INSPIRED…BY NEIGHBORS
It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been two years since my friend Avanti and I embarked on the adventure of telling the story of his wife—Selma’s—immigration to the United States of America. If Selma’s father had not sought safety in the U.S. from the tyranny of Mussolini, his wife and children would not have followed him and Selma, and Avanti would have never met—and fallen in love—or been “in position” to bless the lives of so many others. Oh, there are thousands of stories out there like that, you say? I beg to differ. Truly, there are NO two stories alike—no two people whose lives touch ours the same. The facts, fears and fantasies that drive each person to reach the multiple shores of their life-adventures are unique and made up of valuable lessons—for us all.
Marketing specialists have latched on to this truth and are using it in more media genres than ever before. Have you heard the voice of famous comedian Robin Williams (recently lost to us) reading a poetry segment from the movie Dead Poet’s Society? The quote is from a Walt Whitman poem:
“O me, O life of the questions of these recurring.
Of the endless trains of the faithless.
Of cities filled with the foolish.
What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer: that you are here.
That life exists and identity.
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”
Then Robin repeats the last line followed by a provocative question meant to nudge the listener toward the unspoken question.
‘That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.’
What will your verse be?”
And the unspoken question: What will your legacy be?
Robin Williams has certainly left an amazing legacy behind. He has touched the lives of millions of people around the world who remember him as “magical,” his performances “unlike anything seen before as if they came from some spiritual and otherworldly place.”
My thought for you today is: …and so it is with each individual person on this planet. My memoir writing friend Avanti may not have personally touched the lives of millions. However, his life-legacy and the legacy of his wife Selma are sown into us—all of us—just the same. I am blessed to have helped him produce that memoir and self-publish it, as with every page I learned something of value for my own life.
Whether you are currently thinking of writing a memoir or are in the midst of writing a great adventure novel, the life-lessons learned from our inspiring neighbors will help you develop your own life-dreams—and build super-hero-characters to enrich the world of books-in-print. STEP UP, my friends! Get the writing done! And publish!
 |
ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward. |
