damage-writing-memoir-about-family-abuse/#comment-1042 Heather Marsten Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:28:28 +0000 http://marionroach.com/?p=2234#comment-1042 I'm in the process of editing the part of my memoir where my father turns serious in his molestation - I was seven. I'm writing first person as a seven year old - it is challenging but also will hopefully show the reader the terror of a seven year old. You are right - in classes I've taken, it is helpful if those critiquing forget the subject matter and critique the prose - I want to write the best I can. Even though the subject matter is painful, good writing should still shine through. I want to know if I've achieved a seven year old voice, if the emotions and senses are portrayed, if it is logical, if people get an idea of the setting. Writing about a painful past is healing, it can be a dumping of emotions, or it can be written from a place where the past has been reconciled and healing has occurred. What saddens me is that one in four have been abused (and I suspect the stats are greater). The more I read your blog, the happier I am that I will be taking one of your workshops. You seem very sensitive and caring - and someone who will help to evoke powerful memoir writing. Have a blessed day I’m in the process of editing the part of my memoir where my father turns serious in his molestation – I was seven. I’m writing first person as a seven year old – it is challenging but also will hopefully show the reader the terror of a seven year old. You are right – in classes I’ve taken, it is helpful if those critiquing forget the subject matter and critique the prose – I want to write the best I can. Even though the subject matter is painful, good writing should still shine through. I want to know if I’ve achieved a seven year old voice, if the emotions and senses are portrayed, if it is logical, if people get an idea of the setting.

Writing about a painful past is healing, it can be a dumping of emotions, or it can be written from a place where the past has been reconciled and healing has occurred. What saddens me is that one in four have been abused (and I suspect the stats are greater).

The more I read your blog, the happier I am that I will be taking one of your workshops. You seem very sensitive and caring – and someone who will help to evoke powerful memoir writing.

Have a blessed day

]]> Comment on Clever Damage: Writing Memoir About Family Abuse by Rose Byrd http://marionroach.com/2012/02/clever-damage-writing-memoir-about-family-abuse/#comment-1038 Rose Byrd Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:16:08 +0000 http://marionroach.com/?p=2234#comment-1038 I have turned some of my own experiences as a young child at the hands of a bullying older set of cousins, and the experiences I observed with some childhood friends, into a series of allegorical fairy tales. The group traveling on a quest together are not all victims of early childhood abuse, but all have marked limitations of various sorts. Their strengths combine to make them very mighty working as an organic whole together. So far, I have not really written any memoirs where I am openly the victim. Something to think about down the road! I have turned some of my own experiences as a young child at the hands of a bullying older set of cousins, and the experiences I observed with some childhood friends, into a series of allegorical fairy tales. The group traveling on a quest together are not all victims of early childhood abuse, but all have marked limitations of various sorts. Their strengths combine to make them very mighty working as an organic whole together. So far, I have not really written any memoirs where I am openly the victim. Something to think about down the road!

]]> Comment on Clever Damage: Writing Memoir About Family Abuse by stan yake http://marionroach.com/2012/02/clever-damage-writing-memoir-about-family-abuse/#comment-1037 stan yake Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:05:22 +0000 http://marionroach.com/?p=2234#comment-1037 Marion dear: I haven't seen you for a while, but want to say that one of the things that has most impressed me over the past years has been your incredible sensitivity and wisdom in dealing with, and responding to, people who are dealing with enormous pain and its often awkward history in their lives. You are worth your weight in gold!!! and i will see you in the fall, if all goes as planned. STan Yake Marion dear: I haven’t seen you for a while, but want to say that one of the things that has most impressed me over the past years has been your incredible sensitivity and wisdom in dealing with, and responding to, people who are dealing with enormous pain and its often awkward history in their lives. You are worth your weight in gold!!! and i will see you in the fall, if all goes as planned.
STan Yake

]]> Comment on Clever Damage: Writing Memoir About Family Abuse by RobertJulianBraxton http://marionroach.com/2012/02/clever-damage-writing-memoir-about-family-abuse/#comment-1036 RobertJulianBraxton Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:58:22 +0000 http://marionroach.com/?p=2234#comment-1036 How Alice Miller would have loved this kind of support. I have read about ten books of hers with much weeping, beginning with "Gifted Child" and especially a table at the end of the book, which I read first and just could not stop weeping. How Alice Miller would have loved this kind of support. I have read about ten books of hers with much weeping, beginning with “Gifted Child” and especially a table at the end of the book, which I read first and just could not stop weeping.

