The Power of Story. How to start.
photo credit: Pixabay The Origin of Story Since the beginning of time, our ancestors recognized the power of story. When the first hunters returned to the cave, those waiting back home grunted, “How was your day, Dear?” And the hunters, novices at story telling, drew...
What is a haiku memoir? And why should you try it?
Memoir and haiku are unlikely playmates. Memoir, of course, is rooted in the past.. The haiku that I’m talking about here, by contrast, is focused, deliberately and explicitly, on the present. Writing haiku is, in fact, a kind of mindfulness practice....
What Makes a Memoir Great. Part 4
In the first three blogs of this series about "What makes a memoir great?" I wrote about emotionally engaging the reader through story (#1); character (#2) and theme (#3). From a writer's perspective, each of these topics fits broadly under the general heading...
Greetings from Molokai, Hawaii
Wendy and I on Molokai, HI Greetings, blog friends and memoirists, from Kalaupapa Valley, Molokai, Hawaii. This is just a chat to let you know where I've been and that I'll be back. The picture says it...
What Makes a Memoir Great. Part 3.
photo credit: Pixabay.com What Makes a Memoir Great. Part 3. Theme. In parts 1 and 2, we talked about the necessity for a memoir to have an engaging story and engaging characters. In part 3, I draw your attention to the essential nature of "Theme." A strong theme is...
What Makes a Memoir Great? Part 2
photo credit: pixabay.com What Makes a Memoir Great? Part 2 This is the second in a series about "What makes a memoir great?" There are many things that can make a memoir great. Or lousy. In this series, I'm trying to outline what I consider to be the HEADLINE...
What Makes a Memoir Great? Part 1
What Makes a Memoir Great? Part 1 photo credit: Pixabay.com The question itself - what makes a memoir great? - is highly subjective, so I invite you to weigh in, agree or disagree with me. But over the next few weeks, I'm going to propose a theory of memoir. I'm...
Dancing with fear and excitement
Skye Hillgartner of Bloomsbury Books, and the author Before reading, Ashland 2.16.17 Creativity is a dance of fear and excitement. There I've said it. What I've experienced and known for a long time, but never fully acknowledged - even to myself - before. Example I'm...
Waking into mindfulness. How do you start your day?
photo credit: "https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image Waking thoughts When I woke up this morning, I didn't want to get up. Not that anything horrendous awaited me. Not that I was sleep deprived. Not that I was depressed. Not that it was unusually cold outside or...
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