Writing About Your

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Writing About Your Self Life Mapping

• Troy University (Main Campus)
• Student Support Services (SSS)

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Objectives are to . . .

• Teach students to use a life map as a memory
  wake-up strategy, and motivational writing and
  planning device.
• Teach students that life maps help them visualize
  their individual life journeys.
• Teach students the power of autobiographical
  thinking and narration.
• Promote self awareness, identity and creative
  expression in college writers.
• Inspire students to assess themselves and not
  wait for others to determine their self-worth or
  value.

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Shakespeare wrote . . .

• To thine own self be true.
• In order to be true to yourself, you must think
  about your entire self, not just the parts that
  make you look or feel great.
• If you are truthful when viewing yourself, then
  you can see similarities between yourself and
  others.
• To be extreme is to have flaws, as well as great
  qualities.

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There are a various ways to identify, define or
think of yourself.

• Four Ways to Define Yourself
• Externally
• Internally
• Subjectively
• Objectively

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How do you define yourself?

• You can define yourself based on your
• Externally
• Example Your job or position (writer
  full-time student stay-at-home dad minister of
  music at my church) or some tangible valuables in
  your possession (owner of a summer home in the
  Florida everglades
• Internal resources
• Example Your personality characteristics
  (kind, impatient, rowdy, optimistic)

Source http//www.creatingstrategies.com/article
s/life_mapping/who_are_you
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How can you define yourself? (cont).

• Objectively (factually / without opinion)
• Subjectively (creatively / uniquely / based on
  opinion)

Do you agree of disagree with this
statement? What you see is not always what you
get or all that you get. There is often more
beneath the surface than there is on the surface.
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Autobiographical Writing

• Is a way to identify yourself in various ways . .
  .
• Gives you a chance to be creative.
• Gives you an opportunity to be self-conscious.
• Self-Conscious intensely aware of oneself
  (Merriam Webster)

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Importance of being Intensely Aware

• Self-Conscious intensely aware of oneself
  (Merriam Webster)
• Self Conscious does not have to have the
  negative connotation that that the person is Shy,
  lacks confidence, or is overly concerned about
  what other people think.
• An intense awareness can be a powerful and
  empowering awareness of ones self. If someone
  is intensely aware of himself or herself, then he
  can analyze his own limits and strengths and not
  rely on others to judge him or her.
• A person who knows his or her limits or strengths
  can learn to trust his or her own judgment and
  not be afraid to use his own thinking skills in
  order to make decisions.

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Autobiographical Writing is . . .

• Writing about your self in the (1) past, (2)
  present or (3) future tense, depending on the
  purpose of the writing.
• One key to writing about yourself is to have a
  destination.
• Another key to writing about yourself is to know
  your self.

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Remember this Simple Logic of autobiographical
or Self Writing

• If you want to go backward, then prepare to focus
  on your history or the history of your culture or
  your environment. Write or think in past tense.
• If you want to stay where you are, then write
  about what is going on right now in your life or
  environment. You will write in the present tense
  when practical. (Example of present writing is
  Journal writing.)
• If you want to go forward, then you focus on your
  visions or plans. Write or think in future tense.

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Before you write . . . Think About Yourself
Your self . . .

• What is a self?
• Answer the abstract (part left to
  interpretation) and concrete (factual) parts of
  an entire person

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Next, Ask Your self these Questions

• Where do I think I want to travel physically or
  emotionally -- to the past, future or nowhere?
• Am I prepared to reveal to others secret passages
  of my life?
• Am I prepared to revisit my entire past the
  good and bad parts?
• Am I happy, frustrated or simply stuck in the
  present?
• Am I prepared to change my path if I run into an
  obstacle or think myself into a corner or a
  circle?
• Am I interested in exploring new routes in order
  to find my future?
• Are there images of my life that immediately or
  repeatedly come to mind?

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How to begin a Self or Autobiographical Writing .
. .
Life mapping supports autobiographical writing
(writing about ones self). A Life Map is
graphic representation or blueprint of your life
past, present and future.
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Life Mapping . . .
Life mapping supports autobiographical writing
(writing about ones self in order to identify or
define ones entire self ).
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What is a Life Map?

• a graphic organizer
• A graphic organizer is a group of pictures,
  images, or symbols that represent events and
  goals in a persons life.

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Sample Life Map (simple version)
On a life map, use mainly images or symbols. You
may use a few words or no words.
Source http//www.education-world.com/a_tsl/arch
ives/05-1/lesson023.shtml
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Sample Life Map (detailed/using computer software)
Sourcehttp//lion.taoriver.net/wp-content/Lion120
0.png
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Now, it is time to work on

• Your Life Map . . .
• Use the list on the next slide to help you start
  thinking about your self first.
• After you think, then begin to draw symbols that
  represent your life. You may want to create a
  time line or be more creative.
• You may want to use unique figures to represent
  the events or details of your Life Map.

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Now, Create Your Life Map.

• Think on the important events of your life and
  Draw Symbols to represent them.
• Use the sample list below to motivate your life
  map drawing on the handout provided.
• Stories you have heard about your birth
• Your earliest childhood memory (describe in
  detail)
• Your most vivid childhood experiences
• Your school years
• A special trip you have taken
• A favorite meaningful thing/object you received
  from someone special
• The first time you gave a speech
• The first time you wrote an essay
• A time you hurt yourself
• A very funny event
• A time when you cried
• Your first bike ride
• A memorable/favorite book
• A hospital stay
• Your first plane flight
• A day you met someone famous

Be as CREATIVE as You Can Be!
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Share Your Life

• This concludes this presentation.
• Remember . . .
• Complete your workshop evaluation form and
  submit to staff.

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THE END

• Thank you for your participation.
• Have a successful learning experience at Troy
  University.
• Talk to the SSS staff about your learning needs
  or concerns. We are here for you.
• Contact information
• Phone [phone] / Center for Student
  Success, Shackelford Annex 109 Troy University
  Troy, AL 36082