WHEN I joined my first writing class, I couldn’t write anything that wasn’t cute or funny. My pen refused to express pain, heartache or misery. I didn’t want to hurt anyone with my words, or with stories of my difficult life.

What are the unresolved problems in your family? Did you have a relative who was alcoholic, lazy, critical, accident prone, suicidal, colorblind, shallow? Anything is a possibility. Which relative carried these troubles and how have you had to deal with them? What creative ways have you tried to heal them?

The Soul of Memoir is immersive creative writing program designed to help students uncover their unique and personal stories. “Daring To Turn Within” is Episode 1 in this series.