NaNoWriMo '23 -- It's All About Me! (And You Too!)

 

So here we are again: November and National Novel Writing Month and the eternal question: Why am I doing this??

Because I love it, I suppose!

Whatever the reason, this year has found me throwing myself into creative challenges with more than reckless abandon. I had barely recovered from July's Camp NaNoWriMo when I decided to go for Inktober '23 (31 days of daily ink drawing with mandatory social media posting) and then the next thing I knew I had to do "the real" NaNoWriMo . . . and off we go.

When I first thought about signing up for NaNoWriMo 2023, my intention was to simply continue the story I had started in July. Although I had reached my 50K goal, the manuscript was in no way complete, so it made sense to think November would be a good time to write another 50K to finish things off. 

That all changed several weeks ago when I couldn't sleep one night and got up to write instead. Suddenly I was immersed in a new story, one I hadn't expected to write and one I didn't really want to write. Working on a "shiny bright idea" with so many other projects calling for attention felt like a very bad idea. But there it was and it wouldn't go away so I thought, use it for NaNoWriMo!

While it was easy enough (maybe too easy) to switch gears into a new plot and theme, the abruptness of the change didn't give me any time to assemble my usual scrapbook-style journal of prompts and photo references. I had a great journal full of mood boards and creepy settings to use back in July, but there wasn't a single item I could use toward my new story. Very quickly I had to come up with an entirely fresh approach: rather than rely on my usual magazine cut-outs, I could dive into my own life and make the prompts all about me! (Sort of.)

I was inspired by the example set by one of my Twitter (X) friends, writer and poet, Janis La Couvée, who is currently exploring memoir writing. Her recent tweets on the subject reminded me of a workshop I had taught while I was living in Carrollton, Georgia: "Write Your Memoirs, You're Never Too Young To Start." It was a fun class and I know of several full-length manuscripts that were written for both family record-keeping as well as more general publication. However, other than a blog post with the same title, I haven't thought of memoir for a long time until it occurred to me that using prompts from my own daily life and memories could be what I needed for NaNoWriMo. 

In other words, I'd be "memoir writing" but with a twist. I could assign my memories to fictional characters who could take them wherever they wanted to go. For instance, as a small child I wanted to be an archaeologist, something I obviously never did (unless you count Albuquerque yard work as a trial run), but a fictional character could actually work for a museum.

With that direction in mind, I've made a quick 30-day list I'm happy to share for any kind of writing you might be doing this month yourself, whether it be NaNoWriMo, a genuine memoir, or even a month of poetry.

Taking the words: "base a scene on," or "your main character remembers (something from the list) which then triggers (action or emotion)," try:

1. A favorite song.
2. A disliked poem.
3. Most hated childhood food.
4. Most frightening moment.
5. Happiest day.
6. Three items inside your handbag or pockets.
7. Three items of clothing you love.
8. Three items of clothing you never wear.
9. Favorite pet.
10. Worst day of school.
11. Your best childhood friend.
12. A letter you never wrote.
13. Favorite book: go to page 93 and use the first line you read.
14. A restaurant you would never go to and why.
15. Your attitude to shopping.
16. A hobby or skill you would love to have.
17. A place you have always wanted to travel to.
18. Favorite color.
19. Most disliked color.
20. Your last argument.
    
21. Something you're allergic to.
22. Your car (or lack of one).
23. An item in your house you wish you could get rid of.
24. An item you wish you still had.
25. Greatest fear or phobia.
26. Housework.
27. Favorite movie.
28. What you are wearing this very minute.
29. What you really want to say to your neighbor(s).
30. Your daily routine as it is now, or how you'd like it to change.
    

And there you go: 30 prompts for 30 days! Feel free to use them in daily order or for a more spontaneous writing session, mix them up and use at random. Or add your own ideas; after all, you know your own life best!

