Consider Writing Your Spiritual Memoir

The words "spiritual memoir" intimidate people. Who is equipped to take on the task of writing about the spiritual journey? Are only pastors, priests, monks, rabbis and other spiritual authorities prepared to take on spiritual memoir writing? Or, is the spirituality of our lives a story anyone is fit to share?

Spiritual memoir, also known as spiritual autobiography, is a non-fiction genre that was quite popular in 17th century Protestant England. Marked by a pattern of sin, repentance, conversion, salvation and spiritual epiphany, the documentation of the journey during this time was intense, powerful and life changing. Such a great interest in the spiritual journey arose that fiction became reminiscent of these real life stories of conversion and salvation. The influence of these early writers and writings is still with us today. That leaves us with the question, "Who are the twenty-first century spiritual memoir writers, and how do they tell their story?"

Like the genre itself, a certain amount of faith is required here. Any pilgrimage is risky and unreliable with the sojourn taking the traveler someplace unknown and often unexpected. If the only people who took this journey were those who believed they were fit for the task, the road would be empty of travelers. Have the faith to consider your story and the possibility of traveling the road leading you to share it.

With avenues for communicating more available than ever, being a spiritual memoir writer is more feasible than you might imagine. Consider researching spiritual autobiography on the internet to discover how you might begin to offer your journey as a source of hope for others. Top ranked spiritual autobiography resources give you free writing advice, suggestions for keeping a spiritual journal, opportunities to learn about the stories of others and vehicles for exploring and documenting your journey. You'll find simple, practical suggestions for getting started with your spiritual memoir. Don't be surprised if you discover that your own spiritual memoir is fit to share.

A popular, meaningful and effective way to begin your pilgrimage is through the keeping of a journal. A spiritual journal will give you insight, direction and the faith needed to travel the road of the spiritual storyteller. With resources for how to organize, develop and create a journal filling the internet and bookstores, keeping a journal is easier than ever. Discussion groups, blogs and workshops on journaling are new avenues for finding a voice to express your own inner transformation. Meditative journals, art journals, response journals, photo journals, scrapbooks, as well as audio and video journaling can become a voice for your journey. Don't be intimidated by the words "spiritual memoir." You have a story and you are fit to share it. Explore the possibilities.

Words like "spiritual memoir" and "spiritual autobiography" can intimidate us. Don't forget that they are words meant to describe the everyday experience of how God is at work in our lives. Spirituality is not reserved for the elect. God is vividly present in the lives of every human being. We are all on a journey that's intense, powerful and life changing. Our story is worth sharing. We are the spiritual memoirists of the 21st century.