Victorian retiree shares how he self-published his life story for family and friends
Retired principal Terence Bourke says his memoir Dance in the Rain was inspired by his late grandfathers and how little he knew about them.
“How intriguing it would be to know more about them and my great grandfathers,” he writes in the preface.
As a result, the 75-year-old recently celebrated his book’s launch with friends and family.
“My book consists of recollections of my life over the years,” he said.
Today Terry lives with his wife Sandra and their dogs in a beautiful bayside village on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, Australia.
And in this week’s article he shares his life-writing journey plus tips for others sitting down to write …
Former principal has desire to write
As the years passed I had become increasingly curious about those in my family who had preceded me as there were meagre written accounts to draw upon.
Therefore, in my late 60s I decided to write my memoirs as a legacy to my children, grandchildren and hopefully great-grandchildren.
That is to say it is merely a smattering of memories that flowed from my keyboard on and off over a couple of years.
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Making a start on a memoir
My friends and family were very supportive of my project, particularly my wife Sandra and a few close friends.
Certainly it was difficult to start but once begun the memories flowed freely.
Firstly I started with my earliest recollection and for the most part proceeded in chronological order.
As a result, all up the book includes 14 chapters, plus about two dozen photos, a preface, prologue and acknowledgements.
Because I was in no hurry, the whole process took four to five years.
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Retired principal’s writing challenges and rewards
The hardest part was to present my recollections with honest recall but with the proviso that no one would be hurt in the process.
The most rewarding part was at my book launch and the positive feedback I received from so many people.
Certainly, my favourite part of the memoir was the story about a parachute jump (gone wrong) and I could present it in its immediacy from notes I had made at the time.
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Terry’s tips for new writers
Most importantly my advice would be to just start.
In other words, get the first paragraph written and allow people into the process.
Also collect as much material as you can.
And finally, be reassured your spelling and grammar will be corrected through good editing.
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Final say: Ex-principal on memoir writing
In conclusion, retired principal Terry said writing his memoir made him reflect on so many events and aspects of his life.
“By compartmentalising my life story I recognised some common threads throughout,” he said.
Today the father of four is “growing old disgracefully” while remaining positive living with cancer.
Because as his book’s introductory quote by Vivian Greene reads: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
Happy writing!
Free gift!
Keen to write a memoir like former principal Terry? You can get a ripper start by making a basic chapter outline. I show you how in the free Structure Success video training. Sign up here or fill in the form below!
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This article first appeared on the website Forever Young Autobiographies.com.
