Tag Archives: memoir

If you’re writing memoir…free course

I’m currently taking the non-fiction course offered by scribewriting.com. With a number of resources and ample instructor expertise, the logical and methodical approach been very helpful in addressing audience and outlining the larger project. [Tomorrow, we will cover more of the actual writing of the book and on Friday, they are offering a Q. and A. session that will last at least an hour.]

These same folks will be teaching a free course on memoir next week.

Follow this link to sign up: https://scribewriting.com/bookschool/

Just thought I would pass along the info for those considering a new non-fiction project.

Writers Horoscope for October 30: Today you maintain momentum.

Yesterday’s trademark was relentlessness.
That was yesterday.
Day 2 of a turnaround is often pivotal.
How to keep going?
A few tips:
—Tell the voices of doubt to put a sock in it.
—Generate and keep nearby (digitally or on your person) a list of ‘live’ topics that beg you to engage.
—Carry a notebook. Leonardo da Vinci kept one, so you’ll be in fairly notable company.
—How about mastering dictation on your device? Leonardo would have gone nuts with voice input.

BA34DB60-C8D5-46D0-83FF-7F4B732943B0

Buddying up is always a good strategy to keep your momentum.

A few more tips…

 

 

Writers Horoscope for October 29: Today, you ‘rock’ your relentlessness.

Oh sure, you run the risk of rocking a little too far…

rocking chair

But think of that brief thrill of the climb, and even the sudden descent.

There are lessons in both.

Writers Horoscope for October 28: Today, you’re still haunted.

Hangup for the day: “Who wants to read about my life?

Consider this: Don’t think your life.

Think small. Think moments.

Find your ‘spin’, your slant–in your voice.

And go!

If these moments resonated with you, they will hit home with others.

Writers Horoscope August 11: Solitude is not your friend.

writing solitude not such a good idea dark mood

Those endless hours alone are turning ugly.

Along with changing your writing landscape, consider tapping into collective genius. Form a writing productivity group that checks their ‘critic’ gene at the door.

 

 

Writers Horoscope August 8: You may encounter an unexpected obstruction.

It’s called ‘authorial laryngitis’.

A loss of your writer’s voice.

You’re able to spit out words on your screen, but they don’t accurately reflect ‘you’.

Let’s cut to Allen Ginsberg for a solution:

“To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard.”

Writers Horoscope August 7: Curiosity may get the best of you today.

In your desperate search for tantalizing bits of dialogue, you saunter into a coffee shop and slither into eavesdropping mode.

A few tips:

  • Leaning your ear toward a conversation–not cool. [Just nudge and point your voice-recording smartphone in the right direction.]
  • Dropping the fork toward the speaker–just plain desperate. [Go with a napkin and hope the air currents are friendly. Quieter. Caution: don’t use the napkin afterwards.]
  • Cupping your hands behind each ear–pathetic. [You might as well just slide in next to the folks and start jotting down their every word.]

And if you’re too busy to intrude, there are probably a few non-virtual assistants willing to help out.

eavesdropping-multiple women-door-1200

Writers Horoscope August 6: Beware of your avocation’s side effects.

Consider the debilitating carpal tunnel syndrome.
Cut back on flipping through pages of writer magazines, clicking through cat videos, and flinging your pencils across the room during those inevitable struggles with mushy middles.

Writers Horoscope August 4: Stick to your standards.

Your work eschews profanity.

No reason to start that &*^%! now, right?

You don’t need %$#!  or ^*@#@!  or ^@#&!   to verbidextrously [don’t bother looking it up] weave your way through that tense showdown between the mallwalking retirees.