Memoir writing is something most people don’t think about, but maybe they should.

It’s always surprised me that writing isn’t popular. I remember back in junior high when writing was sometimes used as a punishment. It was often effective because classmates didn’t like it.

I’ve always enjoyed putting my thoughts into words. I do it at least once a week. Until this past month one thing I’d never considered was writing my memoirs.

It was always something I thought I might do someday when I became a senior citizen, when I had nearly a lifetime of experiences.

That changed when I had a short conversation at an Arts Center author’s reading with retired Marshall High School English teacher Carol Purrington. She’s currently teaching a memoir writing class for Southwest Minnesota State University’s Gold College.

She asked me if I was taking her class. I told her I’d like to take it at some point because I intend to write about my life. She recommended that I start now.

It seemed like good advice. I realized that if I were to die unexpectedly at a young age, all of my unwritten memories would die with me.

I’ve worked up an outline. Within a year I’d like to have a fairly detailed set of recollections written down for the future. I figure it will at least be something that my relatives will want to read.

It’s something everyone should consider. Things like memoirs, diaries and letters are among the world’s best historical resources. They reveal details about the past that aren’t found in reference materials.

Even so, they’ve come to be almost a lost art. People just don’t take the time for them. Many people in the past never did either. Countless amounts of insight have been lost because facts and ideas were never documented.

There are a variety of reasons for why people don’t write about themselves. One is that they think they’re nothing special, that there’s nothing profound in the things they do with their lives. Another is that they don’t believe anyone will pay attention to what they say.

Those perspectives underestimate the experiences of average people. Often there’s a lot that can be learned from reading about an average worker, a typical soldier, an ordinary parent or anyone else who’s never stood out from the crowd.

It takes millions of average people to keep society on track. The experiences of one average person most likely have similarities to those of many others.

A memoir, a diary or a letter is an easy thing to write. I put together a Christmas letter in 2023 for the first time in 10 years. It only took a short amount of time, and it was a good investment.

It was actually one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It made me realize that I really did a lot in 2023, much more than I would have gathered had I not taken the time to list the year’s highlights. Writing something down creates a well rounded perspective.

It provides something that can be read many times. It guarantees that interesting experiences won’t be completely forgotten.

Most people think they aren’t good writers. That’s one of the reasons writing isn’t popular. People normally don’t like things they feel they aren’t good at.

It’s similar to art. The vast majority of people don’t think of themselves as artists. If they have a situation where they have to draw something, they’re likely to criticize their attempt or make fun if it.

I remember in the 1990s when Marshall artist Jim Dahl encouraged me to paint a small buffalo on a prairie diorama. I tried and apologized for making a mistake. He said that art is never a mistake, and fixed my attempt with several simple brush strokes.

Writing is never a mistake either, unless you’re talking about spelling, grammar or journalism that gets something factually wrong.

Otherwise it’s good as long as it’s an honest attempt to create something or to share a true story. It’s very possible to take what seems mundane and turn it into interesting experiences. Everyone should at least try.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent