One of the greatest gifts of writing memoir is having a way to shape that chaos, looking at all the pieces side by side so they make more sense. It’s a supreme act of control to understand a life as a story that resonates with others. It’s not a diary. It’s taking this chaos and making a story out of it, attempting to make art out of it. When you’re a writer, what else is there to do?
– Dani Shapiro from Why We Write About Ourselves, ed. by Meredith Maran
Lovely quote from a great lady.
That’s brilliant. ????
Wonderful quote. I’m very much looking forward to hearing Dani speak next week at The Festival for Faith & Writing!