A friend at the California Writer’s Club suggested that I subscribe to two magazines. His recommendations were “Poets & Writers,” and “Writer’s Digest.” Of the two, only “Poets & Writers” was available on the Kindle, so that’s the one I picked to get started reading about writers. It turns out that there’s a “Why We … Continue reading
Posted in June 2012 …
NY Times Commentary on Memoirs
I’ve been doing a little research about memoirs and this is probably the most discouraging article that I’ve come across. It seems that the author thinks that our little non-famous lives aren’t worth documenting. Sorry Neil, but I disagree. Writing doesn’t need to be an exclusive club. I say do it! For those who want … Continue reading
Yardwork – A Lost Art?
I drove out of my street in Connecticut yesterday (Sunday). I don’t think that I saw anyone working in their yards. My childhood was much different. Everyone spent the weekends mowing the yards, tending to flowers, gardening vegetables, working on their house, or taking care of farm animals. It’s different now, the landscapers pull up … Continue reading
Maps for Research
I went to the Newtown Town Clerk’s office today. A few of my early reviewers have suggested that I document how the land around us in Newtown was converted from farmland to housing in the 1970s. I was able to get the maps from 1961 that showed the original homestead at the time my father … Continue reading
1st Meeting with the Illustrator
I had lunch with my illustrator yesterday. He’s terrific! We’ve decided on a pen & ink drawing style that conjures up memories. He’s going to do a first pass of all the sketches and we’ll figure out how to fit them into the book design. I went through every single story with him. I could … Continue reading
Manuscript Review at Wesleyan Writer’s Conference
I spent three days at the Wesleyan writer’s conference last week. My manuscript review went well, as I received the objective feedback that I needed. The reviewer, Jay O’Shea, recommended that I study the humorists as there is a structure for humor that involves building tension before resolving that tension humorously. I was given (voluntary) … Continue reading
Hello world! A blog for memoirs!
This is my very first post. My blog will focus on memoirs. I wrote a few of my childhood stories for my 80-something parents as a 2011 Christmas gift. I wanted to write the funny little stories that had been told and retold around the dinner table so many times. I started out with the … Continue reading
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