Chapter 3: Odyssey Writing: A Guide for Participants

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of From the High Hill

In This Section

Introduction to Writing Your Odyssey
From From the High Hill

“Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who traveled far and wide” begins the first sentence of Homer’s Odyssey….
Organizing and Collecting Memories, Stories, and Mementos
From From the High Hill

To incorporate all the possibilities might mean writing a book! And you may want to write a book!…
Preparing to Write
From From the High Hill

Approaches to writing inform the finished product. You may choose to write in a “stream of consciousness” without any particular focus in mind. Or you might organize your writing around a particular theme….
Writing Your Odyssey
From From the High Hill

Here it is! The moment you’ve been waiting for—or dreading! The pencils are sharpened, the pens lined up in a row, the cover is off the typewriter, or the blank computer screen beckons—the writing medium is up to you. Where and how you write are your choice. Ernest Hemmingway famously stood up…
Pairing up for Peer Support
From From the High Hill

During your retreat weekend, you may have chosen a partner for the writing interval. You and your partner might meet together occasionally to read and encourage each other’s work….
Reviewing What You Have Written
From From the High Hill

You’ve done it! Your Odyssey, the pages of your life, is complete. Put the pages in a drawer and leave them alone for a couple of days (don’t peek!)….
Adding Ruffles and Flourishes
From From the High Hill

Special Objects You may want to incorporate into your Odyssey presentation some of the artifacts from your High Hill retreat or from your research, such as photos, lists, time lines, trees, drawings, or scrapbooks. Gather your artifacts and rehearse your presentation, reading your Odyssey aloud….
Preparing for the Presentation of Your Odyssey
From From the High Hill

“In every end, there is a beginning,” wrote T.S. Eliot. Presenting your Odyssey to others who all have engaged in a similar process offers an opportunity to see your life all over again through the eyes of others. In a sense, you reinvent yourself as a whole individual, as you reflect and write….
After the Odyssey Presentation
From From the High Hill

Congratulations! You have presented your life story. You have told that life to a room full of people who support you and care about you. You have listened deeply to their questions and answered them thoughtfully and truthfully, with love and compassion. What a remarkable achievement!…

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The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Chapter 3: Odyssey Writing: A Guide for Participants

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