If my husband learned the world was about to end, or that he only had a short time to live, he'd stuff some chocolate in his mouth. Then he'd assemble all the sweets we have in the house and go out and stock up on some more. Under similar circumstances, though, I'd hasten to get my hot (and I do … [Read more...] about If the World Were About to End
seniors
Seniors Write Stories from Their Lives
As I've written in other posts here, I teach boomers and seniors to write stories from their lives. Our classes are moving, exciting, suspenseful, and a whole lot of fun—because that's what the stories the students write are. My Legacy is Simply This When new students tell me they have this … [Read more...] about Seniors Write Stories from Their Lives
Supercharge Your Life Writing with These Ideas
The main branch of my town library invited three instructors to lead creativity workshops for folks 50+ years old. I had the pleasure of running the workshop on memoir and life story writing with three different groups of participants. I'd worried beforehand that the evening was packing too many … [Read more...] about Supercharge Your Life Writing with These Ideas
Writing Stories from Your Life
I teach memoir and life story writing. Reading my students' stories has given me a peek into the lives of those who've fought in wars or made ends meet on the home front; and of little girls who wandered along wooden floors in an old dime store, accompanied by the slightly sour aroma that emanated … [Read more...] about Writing Stories from Your Life
The Making of a Writer
I Had It All Wrong My early fantasies of the writing life bore no relation to reality, saturated as they were with a determined sentimentality. I must have gotten my ideas from photos I came across in which writers were always pensively portrayed in workspaces that overlooked meadows and … [Read more...] about The Making of a Writer
Do You Shy Away from Writing Classes?
My niece is a stunning adult with a classic style. But, when Osula was a child, she went through a fashion phase I might call, "if-you've-got it, wear-it." The adults in her life held our breath until the stage passed. At four years old, she liked to don a polka dot skirt, paired with a wildly … [Read more...] about Do You Shy Away from Writing Classes?
What Keeps Me From Writing? The Fire Within, Part 1
Sitting across from each other in her large, disordered office and wearing almost matching sleeveless dresses, the library director and I ignore the fact that my dress is clinging to my chest and my skin is glazed with perspiration. It’s a breezeless August day, and the air conditioning is on the … [Read more...] about What Keeps Me From Writing? The Fire Within, Part 1
What Keeps Me From Writing? The Fire Within, Part 2
Feeble Counter-Measures I have tried all the known methods for minimizing hot flashes. I take deep breaths to calm myself while grasping an icy beverage when a hot flash threatens. I eat tofu, lentils, and garbanzo beans, drizzle flaxseed on my food, and drink one cup of coffee in the morning. I … [Read more...] about What Keeps Me From Writing? The Fire Within, Part 2
Is it Memoir or Family History?
A student in one of my creative writing classes for boomers and seniors asked, "Do you have to be the main character in your memoir?" "Yes," I responded. Then I paused and said, "Let me think about this." I was facing a dilemma that had been skirting around the edges of my creative consciousness … [Read more...] about Is it Memoir or Family History?