Category Archives: Creativity

Capitalizing on Historical Aspects

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History is the interpretation of the significance that the past has for us. ~Johan Huizinga

“More cities and towns ought to do this!” I stated to my sister as we walked the streets of Frederick, Maryland on Friday evening during their Harvest Fair.

“Do what?” she asked.
“Capitalize on the assets they already have – you know, put new energy into historic cities and towns rather building new. Our country’s heritage is something our citizens should to be proud of. I think this town has the right idea.” I said. “I’ve seen some interesting historical aspects that presented in a history book, I wouldn’t dream of reading about. But being immersed in it as a tourist I am drawn into it. Even that Museum of Civil War Medicine, is neat. Seeing the artifacts is better than trying to read about it.” http://www.civilwarmed.org/.

“I agree but what else do you like so much about the town?” my sister inquired.
“The architectural details of these historic buildings, the vintage clothing shops, the retro furniture in these antique shops…..the town seems to be emphasizing all that. And obviously people are interested. I mean, look at all the people. Years ago, you could have never have convinced me to stop here.”
Over the past three or so years, I have visited this town willingly and each visit only gets better. People from the greater Baltimore/Washington D.C. area seem to be flocking to this town. The streets, shops and restaurants were busy! Each time I’ve stopped, the town’s identity seems to be more clearly established as a historical landmark, thanks to grants for Main Street historic revitalization efforts. Frederick Maryland has been “deemed a masterpiece in Maryland” by the New York Times.

If you are a Civil War buff, traveling to Gettysburg or Antietam battlegrounds, make a point to stop here. And don’t miss the canal area of the city. There are special things to be found especially during the spring, summer and fall.

Enjoy these pictures from the streets of Frederick, Maryland. Tomorrow I will share a few more images!

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architecture 2

angel faux painted 2

Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow. I look forward to sharing a few more things that I found of interest.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. The award winning book is available in audio, paperback and e-book through this link. http://amzn.to/1y21igm

 

The Gift of Opportunity

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“The freedom to move forward to new opportunities and produce results comes from living in the present and not the past.” ~ Brian Koslow

Boxes tied up with pretty ribbons and bows immediately come to mind when someone mentions presents.  However, one of the most valuable favors one can be given in life is the gift of opportunity.

Ukazoo BooksThis Saturday, on October 11th, I will be given an appreciated gift of opportunity. A chance to share my award-winning memoir with book enthusiasts in my native place of residence – Towson, Maryland. A book signing and author presentation at Ukazoo Books in Dulaney Plaza from 1pm to 4pm is scheduled. Some people who will be coming to this public event I have not seen for decades.

At 2pm I’ll discuss my reasons for penning a memoir and how the independent publishing industry has paved the way for ordinary people to tell their extraordinary stories and publish them.

I look forward to the event. I hope you, the readers of All Things Fulfilling will help me broadcast the good news that the author talk is taking place. It will provide an opportunity for others to learn something about why storytelling is so important and why people should share stories through independent publishing.

Pass the word and hope to see you at Ukazoo Books on October 11th!

First try with award

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of the EVVY award-winning book “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.”

Writing Motivation Tip#1

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Writing & Publishing Tip #1 – Next time you start a new endeavor or  start down the road to a personal journey – post a sign with  the following words on the mirror so you see it first thing every morning. Put it front and center.

 

what if you fly

Make a contract with yourself right now, writers, to pay no mind to the first line of this “what if” thinking.  Only focus only on the second question and  life affirming possibilities.

Every time you are feeling defeated, discouraged or disillusioned ask yourself once again which alternative is the most appealing.  “Oh my darling, what if you fly?”  is what will keep you pressing forward.

You’ll soar to new heights. I found it really works!

success story

This blog brought to you by the award-winning author, Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. For more information on the publication, visit this link. http://amzn.to/1mbmVGR.

 

 

 

Fire is Lit, Ribbon in the Hair

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To My Dear Husband ~~~~

I am sorry that according to this 1955 article, I have failed you miserably. I have not always lived up to the Girl Scout creed of  “I promise to do my duty…..” and to The Good Wife Guide…..

