How to write your own history

A WORKSHOP on how to go about writing autobiographical work will be the theme of the next Bendigo Writers Council meeting on 26 June.

Local columnist and writer Annie Young was a well-known teacher librarian around Bendigo for many years and her writing has appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines all over the country.

She now dedicates a lot of her time to helping others tell their story easily and with structure.

“What I’ve found is that people would say to me, ‘Oh, I’d love to write something for my grandchildren or my children, but I don’t know how to start’,” she said.

“So it stops them from doing anything. Too often they just sit staring at a piece of paper struggling for precisely the right word or the best way to open a chapter.”

Young said the workshop will help participants get rolling with ideas to focus on.

“They could, for example, write about the food they had as a child, or what entertainment they had at night or on the weekends,” she said.

“What clothes did they wear? They could write about holidays. Where did they go?

“Once they’ve started it’s actually very hard to stop. I think they’d find once they open those floodgates, the stories just pour out.”

Write My Own Story with Annie Young takes place on Wednesday 26 June at Bendigo Library between 7 and 9pm. $10 entry includes supper.