Tip of the Day: Although NaNoWriMo requires both planning and organization, you can still start a day or two late and be a winner. One way I'm focusing on writing, and writing only, is to clear my work space and limit my writing tools to the basics: my Alphasmart; a lined notebook for writing in cafes, parks, or the middle of the night; and a new sketchbook with a small number of my favorite pens and pencils. The sketchbook is for visual brainstorming in between writing sessions and to keep the creativity flowing whenever I need a break. Now to go write my 50,000 divided by 30 equals 1666.666 words for the day. Happy November! Happy Writing!

Los Caminos de la Vida

The paths of life

are not what I used to hope

are not what I used to believe

are not what I used to imagine

 

The paths of life

are very hard to travel

they are hard to walk

and I can´t find a way out

https://lyricstranslate.com

Los Caminos de la Vida

The paths of life,

They are not what I used to think,

They are not what I used to imagine

They are not what I used to believe.

The paths of life,

They are very hard to walk,

They are very hard to travel,

And I can't find a way out. 

 

I hope I am not as desolate as these song lyrics imply, but I have to admit to feeling somewhat lost without my husband. Nothing in my past prepared me for the road of grief and loss; no one ever told me it would be so hard. But that doesn't mean I'm entirely without direction or hope, or that I can't "find a way out."

One of the things helping me to find a way both in- and outward has been my return to reading. Not being able to read during the initial stages of grief is apparently quite common, so finding myself once again enjoying a book has been a huge relief. At the top of my "that was so good!" list is a book recently published by my friend and former writing group member, Suzanne Blazier. In September of 2019, only months before we were all hit by the pandemic, Sue did something I had often dreamed of doing but never had the nerve to try: she walked the Camino Francés, the historic pilgrimage route from  St. John Pied-de-Port, France to Santiago de Campostela in Spain and then on to the Spanish coastal town of Finesterre. 

It was a very long trip. And far more difficult than I realized until I read the full manuscript. From nearly-impassable trails of sharp, jagged rocks to battling constant rain and catching a debilitating cold, it's a miracle Sue came home in one piece at all. Yet, regardless of her challenges (maybe because of them?), Sue managed to find a wealth of beauty and meaning along the way, moments she made time to write about in her insightful journal that eventually became Prancing in the Pyrénées, Sloshing Through Galicia; My Way Along the Camino Francés.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, because I hope you will read Prancing in the Pyrénées for yourself, but I do want to say how much I love this book, and for reasons that have nothing to do with me ever walking the Camino. 

The first time Sue's story inspired me was while her book was still in manuscript form. It was smack in the middle of the pandemic restrictions. All of my writing and art groups had closed down and the only activity open to me was endless walking, something I mentioned in my last post on Urban Writing. Back then I suppose we were each in a separate state of shock, unsure of what was really going on. My "therapy" was to walk every day. Each morning when I would embark upon my solitary and lonely walks, I would imagine I was on the Camino, making a pilgrimage of some sort to understand what on earth was happening. Some days I would walk thinking of how the world could heal itself; other days I would walk in an attempt to figure out what I meant by "healing." Thinking of Sue's trip gave me a reason to walk beyond mere exercise.

Now that the pandemic is over and the manuscript draft is an actual hold-in-your-hands book, Sue's story continues to inspire me. I keep turning over what Sue achieved, thinking of how she did it and how to use the same motivations that kept her going forward. Chapter headings such as "Solitude," "Where are you from?" and "Re-entry" have made me think of how I, as well as other readers, could use these titles as journaling or writing prompts in our own lives. Some ideas that came to mind were:

1. Write a travel memoir of your own. This might seem a bit obvious, but if you focus on trips that were more than "just for fun," what significant journeys have you taken that were deeper than rest and relaxation? How were you changed by travel?

