Having worked as a professional writer my entire adult life, writing my memoir feels like a natural act at this point. There will be ups and downs during the process, but I am used to that.
But in my experience, including in this facility, almost every elderly person wants to review his or her life. My roommate tells me and every care-giver the same set of simple facts of what he can remember of his life every single day.
His condition is mysterious -- one factor the medical staff rules out is alcohol or drug abuse. He is and has never been an addict.
He is very sweet and well-meaning. But he just keeps repeating himself over and over, frustrating everyone. I'm wondering whether he had an undiagnosed stroke?
He'll never write a book.
***
There are many obstacles to ever getting my book published; I recognize that. But I'm proceeding as if it will.
One reason is that I am writing it for me. Another is for my family. A third is for my many colleagues over the decades. Finally, the book has a clear purpose: to explain journalistic practice in the hope we can preserve its integrity.
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