Wonder and loss : a practical memoir for writing about grief / Sam Meekings.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Meekings, Sam, author.

Contributor:

Bloomsbury (Firm), publisher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Grief in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (240 pages)

Edition:

1st edition.

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Academic, 2025.

Summary:

A braided memoir that interweaves the author's personal journey through grief with a guide on how to write about it, this book is both Sam Meeking's raw account of the death of his younger brother and a step-by-step breakdown of the memoir writing process. With a twin focus on how to heal and preserve precious memories whilst exploring the mechanics of writing about the self, Wonder and Loss uses personal story, writing theories, useful strategies and detailed prompts to invite the reader to write alongside Sam on a path that is both painful and profound. One of the most straightforward approaches to writing memoir put to page, Sam Meekings breaks down the craft of personal narrative into understandable steps and considerations and provides a sequence of actions and suggestions that are both practical and motivating. Allowing readers to take control of their own stories, this book shares allusions to related works as well as new theories from the worlds of neuroscience, neurology, psychology and creative writing, translating them into processes writers can use to remember those lost and to rediscover themselves. Compellingly honest and an introspective look at the transformation through grief and loss as it's written, readers will learn to both honour and record the memories of those they mourn, and to rediscover the person they are and can be.

Contents:

Introduction

Part I: Writing as Discovery

Chapter 1: Beginnings

Chapter 2: Writing into the Dark

Chapter 3: Setting Myself on Fire

Chapter 4: Home/Sickness

Chapter 5: Ten Ways of Thinking about the Body

Chapter 6: Palimpsest

Part II: Writing as Transformation

Chapter 7: Forgiveness

Chapter 8: Metaphor

Chapter 9: Embracing Failure

Chapter 10: Transformations

[Midpoint Self-assessment]

Part III: Writing as Renewal

Chapter 11: Fable and Myth

Chapter 12: Personal Ecology

Chapter 13: Writing the Unknown

Chapter 14: Returning to Childhood

Chapter 15: Dreams and the Unconscious

Part IV: Writing as Magic

Chapter 16: Talking with Ghosts

Chapter 17: Pleasures and Passions

Chapter 18: Poetic Tools

Chapter 19: Summoning

Chapter 20: Endings

Conclusion

Additional Resources

Annotated Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781350550803

OCLC:

1520506002