]]> Comment on Two Sides to the Same Story? At Least. Here’s My Sister’s Version by Hope http://marionroach.com/2012/02/two-sides-to-the-same-story-at-least-heres-my-sisters-version/#comment-1034 Hope Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:25:50 +0000 http://marionroach.com/?p=2176#comment-1034 I read this bit aloud to my husband a few months back when I was reading your book. He was teaching his nursing students about cultural safety - the idea that the patient is the expert on their culture. That no matter how much you read up on a culture, it's not the same as being in the culture. He read both yours and your sisters take on the same incident to illustrate it and his students grasped the concept. Cool, eh? I read this bit aloud to my husband a few months back when I was reading your book. He was teaching his nursing students about cultural safety – the idea that the patient is the expert on their culture. That no matter how much you read up on a culture, it’s not the same as being in the culture. He read both yours and your sisters take on the same incident to illustrate it and his students grasped the concept. Cool, eh?

]]> Comment on Suggested Reading. New Memoir: Short, Long, Illustrated. And Dirty. by Dee Matthews http://marionroach.com/2012/02/suggested-reading-new-memoir-short-long-illustrated-and-dirty/#comment-1033 Dee Matthews Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:21:54 +0000 http://marionroach.com/?p=2301#comment-1033 So many books, so little time! "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls was fantastic! As was "She's Not There" by Jennifer Finney Boylan and "Bossypants" by Tina Fey, "A Girl Named Zippy" by Haven Kimmel. Like I said, so many books.... so get reading! So many books, so little time! “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls was fantastic! As was “She’s Not There” by Jennifer Finney Boylan and “Bossypants” by Tina Fey, “A Girl Named Zippy” by Haven Kimmel. Like I said, so many books…. so get reading!

]]> Comment on Suggested Reading. New Memoir: Short, Long, Illustrated. And Dirty. by Tina http://marionroach.com/2012/02/suggested-reading-new-memoir-short-long-illustrated-and-dirty/#comment-1031 Tina Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:42:18 +0000 http://marionroach.com/?p=2301#comment-1031 YIKES! I am in trouble-they all sound good to me. I am hopeless! YIKES! I am in trouble-they all sound good to me. I am hopeless!

]]> Comment on Suggested Reading. New Memoir: Short, Long, Illustrated. And Dirty. by marion http://marionroach.com/2012/02/suggested-reading-new-memoir-short-long-illustrated-and-dirty/#comment-1030 marion Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:30:43 +0000 http://marionroach.com/?p=2301#comment-1030 Hi, Jen. Welcome to the blog. Many thanks for your contributions. I am delighted to have them here. We have to share what we know, of course, and it's very kind of you to do so. Please come back soon for more. Hi, Jen. Welcome to the blog. Many thanks for your contributions. I am delighted to have them here. We have to share what we know, of course, and it’s very kind of you to do so. Please come back soon for more.

]]> Comment on Suggested Reading. New Memoir: Short, Long, Illustrated. And Dirty. by Jen http://marionroach.com/2012/02/suggested-reading-new-memoir-short-long-illustrated-and-dirty/#comment-1029 Jen Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:12:20 +0000 http://marionroach.com/?p=2301#comment-1029 I finished Even Tough Girls Wear Tutu's last week. It was great! I also love History of a Suicide, Jill Bialosky; The Long Goodbye, Meghan O’Rourke; The Man Who Couldn’t Eat, Jon Reiner; and Let’s Take the Long Way Home, Gail Caldwell. I finished Even Tough Girls Wear Tutu’s last week. It was great! I also love History of a Suicide, Jill Bialosky; The Long Goodbye, Meghan O’Rourke;
The Man Who Couldn’t Eat, Jon Reiner; and Let’s Take the Long Way Home, Gail Caldwell.

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