How to write your Memoirs; My original class Syllaubs

Writing Your Memoirs: We all have an Interesting life story to tell! Overview: In this course we will explore the genre of memoir. We will review the works of writers who have written about ordinary events in their lives which have inspired them in order to see that our own lives contain many meaningful experiences that will serve as inspiration for our own writing. Students will sample three varied techniques that will show them how to take their life experiences to create a memoir to record their events. Students will receive a packet of materials, samples, and other resources to help them continue with their project once they complete this class. Students will discuss classifying and organizing events and collecting artifacts and photos that will help them in their project. They will also be encouraged to discuss and reflect on the significance of remembered events and to keep a notebook of their thoughts and feelings. The instructor will share examples of memoir that she has taught and created in order in inspire the class. By the end of the session, students will have drafted an introduction and set of notes or outline to help them begin their Memoirs. Topics covered include: 1. Defining a Memoir, compare and contrast with biography and autobiography 2. What is an epiphany? What is a significant event to you and why? 3. Using treasured objects as catalysts 4. Writing around a photo, or using illustration 5. Using favorite recipes or patterns to tell stories 6. Organizing events around: a. Stages of life: infancy/childhood; adolescence/adulthood/family life/professional life b. Major life events c. Holidays and family/friend gatherings d. Emblematic moments e. Audience Objectives/Outcomes: The student will demonstrate: 1. Oral and written language skills to create, clarify, and extend their personal understanding of what they experience through their senses through introspection and interaction with others. 2. Practice and apply basic investigative techniques to generating material for memoir , including the use of questions Who? What? When? Where? How? Why? 3. ability and confidence to use oral and written language to the needs of their audience 4. Interest in writing and reading as a means to understanding themselves 5. creation of Memoir to record and preserve emblematic moments in their lives 6. Knowledge to help them complete their project and continue their interest through possibly joining a writers group that specializes in Memoir writing. Materials and techniques instructor will share with students include: Books, excerpts poetry, essays include: Marcel Proust, Remembrance of things Past Truman Capote, A Christmas Memory Barbara Pym, A Very Private Eye Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek Joan Didion, On Keeping a Notebook Gunda Davis, Pumpkin Soup and Shrapnel Personal Memoir and Journals belonging to the author Works by Laura Ingalls Wilder The Journals of Sylvia Plath The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Works by Maya Angelou Dolly Parton, Coat of Many Colors Works by Tasha Tudor Barbara Cooney, Hattie and the Wild Waves Jean Little Little by Little Robert Kimmel Smith The War with Grandpa Works by Ray Bradbury Works by Charlotte Bronte Crescent Dragonwagon, Home Place N. Scott Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain The Diary of Anne Frank Patricia MacLachlan, Sarah, Plain and Tall Students will also receive a bibliography of these and other works helpful to their interest in Memoir. Above works will be prepared and excerpted, where necessary, by the Instructor.

With Love from Tin Lizzie Book Signing

Well, our first book signing was yesterday, held in the gorgeous setting of Vintage Rose Antiques. We had a beautiful, cool day for the signing. Despite a big Jazz Festival this weekend, many people turned out. It is always an interesting experience to have people ask you why motivated you to write a book, and what types of research you use. I wore a black Calvin Klein dress, my favorite, and a squash blossom necklace and lots of silver jewelry, even my sandals were silver and tourquoise. My friend Michele, the owner, wore gold and complimentary colors. We had a wonderful day all in all, and we thank our good friends at Vintage Rose.

Some Tips

I follow ProBlogger; there is a free daily newsletter you can read each day. Take a look at this: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Thoughts on Opportunity and Success to Kickstart Your Week Posted: 22 Jul 2013 08:45 AM PDT Yesterday I tweeted a couple of thoughts on Twitter leading to an explosion of retweets but also questions, reactions and ideas. I thought I’d put them here on the blog too, in the hope they might help to kickstart your week! So many of us wait for opportunity to knock on our door. Most successful ppl are prolific door openers & don’t wait for knocks [tweet this] Sometimes, I find myself giving myself permissions to be ‘passive’ in my blogging (and life) and ‘hope’ that good things might happen to me – that opportunity might come knocking. However, the reality is that almost every time a good thing has come my way, it was the result of me taking some kind of small action. I’m a fairly reserved and shy person. I don’t like to push my way into situations or force things to happen. However, over the years I’ve learned that by taking action to push doors open (even if only a tiny creak) I often find the opportunity waiting for ME! Many times SUCCESS is more about DOING the things you know you should do, not learning the ‘secrets’ that you don’t know [tweet this] I’m a firm believer that bloggers who’ve been blogging for more than few months already know 90% (if not more) of what they need to know about blogging successfully. Of course, there are always new things to learn about writing, technology, techniques for finding readers etc but the fundamentals of blogging have not really changed over the last 10 years. The challenge is DOING those fundamental things, consistently and at a high quality, over the long haul. I like this response to my tweet yesterday by Jacqueline O’Donnell: “It’s a bit like healthy eating and exercise really… but the ‘shiny’ secrets & promise of shortcuts has a lot of pull power :-)” I think this is spot on. Most of us have enough knowledge of how to be fit and healthy. We understand that a modest, balanced and nutritious diet along with regular exercise will result in a healthy body. Yet so many of us struggle to actually apply the things we know. SO many of us are drawn to look for the latest silver bullet diet or program that will solve our issues. Knowledge isn’t bad – but gaining it is a waste of time if it doesn’t lead to action! Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger

Amazing; for those like Pym who love "Cookery Books!"