2. What do you need to travel with? What can you leave behind? Besides being an entertaining read, Prancing in the Pyrénées definitely has its practical side. Advice on topics from language skills to what items to bring or leave at home are invaluable tips for anyone seriously planning a Camino pilgrimage. As a dedicated minimalist, I was impressed with Sue's pared-down list of travel items, from clothing to toiletries. There are so many areas in our lives in which we carry too much: shelves of unused art supplies; books on a TBR pile that will never be read; photographs of distant events that mean little or nothing to us. What do we really need to carry, not just for survival, but to be happy?

3. Many years ago when I was still thinking about what it was I most wanted to write, I took take a class on travel writing. At the beginning of the class the instructor explained the origins of the word "travel," saying that it came  from the Old French word "travail" which in turn was a reference to weaving, describing the action of a shuttle carrying thread back and forth through other threads on a loom to create a piece of fabric. To my ears, "travail" was more closely related to "trouble" than travel, but I also have enough horror stories of my own to know how troublesome travel can be! In her book, Sue does an excellent job of sharing her travel-travails and how she overcame them, persevering to complete her trip in the best way possible. Have there been times in your life when you wanted to give up on a project, goal, or dream? What did you do to keep going? How did you encourage yourself? What roads or projects were you forced to abandon? Do you think of re-starting any them, and if so, how could you make that happen?

The Mexican poet and Nobel laureate, Octavio Paz, once wrote that reading is a pilgrimage. He believed that readers are forever changed by what they read, and in turn they cannot help but express that inner change to the world around them. I couldn't agree more. From Sue's book I've learned how vital it is to clear the road for those who follow, write the guidebooks for those need them, and to be as honest and open about our lives as we can be. Whether you plan to walk to Spain or sit reading in the sun with a cup of tea, Prancing in the Pyrénées will be the perfect travel companion.

Tip of the Day: As an additional resource, Sue has also created a blank Camino Journal for pilgrims to take notes and record their days. Although the book is designed for travelers, you might want to think about using it to journal from the prompts I've listed above. Use it to brainstorm your most memorable paths and journeys. What could you write about them? What did you bring home to share?

While you're writing, here is Los Caminos de la Vida in its entirety. It's a sad song, but like so much of life, strangely filled with comfort despite the darkness. That said, may your path be always safe and sure.

Z is for Zigzag Paz

The end of the alphabet, the end of the challenge--today feels a little sad to me! Showing up to blog every day has been an important experience; going through my keeper books even more so. Examining why I have kept a book, and given others away (many, many others) has brought back all kinds of memories, good and bad, and has also confirmed that I've made the right choices. The books I've listed this past month will always be keepers; they make my world whole.

Today's keeper is no exception. Zigzag Paz by Pamela Anne Zolkov, published in 2011, is the only memoir I own. Primarily set in South Africa, it's a journey of the heart that is truly unforgettable. To read my earlier review of the book (which remains one of my most popular posts according to my sidebar!)  just click here. I feel the same way today as I did when I wrote that original post--Zigzag Paz is a wonderful story, well-written and thought-provoking--and it has recipes! How cool is that?

But what I really want to say today is what Zigzag Paz has come to symbolize to me now that I've had my blog for several years, as well as a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a website, a JacketFlap account, an Author's Den page (I think that's all!); in other words, the Internet. 

I met Pam through the Internet via Twitter. Twitter! I would never have thought back when I was first reading, say, The Alexandria Quartet or Vanity Fair, that I would one day have a combination TV-typewriter that would take me to as far away as South Africa, or even the next state over, giving me the chance to meet amazing people like Pamela Zolkov. 

It's been such a privilege, a science-fiction fantasy come true, to be able to communicate with you all wherever you are, whatever time zone you're in. How lucky I am to get up every day and know you're out there somewhere, working on your own creative projects, filling the world with your creativity and good thoughts. I'm so grateful to you all!

Thank you for reading my blog, thank you for the work you do, thank you for sharing your books and art. And thank you, especially, Pam, for writing Zigzag Paz and introducing me to so many new vistas through your book. It means a lot to me.