The Good Wife

…I mean, sometimes, I let you cook breakfast. You changed dirty diapers, and too many times I told you about my day first. Then there is the matter of the fire, I didn’t always make it happen….well, I apologize.

And then there is the issue of our son. Ok, I’ll admit it. He often greeted you with a dirty face and hands. And his hair…what can I say…let’s just hope it never happens again now that he is an adult. I’m sure it won’t, after all he is a visual effects artist.  I’ll speak with him later about that matter. At least he is playing  the part well of the treasure that he is. That should make you feel better. It does, doesn’t it?

I’ll  see what I can do to mend my ways and not be such a modern day woman.  We are 34 years into this union. I hope you can forgive me if I start taking your shoes off. I know, I ruined many an evening when I didn’t have you   “lean back and relax in your chair…..” Well, I pledge from now on to remember…I’ll say it. I promise. No… really, I will. Yes, I am serious. Truly… I’m not kidding.

I hope you’ll agree to continue on this journey through life that we started. Happy Anniversary!

Much Love, hon ~ Sue

P.S. And by the way, the last item on the list – don’t worry! I do know my place. I belong beside you with a ribbon in my hair.

This blog brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard and her award-winning publication “Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.” http://amzn.to/1ulyFYs.

Stirring the Memory Pot

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Welcome Back, and Happy Monday from All Things Fulfilling.

Today we are going to take a trip down memory lane with some images.  These pictures are meant to be writing prompts for baby boomers who are thinking of writing their life stories. When I was writing my memoir, certain images, songs, movies, adages from the past stirred up recollections that became entire of chapters of content.

When you see these images – begin writing whatever first comes to mind. What words do you associate with the images? Perhaps you will link the images with another person, a place or a thing that you encountered throughout your lifetime. Hopefully the pictures will stimulate your writing. For now, skip the complete thoughts. Full sentences, whole paragraphs or entire stories about the image may not come together until later. That’s ok – nothing wrong with that.

Here we go – have fun! I’ll bet if you were born during the baby boomer  years or before that one or more of these pictures will have you saying “I remember that!”

chrome dinettes

helicopters

Ooee ohwawa

granny gowns

flip hairdo

blanketfort

paper hats

ironing hair

Lamb chop

pin the tail on the donkeyThe flying Nunpotholders

Q tee

playdough

 

push lawnmovwers


Thanks for joining us today. Come back tomorrow and I will share an image that inspired me to write the preface for my memoir, an anthology of stories, and what words the writing prompt stirred up.

This blog brought to you by the EVVY award-winning  author Sue Batton Leonard. For information on the award winning book “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected” please visit this link.http://amzn.to/1AaBpYp

Behind the Narrative

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“Don’t be pushed by your problems, be led by your dreams.”  ~ Unknown

I sat on my friend’s couch one day a few years ago, so very discouraged.

“My computer is not cooperating, I’ve got writers block  so I can’t seem to get this chapter right, I can’t get the pictures I need for the book since they are in Vermont……” on and on I went, stating a litany of challenges I faced with my publishing project.

“Why would you do something like that, Sue, leave behind pictures you knew you needed for a book ?” my friend asked.

“Because I didn’t know then what I know now. Who would have ever thunk, I was going to follow my “someday” dreams and write a memoir when I moved to Colorado!” I said in a grumpy tone.

“Why are you bothering  to do it  then if  it’s stressing you? I could never do that -write about my life!” my friend stated with conviction.

“Sure you could, if you felt strongly enough that you wanted to share it.” I said

At this point I was nearly bashing my head on the hard wooden walls that surrounded her living room. She was not telling me what I wanted to hear. I needed someone to assure me that  “Everything will be alright. It will all come together.”

I was beginning to think I ought to give up my pie-in-the-sky idea as I went through the list of obstacles that I was facing that week in writing and publishing my memoir.

If you are wondering why my need to write a memoir was so strong, this song by Nat King Cole explains it. It’s the basis of what’s behind  the narrative.  I’d had the making of the book  inside of me my whole life. It was dying to get it out.

