MEMOIR TIP: Finding the Special in an “Ordinary” Life Ever feel like “my life was nothing special”? It’s a common refrain among memoir writers. You went to work; came home; cooked; did laundry. Then rinse and repeat, day after day. Where’s the special to write about in that so-called “ordinary” life? Here’s my take-away after interviewing dozens of folks who […]
Mental Yoga
Starting to write can feel like this. Awkward. Uncomfortable. Totally unfamiliar. And like everyone else is better at this than you. Just close your eyes and dive in. Remember any words you write can be fixed up, corrected, and changed later. But a blank page can’t be edited. So pull out a pen. Top off […]
Valentine’s Day Memories
Everyone loves a good love story. And love stories make an especially wonderful addition to a life story or memoir! Maybe it’s that magic moment you first saw your future wife or husband; Or the accidental meeting that brought your parents together. Maybe it’s the high school sweetheart you loved and lost – but never quite […]
Memoir Tip – A Funny Thing Happened
Life isn’t humor-free. Don’t forget to capture those silly, awkward, and downright hilarious times in your memoir, too! What pranks did you play on friends and family — or got played on you? What stunts did you pull as a kid? (And did you get away with it, or did you get caught?) Tales of our […]
Memoir Tip – Small stuff IS the big stuff
For us memoir writers, the small stuff really is the big stuff. Great stories often spring from really humble things. Mom’s pin-cushion, always at the ready to mend a tear, re-attach a button, or stitch up a hem. The smell of baking bread from the kitchen. The flat stones by the ocean that you learned to […]