So with that I'll sign off for a little while. I need to digest this whole "blogging every day" thing. Tomorrow I'll be selecting a winner for a print copy of Overtaken, and will announce who that is in a few days after I've heard back from him or her. There's still time to win--just leave a comment on any of my A-Z blog posts from this month and I'll enter your name in the random drawing. 

But now I have to go find a tissue. I'm feeling very emotional saying goodbye to the challenge and to you. Who'd have thunk it? Take care and I'll see you all again in about a week. Keep reading good books!

Art Journal Tip: The Objects of Memory

For today's post I'd like to explore the second suggestion from Art Journal Class, My Favorite Tips: Write about a cherished object.

The first time I tried this prompt, I ended up writing about a seashell that belonged to my grandmother. She told me it was from the Gulf of Mexico--a place as foreign as Mars to me--and I used to spend hours holding it to my ear to "hear the ocean." Although I have no idea what happened to the original shell, I do have one very much like it: dark brown, gray, and cream stripes on a swirly, spiral sort of mini-conch (I don't know how else to describe it, apologies to the marine biologists out there!). Regardless of my inability to scientifically categorize the shell, writing about it, and then drawing an accompanying picture into my journal released a flood of memories that in their turn became further journal entries. It also reconnected me to a time that was very special in my life and one that I'm sure contributed to me being the writer I am today.

It doesn't really matter how you approach this exercise. You might want to choose an object first and then write about it, followed with a drawing or a collage of the object; or you could choose to first write about a specific memory that brings to mind an object you want to illustrate. Have fun with your choice of mediums: colored pencil, watercolor paints, crayons, or even a photograph you then photocopy and alter in some way with pencils or paint--it all works. Don't forget to add playful embellishments to your page(s): fabric swatches, scraps of lace or trim, glitter glue, feathers, buttons, pressed flowers or leaves--use whatever appeals to you and helps re-live the memory. There's no such thing as a right way to do this!

Some ideas for objects to spark written and illustrated memories can include:

• A favorite item of clothing: dress, shirt, shoes, hat, etc.
• Your first car.
• First pet (not exactly an object, but you know what I mean).
• A favorite book, especially one from childhood
• A treasured piece of jewelry--the one you love regardless of monetary value.
• A vacation souvenir.
• A photograph.
• A tree or plant in your garden.
• Childhood toy.
• A family heirloom.
• An item from childhood that you could only play with or hold on special occasions.
• Holiday decorations.
• A religious or sacred item.
• A random item quickly selected from your shelf. It reminds you of -- ?

An interesting switch to this exercise is to write about an object you dislike or that bothers you on some level. For instance:

• A detested item of clothing you were forced to wear, e.g., a school uniform or an unflattering bridesmaid dress.
• A gift you didn't want. But had to accept.
• A piece of clutter you want to get rid of, but can't.
• A broken appliance still hanging around.
• Housework tools: mops, brooms, sponges, buckets, ugh.
• Most disliked food.
• Something owned by a person who gets on your nerves.
• An item owned by that same person that you wish was yours (especially when you think they don't deserve it, LOL! Getting deep here....)
• Weeds or dead plants in your garden.
• Your worst photo--ever.

Working through negative emotions can often turn into your best and most enlightening journaling sessions. And who knows, it may also bring you to an entirely new perspective on both the object and the memories surrounding it.

I find that aiming for at least 500-1000 words is a good goal for this exercise; it's enough to really sink into the subject. However, once you've written your piece, you might not want to keep absolutely all of it. You may want to grab your scissors and cut (or tear) out your best or most important lines, and then paste them into your drawing to create a collage. Another technique is to take those lines and turn them into a found poem--rearranging your thoughts and adding more lines as they occur to you. And if you'd prefer total privacy along with some instant artwork, stacked journaling is always an exciting approach to fully express yourself.

