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Named to "Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites," this #SharingwithWriters blog is a way to connect with my readers and fellow writers, a way to give the teaching genes that populate my DNA free rein. Please join the conversation using the very tiny "comment" link. For those interested in editing and grammar, go to http://thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Linda Wisniewski Guest Blogs with "Tips for Writing Memoirs"

Writing the stories of our lives seems one of the most important topics for writers I can think of. It is my pleasure to introduce Linda Wisniewski and her story to Sharing with Writers readers. Please share a bit of your story, too--under the comments!By Linda C. Wisniewski, author of the memoir, Off Kilter: A Women's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, & Her Polish Heritage

Writing the stories of our lives is one of the most valuable things we can do. Here are some ideas to get you started.

  • Set aside a time and place, and write freely for half an hour a day.
  • Use props to jog your memory: keepsakes, photos, even articles of clothing. Why do you keep it? What emotions does it bring forth in you?
  • Make lists of historical events that happened in your lifetime, people you've loved, addresses where you've lived, places you've visited, hobbies or jobs you have held. Then write a page about each one.
  • Make a chart of your life in decades. Under each decade, list the turning points or times of transition. Then write a brief story about each turning point.
  • Use an index card for each important person in your life and write a few words on the card about what you want them to remember about you. Then write that person a letter about why these things are important to you.
  • Write down the names of your favorite recipes. Who gave them to you? When do you make these foods?
  • Stop writing and stare into space! After you have a rough draft, ask yourself: Why am I telling this story? What does this episode remind me of in my current life?

Try one of these tips with your own memoir writing. And send me your own ideas as well! I’ll post my favorites on my website with your name attached. Happy writing and reminiscing!

Email Linda: lindawis@comcast.net

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Linda C. Wisniewski is the author of Off Kilter: A Women's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, & Her Polish Heritage. She writes for the Bucks County Herald and teaches memoir classes for Bucks County Community College. A graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, she holds a master's degree from Villanova University and a certificate of advanced study from Drexel University. She is regional representative of the International Women's Writing Guild and a board member of the Story Circle Network. Linda is a contributing editor for the Story Circle Journal and is co-editor of Story Circle Book Reviews. Find out more about Linda by visiting her website: http://www.lindawis.com

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure success. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal." Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com and AuthorsCoalition.blogspot.com, a blog that helps writers and publishers turn a ho-hum book fair booth into a sizzler.

6 comments:

  1. Linda, thank you for this article. It is a perfect guest blog. I know my blog subscribers will get lots from it. And, Angela, authors everywhere should be flocking to your blog tour door!

    Best,
    Carolyn
    Host at this blog

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're quite welcome, Carolyn, I love the design of this blog page. I'll be stopping by again very soon!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous4:22 AM

    Thank you, Linda. What wonderful suggestions. Tapping into emotions really does help my writing, but I hadn't even thought of these - I love the decade suggestion.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'd like to add...keep a journal. And not just one that marks what happened in your day, but your emotions and feelings about the events.

    If you haven't done this already, start now. Who knows...5, 10, 20 years from now you might want to write about your life!

    www.allynevans.blogspot.com
    www.thealertparent.blogspot.com

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  5. Great ideas, Linda.

    For the past eight years, I've been immersed in telling others' stories. I've been exploring the lives of my fictional characters and recounting the true stories of real-life late bloomers. Sometimes I've inserted pieces of my own story into my blog, my columns and even my book(s). But for the most part, at least in terms of my writing, I've been focusing on others' journeys rather than my own. That said, I do journal every day, which often entails excavating my past. Until you suggested it, however, I've never seriously considered writing my story.

    You said to share a snippet. Here is my earliest memory:

    I'm being bathed in a porcelain sink, watching individual rays of sunlight stream through the bathroom window. I look up at my mother's face and feel how much she loves me. I'm less than 3 weeks old.

    Prill

    Author of Defying Gravity
    prillboyle.com
    defyinggravitynow.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, the emotions do tend to reveal more memories and vice versa...
    Prill - Wow! An emotion-laden memory from only 3 weeks of age!

    ReplyDelete

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