Bright Spots, Neurodiversity, and More Chicken in Your Memoir with Kristin Jarvis Adams

Writing Your Resilience: Building Resilience, Embracing Trauma and Healing Through Writing

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If you’re writing about a medical drama or other high-intensity journey involving another person, how do you write about these events without swallowing your story of transformation? What would you do if your agent’s feedback to you was “more chicken?” That’s exactly what parent advocate Kristin Jarvis Adams’s agent said after reading a draft of her memoir, The Chicken Who Saved Us. Join us as we explore the challenges of turning an animal into a primary character in your memoir, learning to appreciate the diverse ways we communicate, how to get past your vendetta mindset, and the power of finding the pinpoints of light in dark times.

Kristin’s Bio: Kristin Jarvis Adams’ award-winning book, The Chicken Who Saved Us, received national attention in the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, ParentMap, Journey, The Autism Blog, and elsewhere. A Pacific Northwest native, she spends her days writing, working as a parent advocate for children with special needs, and chasing a flock of belligerent but loveable chickens around her backyard.

Resources Mentioned During This Episode:

• Kristin’s Resources: https://kristinjarvisadams.com/resources/

• How a pet chicken helped me understand my autistic son: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2017/02/02/how-a-pet-chicken-helped-me-understand-my-autistic-son/

Episode Highlights

• 2:21 Using a Chicken as a Primary Character
• 11:34 Writing About Another Person’s Disability
• 16:57 Getting Past the Vendetta Mindset
• 24:10 Balancing External Dramas with Internal Transformation
• 30:54 Kristin’s Best Writing Advice

Connect with Kristin:

website: https://kristinjarvisadams.com

Instagram: @kristinjarvisadams

Facebook: @thechickenwhosavedus

Connect with your host, Lisa:
Get Your Free Copy of Write More, Fret Less
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Sign up for Memoir Backstory: Deciding what to keep, cut, and repurpose from your story: https://janefriedman.com/memoir-backstory-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/

Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

Chương

1. Bright Spots, Neurodiversity, and More Chicken in Your Memoir with Kristin Jarvis Adams (00:00:00)

2. Using a Chicken as a Primary Character (00:02:21)

3. Writing About Another Person’s Disability (00:11:34)

4. Getting Past the Vendetta Mindset (00:16:57)

5. Balancing External Dramas with Internal Transformation (00:24:10)

6. Kristin’s Best Writing Advice (00:30:45)