Writing Her Way Through Grief: How One Woman Found Her Voice After Loss
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
When Samantha Rose lost her mother to suicide, it was sudden and overwhelming. Her stepfather had died just a few months earlier from cancer, but his death was expected. Her mother’s wasn’t. It brought confusion, anger, and silence.
Samantha had spent years writing other people’s stories as a ghostwriter. But this time, she started writing for herself. What began as handwritten notes turned into something more. Through writing, she found a way to process what had happened and eventually found her own voice again.
Samantha’s Story
Samantha Rose had always been a writer, but mainly behind the scenes. As a ghostwriter, she helped other people tell their stories. Then her own life took a turn. First, her stepfather died of cancer. It was painful, but not unexpected. Just three months later, her mother ended her life by suicide. Samantha had spoken to her that same morning. Nothing in the conversation stood out. No warning signs. No goodbye.
In the days that followed, she discovered her mother had planned it. There were passwords, documents, and even a typewritten note. The shock of the loss was one thing. The silence around it was another.
Samantha and her sisters each responded differently. One focused on logistics. One avoided the emotional parts altogether. Samantha turned inward. She started writing, not to publish or fix anything, but to process what had happened.
The Role of Writing Through Grief
At first, it looked like journaling. A few notes here and there. Fragments of conversations she wished she could still have with her mother. Writing through grief became a way to stay connected, to say things left unsaid, and to keep asking questions that had no clear answers. Later, those pages became her memoir.
Writing gave Samantha structure when the rest of life felt like chaos. It helped her make sense of what happened. It also brought up memories she hadn’t planned to face; not just about her mom, but about herself.
In telling her mother’s story, she began telling her own. And in doing so, she stopped hiding behind other people’s voices.
What Writing Unlocked
Writing didn’t make the pain go away, but it gave it shape. It helped her organize the mess. At times, it gave her moments of clarity or even humor, like the absurd scene of trying to scatter her mother’s ashes and ending up with a kitchen full of dust.
Grief is heavy. Writing helped her carry it. And somewhere in the process, she realized she was no longer just ghostwriting. She had stepped out of the background. The story wasn’t just about her mother’s death. It was about her own life, too, and how to keep going.
Most people won’t write a book about their loss. But that doesn’t mean writing can’t help. A few words in a notebook. A letter never sent. A list of memories or questions. These small things can bring relief, even if they don’t bring answers. Writing creates space to feel what we usually avoid. It lets us tell the truth, even when it’s messy. You don’t have to write well. You just have to be honest.
If you’re grieving, it might be worth picking up a pen. You may not know what to say at first. That’s okay. The act of writing is often what brings the words.
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Giving Up the Ghost - Samantha Rose
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