Writing Raw~Letting it Rip

“Life, he realized, was much like a song. In the beginning there is mystery, in the end there is confirmation,but it’s in the middle where all the emotion  resides to make the whole thing worthwhile.” Nicholas Sparks,The Last Song.     In this week’s NAMW Memoir Writing workshop, the group,sensing I was holding back on my feelings in the story I had submitted, challenged me to “let it rip, be more open, let out more emotions.” The readers wanted more. And they were right. In retrospect,I have to admit, I was holding back, glossing over parts about the person who had a significant impact on my life. Apparently, Rosalulu, my inner critic convinced me that I needed to protect the image of this person. I was getting in my...

Posted by on Oct 4, 2011 in Finding Your Voice, Inner Critic, Letting Go, Lifewriting Craft, memoir-writing, Storytelling, The Writing Life, Truth in Memoir | 18 comments

“Muse” Alert

“IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN ON THE CORNER OF WRITER’S BLOCK AND MAIN, TAKE A WRITE.” Matthew  Koceich from  a Christian Writers Guild blog, Just Write:Building Stories Out of Writer’s Blocks We’ve all been there. We can’t help ourselves. We love to write and you’ll find us jotting frantic messages on napkins,  used envelopes, scraps of loose papers, anything we can get our hands on to get our ideas down in written form.  We’ll be at train stations, in  grocery stores, sitting in waiting rooms and at traffic lights. With any luck, we won’t be driving. We are the self-professed writers of the world, published ,unpublished, yet to be published regular people from all walks of life  who just can’t help...

Posted by on Nov 5, 2010 in Inner Critic, Lifewriting Craft, memoir-writing, Uncategorized | 10 comments

Embracing My Inner Critic

” SOMETIMES THE BEST HELPING HAND YOU GET IS A GOOD,FIRM PUSH” Joann Thomas I sat in author, June Gould’s workshop at the recent International Women’s Writing Guild Conference holding back reading the story I had just written, letting my inner critic( who remains nameless) get his way. I was  thinking what I had written was not as good as everyone else’s. I had made myself a promise to read in most every  workshop but at that moment I held back. When I read the piece a few weeks later, I realized  that it  was fine and I really could have read it. So I decided to send my inner critic packing: “You know, I’m sitting here minding my own business.” I said, annoyed. “It’s my business too.” he...

Posted by on Aug 28, 2010 in Inner Critic, International Women's Writers Guild, Lifewriting Craft, memoir-writing | 8 comments

Harvest Time

“WHEN ONE TUGS AT A SINGLE THING IN NATURE,HE FINDS IT ATTACHED TO THE  REST OF THE WORLD.” John Muir Now that the garlic is harvested, I’m back in the garden picking string beans. Since my master gardener husband,Wayne ,does not use pesticides (“No Syn” -synthetics- he calls it) the weeds are bold and intrusive making the task of finding the beans even more challenging. Naturally, as I was combing through the weeds to find the beans, I thought of how this all reminds me of my writing. Some beans are right there shouting to be picked; others are buried under layers as if protected by caring kin ; some are camouflaged by the green weeds; some are not quite ready; some are in bunches as if they are partying while others  are...

Posted by on Jul 17, 2010 in Harvesting Stories, Inner Critic, Lifewriting Craft, memoir-writing | 10 comments