Tip of the Day: Wherever you are right now, pick up the object nearest to you. How does it make you feel? Why is it in your life? Where's it from? What does it remind you of? It doesn't matter how small or insignificant the item is--just explore and write down your feelings. Use this as a practice session, although it could very well turn into just the right piece to add to your art journal.

Highlights of 2012

Merry Christmas, everyone! With just one week left 'til New Year's Eve ... can you believe it? 

So what did 2012 bring for you? For me it was a mixture of creativity, big changes, and a whole lot of fun, starting with:

1. Publishing my Gothic romance novel, Overtaken in both paperback and Kindle editions.
2. Creating the book trailer for Overtaken.
3. I sold my house (a miracle in this current market).
4. Moved into a rental condo--and I love it. No maintenance. No gardening. No "what if I want to sell it?"
5. My day job moved into spacious new premises.
6. Although I had a great little studio at my old house, I now have a new space three times bigger.
7. I participated in National Novel Writing Month, and reached my 50K goal!
8. Took a fantastic 3-day screenwriting seminar aka "screenwriting boot camp" and learned that writing a screenplay is just as difficult as I thought it was, LOL.
9. I also took a 6-week oil pastel class and found my true north. I absolutely adore oil pastels now--especially Sennelier brand.
10. Went camping in an RV for the very first time--and found out I love RVs. Will have to do this one again very soon.
11. Prepared two manuscripts for 2013 submission: my nonfiction book, A Pet Owner's Book of Days, and a new novel, The Abyssal Plain.
12. Kept up with this blog and had two fantastic giveaways. Big congratulations to my winners!

That's a lot--more than enough, I think--for one year's worth of memories. 2012 has been a fantastic year for me, and I hope the same is true for you. Drop me a line and let me know some of your favorite moments!

Tip of the Day: As a journaling exercise for next year, make a practice every evening of writing down 12 things that made the day special for you in some way: for instance, accomplishments both large and small; important insights that arrived unexpectedly; a line from a book that caught your imagination. Remember to not judge, just write.

Writing the Children's Mystery, 12 Tips

Nancy Drew, Donna Parker, Trixie Belden--what would my childhood have been without these great junior detectives? Not only were they my role models as I was growing up, they also inspired me to eventually write my own mystery for young readers, The Great Scarab Scam. 

Writing The Great Scarab Scam was great fun, and sharing it with new readers--and writers--keeps me ever grateful for the world of children's literature. I also get asked a lot of questions about the writing process: Do I have any special tips for writing children's mysteries? Yes, I do. Here are my top 12:

1. Unlike mysteries for adult readers, mysteries for the middle-grades usually avoid solving an actual murder. The best type of crime to center on is what is called a "caper," e.g., a crime involving stolen goods, or some kind of fraudulent scheme.

2. There's an old adage that says girls will read about boys, but boys won't read about girls. I don't know how true this really is, but it's been my experience that boys WILL read about girls if the girls are fun, lively, and adventurous--exactly what's required to be the main character of a mystery. I've also been delighted at how many mothers tell me their sons enjoyed reading The Great Scarab Scam, which just happens to feature a girl named Lydia Hartley.

3. Boy or girl, your child sleuth should always be a "real kid," one who experiences all of childhood's highs and lows with a good deal of imagination and sense of curiosity.

4. Description and detail should be carefully thought out--too much of either and you've lost your young reader; not enough and you'll lose the flavor of your story. I've found the best approach is to always go for the child-oriented details: the little things that you want your reader to remember long after the book is closed.

5. Goals, rewards, and any prizes for solving the crime should also be kept to child-sized portions. For instance, a child might be more motivated to win a new bicycle rather than go after a million dollars.

6. To a child, the adult world can be a scary place, but the playground can hold even greater terrors. What might be considered trivial in the adult novel, e.g., fear of not passing a spelling test, or the humiliation of not being invited to a birthday party, can take on seemingly insurmountable proportions in the children's book. Make sure you balance crime-solving with real-life kid problems, too.