Photo courtesy Regina's Studio, Etsy.com July 17, 2013 Calf’s head hash, and other recipes: librarian discovers 300 year old cook book by Zeljka Marosevic Calf’s Head Hash: don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. A librarian at Westminster Council’s Archives Centre has discovered a 300 year old book of recipes which she believes has not been opened for more than 100 years. Judith Finnamore, who works on local studies at the centre, found a collection of recipes compiled over the period of 1690 to 1830 and passed down from mothers to daughters – and all beautifully handwritten. The Cookbook of Unknown Ladies provides new insight into British culinary history, and reveals the popular recipes used daily in the home. Now Finnamore and her colleagues have begun trying out these recipes themselves, thus turning the compendium of recipes into its modern-day counterpart, a food blog. Writing on the blog, Finnamore says, This remarkable manuscript contains hand-written recipes from the early 1700s to the mid 19th century, covering one of the most exciting periods of development in the English kitchen. It is a time of technological innovation and of evolving tastes, as the price of exotic imports fell with the ever-widening reach of British trading routes. Finnamore also admires the skills of these cooks, whose identity is still unknown, and their relationship with the food they cooked: There are also parallels with today’s ‘slow food’ movement. Kitchens drew largely on seasonal, locally-sourced produce, and as far as possible used food produced in their own smallholdings and gardens. The compilers of this Cookbook make their own cheese from freshly drawn milk, fearlessly stuff calves heads, and demonstrate considerable skill in butchery. They appear deeply connected with the food they eat and where it comes from. The culinary craft of these periods includes many ingredients and combinations of flavours that one wouldn’t necessarily think to try today. A sweet spinach tart, Calf’s head hash (the first step, naturally, is to ‘boil the head’) and ‘Veal Kidney Florentine’ are only some of recipes attempted by the bloggers. In other posts, Finnamore and fellow writers use the recipes as a starting point to trace the history of food and its preparation and cooking in the British home. For those who like recipes with a historical bite, Melville House’s vegetarian cookbook, The Duke’s Table, published earlier this year, also has its origins in history. Compiled in 1930, it was written by Enrico Alliata, an Italian Duke, who so believed in vegetarianism that he converted every classic Italian dish into a delectable vegetarian delight. What’s more, the Duke’s recipes also have their origins in the Italian Food Movement, a movement which was as political as it was culinary. The slow food movement was a way for workers to enjoy the same long lunch breaks as their bosses, and thus gain better working conditions. Better food, better rights. And there isn’t a cow heel in sight.

With love from Tin Lizzie: A History of Metal Heads Metal Dolls Mechanical Dolls and Automatons by Tsagaris, Ellen: New, Softcover, $20.00 at Alibris Marketplace

With love from Tin Lizzie: A History of Metal Heads Metal Dolls Mechanical Dolls and Automatons by Tsagaris, Ellen: New, Softcover, $20.00 at Alibris Marketplace

Delectable Reading and Good Reads

I am a newcomer to Good Reads, am still getting the hang of it. I actually use lots of social media, and it is a big thing for writers. I have accounts on Twitter, and I seem to gain followers everyday, Facebook, where I have a page as Dr. E’s Doll Museum and belong to several groups, Tumblr, still very new, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. I blog avidly and enjoy meeting people. Good Reads is fascinating, and I get ideas from Google books, where I have my own library. I am a little mystified about how it works, and would welcome any ideas. One of the books I noted on GR is Miranda James out of Circulation, one of her library mysteries featuring Diesel the Maine Coon cat. My sweet Opie was part Maine Coon; you could see it in his ears. I love the cozy mysteries like this; they are delectable as a Viennese truffle from Godiva or Thornton’s English Chocolates. I particularly like those by our friends Margaret Grace and Deb Baker. Monica Ferris’ needlework mysteries, and Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Schultz mysteries. She and Hanna Swensen of Joanne Fluke’s series are family. I love the patterns, recipes, and craft tips, and often use them. These women write in the tradition of Barbara Pym, and as mystery writers, follow in the tradition of our own Charlotte Murray Russell, the coziest of all. Of course, there are also Hazel Holt’s books featuring Mrs. Mallory. In many ways, they capture the spirit of Catherine Oliphant, Pymian heroine from my favorite book, Less than Angels.