The Non-Joy of Finding Things Out

https://pixabay.com/en/news-daily-newspaper-press-1172463/
@msiduri (5687)
United States
August 11, 2016 9:14am CST
I started on a long writing project recently, a non-fiction work that involves my family. It’s not a happy thing and I’m feeling a bit down, frankly. I’m also reluctant to hurt or offend anyone. I don’t want to step on toes. It’s not something that involves a family squabble or would assign blame to a family member, but would bring up unhappy memories. Someone might ask, if there’s no joy in it, why do it? Truth is, the uncertainty is even worse. And I may never know for sure exactly what happened, but at least I’ll be uncertain about less than when I started. The time has come to stop procrastinating. Yes, I’m being vague, only I’m sad. And I’m alone on this thing. Image is from pixabay
4 people like this
5 responses
Heather Echola
@GardenGerty (169489)
• United States
11 Aug 16
You can do your writing, then put it away for a while if you think it needs to spare feelings.
2 people like this
Siduri
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
11 Aug 16
I've set it aside so many times in the last 25 years—I may have to come back from the great beyond to complete it if I set it aside too many more times.
Jabo
@jaboUK (64346)
• United Kingdom
11 Aug 16
Good luck with whatever you are trying to do. Delving into family history can be like stirring up a hornet's nest, can't it? I've been going through my father's memoirs and fortunately no skeletons in cupboards there.
1 person likes this
Jabo
@jaboUK (64346)
• United Kingdom
11 Aug 16
@msiduri That's great that you edited your mother's memoirs - did you do anything with them? I've just put up an excerpt of my Dad's memoirs on here, and it's been received quite well, so I may do more.
1 person likes this
Siduri
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
11 Aug 16
@jaboUK We published them on amazon, printed six or seven copies then sent then out to family members. I retired then retired to book from amazon. It was for family only. Mom was really pleased with the appearance of it, so I was quite happy. And I didn't tell her how much it cost.
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Siduri
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
11 Aug 16
Thanks. Happily (...if I can say that?) this doesn't involve a family fight, but I can understand why people don't want to talk about it. Hope your father's memoirs bring back happy memories. Things like that can be wonderful for children and grandchildren. I edited my mother's memoirs a year or two ago. She wrote about immigrating to the U.S. as a teenager. Most of the stuff I'd heard before, but there was a lot of stuff I didn't know. It was nice to read.
1 person likes this
Sky
@skysnap (20152)
•
11 Aug 16
Do let us know once you publish that writing somewhere.
1 person likes this
Sky
@skysnap (20152)
•
11 Aug 16
@msiduri Why not? Many people are writing stuff on amazon and smashwords. Give it a try if it's non fiction can be changed into fiction ;)
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Siduri
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
11 Aug 16
@skysnap I want to know for myself—as much as is possible so many years later—what actually happened. I'd like to publish it as well and see the results of my hard work. Changing it to fiction would undermine the point.
1 person likes this
Siduri
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
11 Aug 16
Are you kidding? I'll alert the Associated Press when I publish—should I ever publish—this writing. Thanks for your kind words.
Jo Ann
@akalinus (44366)
• United States
11 Aug 16
I decided not to do a memoir because of the tragic and painful memories. You could weave it into a fiction work.
1 person likes this
Siduri
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
11 Aug 16
I can understand that. In this, it's the exploration, the trying to find out what happened that's painful. Similar things happened in other families. I'll explore public records, but I won't talk to them because that would be too invasive. Nevertheless, it's sad. Thanks for your note.
Scott Ganschow
@teamfreak16 (43640)
• Denver, Colorado
11 Aug 16
Well good luck. Hope this time it sticks and you'll finish
1 person likes this
Siduri
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
11 Aug 16
Thanks. I've already done more work in the past couple of weeks than I have in years. However, it means a trip back to the city where I was born which can't happen until next year. I haven't been there since the late 80s.
1 person likes this