7. Speaking of real life, you want to make your junior detective act and sound real and far-from-perfect. Character flaws are vital for maintaining reader identification as well as for setting up your conflict and story set-backs.

8. That said, junior detectives do need some special gifts and traits to help them along their way. I found the best solution is to give your character a deep-seated interest such as Lydia Hartley's passion for archaeology. It also helps to add on a specific personality trait that will keep your character willing to stay on track. In Lydia's case that trait was loyalty to her family.

9. The best way to understand and use childhood dreams, wishes, fears and goals is to explore your own childhood and bring those emotions to the page. Take out your journal and ask yourself: What were my greatest fears as a child? List them all.

10. What kind of problems did you encounter as a child--and how did you solve them? Young characters in books have to do a lot of their own problem-solving, no adults allowed, and you want to keep solutions as realistic as possible.

11. What were your favorite games, toys, movies and television programs? What about vacations, food, your best friends? Despite the passage of time between then and now, the feelings you had about these things are what remain the same for today's new generation of readers.

12. Read, read, read. There are hundreds of great mysteries for children out there. Analyze, study, learn, and use a highlighter to mark your favorite passages (as well as the ones you didn't like). Take the best ideas and put your own fresh spin on them. And have fun--if you're not enjoying the stories, don't force yourself to write what you think is salable or "hot."

Tip of the Day: For the next few days or weeks, set up a journal solely for childhood memories. Start your entries with a simple "I remember" and start anywhere, don't worry about chronological order. When you're finished, take a look at which experiences could be the basis for the plot to a children's mystery, and which can be used to develop your main character.

Season's Greetings

Merry Christmas, everyone!  Hope this finds you all ready to celebrate the holiday with joy and a renewed sense of childlike wonder.  Because that's what I consider the best gift of the season:  our chance to get in touch once again with our child-s(elf), the one who believes in miracles, hope, and universal goodness.

Like many people, Christmas holds a lot of memories for me:  funny, confused, sad, exuberant.  The memories cover a lot of ground, things like the time I wasn't allowed to be a reindeer in my first-grade Christmas pageant, and instead had to be a "stationary snowflake."  I remember feeling so crushed:  reindeers got to wear antlers made out of tin foil and run around the auditorium, two by two.  All I got to do was stand still and wave a tissue paper snowflake--a TORN tissue paper snowflake.  Then there was the year my little brother was born the week before Christmas and my grandparents were staying in the house with us as well as my chain smoking "Auntie Mame" who'd come to seek refuge in between divorces (complicated story).  I guess we were too jam-packed in our little house:  the adults suddenly had a scream-fest, knock-down, "you're gonna get it" argument over towels of all things, and I remember hiding under my bed and thinking Christmas wasn't supposed to be like this.

But then there were the other years when the cookies got baked, the fireplace worked, and even the California weather cooperated by being cold enough  for us to wear sweaters and have a "real Christmas."  Those were the good years, and I still remember the thrill of opening my favorite presents:  books.  Heidi, The Wind in the Willows, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Around the World in Eighty Days...  Oh, how I loved, and cherished, those books.  I still do!  In fact, I'm going to go re-read one of them in a few minutes.

And that brings me to what I guess I really wanted to say here, that a great portion of how we enjoy the holidays rests on the memories and traditions we bring to them, and no matter how bizarre those memories are, they can be turned into something special and meaningful through our writing and artwork.  Every time we pick up a pen or a paintbrush, we have the opportunity to go back and help that little child-s(elf) to have the happiest life, or birthday, or Christmas, or Hanukkah ever.  So go out there and spread joy to the world with your creative spirits.  It's been an honor to have you all visiting my blog this past year; thank you each and every one!

Tip of the Day:  What are your holiday memories?  Perhaps you'd like to start recording them in some special way, either through writing or artwork, or both!  Whatever you choose, I wish you all a great day tomorrow of good times, good friends, and good memories.

