“I rise with the sun. Being late is not an option. I have come into my farming life too late to change old habits; rising early remains a challenge.
Congratulations to Judy Bullis, whose personal essay about illness, courage, and hope appeared in the Globe Facts & Arguments section. Judy was a student in my advanced memoir writing course, Memories into Story II (UofT SCS, online). I asked Judy to share with us something about her writing process:
This story was inside me, and I needed to tell it as I witnessed my daughter’s courage.
Shared words can bear witness to the extraordinary — at the very least, they are a testament of truth between two people. So I wrote this for Katie, hoping that she might see herself the way I see her, that she might redefine her experience through a different lens.
I began writing it after finishing Allyson’s Memories into Story ll course. She has that ability to draw the right words from a writer, in the right way, for the right moment … and then comment and edit with a velvet glove. I believe I am a better writer because of her.
I freewrote first, then edited the piece a thousand times, repeatedly setting it aside for a time, then bringing it out again. It was painful to write. Reliving the experience with every edit was excruciating, but I think that is a critically important part of memoir. Life isn’t a straight, easy line, and truth-tellers must tell it like it is. The more the reader can feel it, the better.
I had Katie read it, and although proud of her mum’s work, she too found it very painful. How could she not? She had been so near death and had pushed back, and understandably, she does not want to be reminded that there is no cure.
Neither do I.
The Globe did not use a title. The teaser line on the Facts & Arguments site is of their making, but that’s okay. The piece was originally called “Surviving with Grace.”
The response to the essay was beyond my imagination: more than a thousand “shares,” plus a phone call from a crafty gentlemen who found my number to tell me his wife’s story; they offered themselves as friends who would understand should Katie or I ever need help. They are both in their late 70s, and she’s a survivor.
Based on the reaction from people who had shared experiences either as patients or involved observers, I forwarded my essay to the Arthritis Society, which, astoundingly, tweeted it out and posted it on their Facebook page.
Proof that hope rules, and that words written the right way have great power.
Judy Bullis
JUDY BULLIS spent more than 30 years in newspapers, and as publisher and chief executive officer of the Ottawa Sun, she was the first woman publisher in Sun Media history. She received a Community Builder Award in 2000, and for three consecutive years, she was named one of Ottawa Life Magazine’s “Top 50 People.” On leaving Ottawa, Judy was recognized by both the City of Ottawa and the Province of Ontario with proclamations of a dedicated day and month in her name.
After moving to Atlantic Canada in 2004, she became co-owner of the award-winning Alcove Bistro & Lounge and was also a freelance consult with two Nova Scotia daily newspaper publishers. Back in the Niagara region in 2009, she joined Quebecor’s Osprey Media Group in the role of senior group publisher for the Niagara, South Ontario, and Town Media. She was responsible for multiple daily, weekly, magazine, and online publications, as well as a show division that included the Toronto Gourmet Food & Wine Expo.
Now semi-retired, Judy lives with her partner on a hobby farm on the Niagara Escarpment in Grimsby. She is currently completing the requirements for her University of Toronto Creative Writing Certificate, and she writes simply because she must.
Beautifully written.