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A PERSON WHO DISSAPEARED

WABB LAB – MEMOIRS – DAY 5

Welcome to day 5 of our first Wabb-Lab: Memoirs! Wabb-Labs are a weeklong deep dive into a specific form of writing. Immerse yourself fully and commit for one week of writing every day!

Memoirs may sound like a later in life type of thing and looking back into a long forgotten past and it may be that. If you are a senior reflecting back or want to share your memories with the younger generation, but it can also for young or midlife people who want to preserve memories now that they are still fresh or who want to reflect on a specific period in life. Maybe you have survived a struggle with an illness or had a specials experience during your childhood. These exercises help everyone who want to share their personal story and help you put those memories to paper.

Some people leave your life without drama.
They just… stop being there.

The exercise

Write about a person you lost touch with.

Not:

  • why
  • whose fault it was
  • what it says about them or about yourself

Just:

  • what they were like
  • what you did together
  • how they existed in your life

No ending required.

Rules

  • a minimum of 10 minutes non stop writing
  • No conclusions
  • No lessons learned

Resist the urge to wrap it up neatly.

Tip: Try to only write tangible things and avoid emotional words.

For example:

Don’t write: Maggie was a mess. She got into trouble all the time.

Instead describe a moment that she was in trouble, and you had to help her out.

I opened the front door and there was Maggie. Her clothes were soaking wet and so was here hair. It stuck to her cheeks that were red. From the cold, from running? Probably both. Her shoes were covered in mud.

“Quick, let me in”, she said, “close the door, do you have a towel? Can I borrow your tracksuit?“

“What the hell happened Maggie? Why are you wet?“

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