Write Your Memoirs--You're Never Too Young to Start

You don’t have to be famous to write your memoirs. Neither do you have to pass some kind of age-related test that pronounces you “long-lived and qualified to tell all.” In today’s book market where nonfiction sales still outrank fiction titles, there are lots of good reasons to consider writing your life story. Some of these reasons include: 

•  Leaving a record for family and friends.
• Surviving a traumatic experience and wanting to share how you coped or  managed.
• Encounters with fame and/or fortune and the impact that had on you.
• A unique adventure—on the road or right at home (We Raised Lamas in the Bathroom!).
• Self-discovery through a spiritual or creative path.
• Desire to pass on a valuable life lesson.

Memoir styles vary from the tragic to the humorous and anywhere in between. A good memoir, however, goes beyond “I remember…” Rather than looking solely into the past, the well-written memoir propels readers into the future, inspiring them to change or live in a new and meaningful way. For me, the best memoirs celebrate life—no matter how difficult that life may have been or will continue to be. If you’re interested in sharing your life story, here are some tips to help you get started:

1. It’s never too early to begin writing. If you have something important you want to say, start writing in your journal as soon as possible. You can always edit, revise, and change your point of view later on. The thing is to get your first thoughts and fresh impressions down on paper, even while events are still happening.

2. Age has nothing to do with memoir or autobiography. Look at Miley Cyrus and the dozens of other young people who have written about their journey onto the world stage. Young lives, big challenges.

3. Sometimes the best place to start is from a particular memory—not just the date of your birth (and how many of us really know what happened that day?) How about your first memory? Your favorite? Your worst or most embarrassing?

4. Rather than explore and divulge your entire life, choose a theme: holidays; recipes; travels; movies; books; cars you’ve owned, clothes you’ve worn; classes you’ve taken; people you’ve met.

5. Employ fiction techniques and strategies to enliven your story. I’m not suggesting you make things up, but that you simply look at events through a novelist’s eye. For instance, how have you changed from the events in your life? Looking back, how did Event A create Event B and so forth? Pretend that your story is fiction and you are the main character: What did you want more than anything; what prevented you from achieving your goal; and what did you do about it? How does that angle change your viewpoint?

6. Before you begin writing, decide what it is exactly that you want readers to know, learn, or feel when they are finished reading. Do you want them to be uplifted, more careful, or motivated in some way?

7. A “memoir” doesn’t always have to be about you. You can always write about someone else, even using that individual’s voice with first person point of view.

8. Break the mold: a memoir doesn’t have to be in the form of a book-length work. Perhaps all you truly want to write is an essay, a series of vignettes, or a children’s picture book. And who says you have to go to print? A memoir blog or website could be the perfect medium for your message.

9. That said, why limit yourself to prose? Memoir poetry could open an entirely new perspective for you and your voice.

10. Stuck? Don’t know where to start? Take an object that you have had for a while, ideally something from your childhood or an ancestor, or a special gift you received. Hold it in your hands. Close your eyes and sit with it for several minutes. When you are ready, start writing about that object. First describe it in detail. Then try to recall everything about where it came from and why it has significance for you. Capture the feeling associated with that object. Try this several times with various items.

11. Another way to tackle the memoir is to intentionally embark on a fresh adventure or experience you have never had before: travel to a foreign country; going back to school; starting a new career; becoming an empty-nester; experimenting with a new diet. Take detailed and daily notes as you go along. These will become the foundation if not the entire manuscript of your memoir.

12. While you’re writing, don’t overlook the importance of collage and other forms of artwork when trying to gather and collate your memories. Family photos and documents creatively arranged on a board or a wall in your writing room can be a constant source of inspiration. Having them close by can help you to stay focused, and who knows—they may even spark a new direction for yet another type of memoir.

Tip of the Day: Read a few memoirs to get a feel for how other authors have attempted the genre. Then explore your own background and see if there is something special and/or unique for you to focus on and write about. It may help to start in small segments rather than attempting a book-length piece.