Ask Melissa - Organizing Your Stories
Today we are going to look at a question from a reader that I believe is a universal issue for all writers and can cause overwhelm and stop us from getting started or even cause us to lose important stories and topics we’d like to write about if not considered and planned for right at the beginning. Leticia asks: I am currently just writing in one journal. I was thinking of having different journals for different stories or thoughts. Will that be too much or too confusing?
Your Mother's Story is "Where Yours Begins"
But behind all your stories, is your mother’s story, for hers is where yours begins.
-Mitch Album
Happy Mothers’ day to all of the moms out there! The new moms, the in the trenches moms, the empty nester moms, the moms who have experienced child loss, and those of us who can’t hug our moms today!
In honor of Mother’s Day I am inviting you to reflect on your mother’s stories and the impact they have had on your own life. I know my mom’s story has had a huge impact on who I am and how I live my life.
In Your Own Words and Voice - A Chapter from BRIDGING YOUR PAST & FUTURE
I have shared previously how I had been searching for items of my parents in their own words and voice. I’d give anything to sit around the table after dinner and hear one of my dad’s slightly off-color jokes. Or to hear my mom’s story of how she followed my dad’s band around in the early sixties as one of his first groupies.
When you begin to write your stories, remember to do so in your own authentic conversational manner.
5 Tips for Getting Started Writing Your Personal & Family Stories
Coping with Grief through Stories
One universal tool for working through grief is through sharing stories. Whether we are collecting pictures in preparation for memorial services or gathering information to include in the obituary, we begin the formal process of grief with our close loved ones immersing ourselves in stories. Then as we begin a more public grieving process others are now drawn to share their stories. These are common ways we use story as a way to remember and honor our lost friend or loved one. By sharing our loved one’s story, we are ensuring their legacy lives on
Guardians of Our Legacy - The Importance of Reaching Backwards and Forwards
The Inevitable Gap in Our Family History
When Preserving the Past Through Powerful Stories Was Most Important
Your Personal Stories Are Treasures
Personal stories are treasures; ageless artifacts that help preserve your reflections of life. Stories help you to see that life is universal. Whether you’re looking at stories of challenge, fear, tragedy, heartbreak, or loss, or stories of lessons, celebrations, growth, achievements, love, hope, or faith; all of these make for a rich life and all make for rich stories!
5 Easy ways to Celebrate "Send a Card to a Friend Day" with Your Own Personalized Stories
Bridging Your Past and Future (sample chapter) - "The Little Things"
When I look back on stories of my childhood that are the most special or memorable I am surprised to find that the first to come to mind are quite simple. Stories of dinners at the beach in the summertime when my dad got out of work. Or hot dogs and beans every Saturday night at my grandmother’s with fresh cut garden cucumbers and tomatoes in the summertime.
When you begin writing your stories, you may be feeling pressure to only tell the grand stories.
Recipes as story starters ... Whoopie!!!
Recipes can be great places to start when sharing our personal stories. They often elicit strong sensory memories that can connect the past to the present with sharing one bite. We can explore adding personal details, tastes, smells, and feelings all of which make our stories more interesting and authentic.
Open House to the Past
Do you love popping in on Open Houses just for the fun of it?
On a brisk walk around the point in Newport with my sister a few weeks ago, we passed by an open house being held in a 1920’s home in the neighborhood.
She happened to know the realtor and even though we weren't in the market for a house, and it definitely wasn’t in our price point ($$$), we both LOVE old houses and jumped at the chance! What did we find inside?
An Outermost Retreat
This past weekend I was able to take a retreat into the nature of Cape Cod, and in doing so, was reminded of Henry Beston and The Outermost House. When Henry was 38 years old he headed for a 2-week vacation in a small cottage he had built 2 miles south of the Coast Guard Station in Eastham, MA. Anyone who has spent time on the Cape in the fall can relate to the fact that after the two weeks were over, “the beauty and mystery of this earth and outer sea so possessed [him] and held [him] that [he] could not go.”
Setting Intentions for the New Year
The Privacy of Winter
It's easy to forget to look for the blessings in the winter coldness, but as I seek rejuvenation from the activity of the summer and fall, I do cherish the privacy of winter. While we all hunker down, there is also an increased sense of isolation this year, as we have already been spending so much time away from many of our social circles. This is the time to remember that being indoors can offer a cozy cocoon from the outside world and there are so many ways to enjoy the special qualities of the season.