This blog brought to you by the award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For more information on the EVVY award winning book Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, please follow this link. http://amzn.to/1nz4veb.

Hot Flashes

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newsflashToday, instead of the Flashback blog that I had promised, we will post an independent publishing NEWS FLASH ! Short, sweet and to the point!

Flashes, are good  – it means something is hot, scintillating, light filled or illuminating! Here is the announcement ~

Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected has been nominated as a FINALIST in the

Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY Book Awards – anthology category!

 

quote about life

Tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling  there will be another sweet treat for our readers –flashbacks to songs for baby boomers! You are invited to celebrate with me.

shortbread pansie cookies

 

This blog is brought to you by author Sue Batton Leonard. For more information and ordering Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, please visit this link. http://amzn.to/VcIcTO. Now available in audio book (the voice holds the real treat), paperback and e-book.

 

Circle of Life

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“There are patterns which emerge in one’s life, circling and returning anew, an endless variation of a theme”  ― Jacqueline Carey

Hoola HoopOn Saturday evening, my husband and I went to a free concert at Howelson Hill in Steamboat. It was just one of several offered throughout the summer.

As I sat and listened to the band and watched the crowd, I was reminded of a 1950s fad. There were a handful of girls and grown women  hula hooping to the music! Those ladies were good! They kept the hoop spinning as it revolved around their necks and waists and then when they dropped down to their knees, in a kneeling position, they kept it going. As they stood again, they keep the hoop revolving around their ankles. Never once touching the plastic circle.

Wow- quite different than the hula hoops skills I had. And talk about a workout and being creative with a simple circle- some of the moves, I can’t even find the words to explain it!

Isn’t it funny how fads, like fashions, come and go and come back around again through the ages? Hula hoops provided many hours of fulfilling fun for me, my sister and our girlfriends.

This is just another bit of nostalgia from the gift we humans are given – a lifetime full of memories!

This blog brought to you by author Sue Batton Leonard. Her publication is now also available in audio book for your reading pleasure. Click on this link for more information on the audio book, the paperback and the e-book.http://amzn.to/1nDmKTu

Memoirs: Never the Same Thing Twice

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“I believe that the memoir is the novel of the 21st century; it’s an amazing form that we haven’t even begun to tap…we’re just getting started figuring out what the rules are.” ~ Susan Cheever

On Friday I wrote about chiggers, of all things! Just hearing the word “the chiggers”  set off memories of a significant time in my life. That’s what happens when we see an image, smell an odor, hear an adage or touch something that brings us back to the past.

For instance: Remember saying “ Ewwwww…..he’s got the cooties.” It was a 1950’s thing. My girlfriends and I used to say that in reference to boys we didn’t care for.

Now you might ask “how did we get from chiggers to cooties?” One memory led to another! And the mention of the cooties has led me to these thoughts:

cootie game

Uncle_Wiggly_Game

battleship

concentration

hands down

 

lets make a deal

Candyland

barbie game

cheyenne

In my opinion, the goal of memoir writing should be to stir memories which will  inspire others to write about their experiences in the game of  life. Because each persons perspective and experience is so different, memoirs will never lead to reading the same thing twice.

To read more about the art of memoir writing, follow this link. Books about Memoirs

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.Click here for info & ordering Sue’s memoir

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life in Chapters and Stories

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Cars, beep, beep they pass us by and then it’s time to get down to business. ~ Big Time Rush quotes

The college years! What fulfilling memories I have from 1971 to 1975. The story I recounted a few days ago on All Things Fulfilling, about my notable car in college is just one of the many memories that I like to look back on. If you missed the blog, here is a link to it.http://bit.ly/1q9rlPg.

Not only did I build friendships of a lifetime during my four years at Johnson State College http://www.jsc.edu it was the first time throughout my education that I felt I could establish meaningful student-teacher relationships. Our college town was tiny. We ran into our professors off campus on a daily basis – in the grocery store, at the local ski areas and yes, in bars. Understand that this was decades before the days of Facebook and other social media and that is how we “networked” – face to face. There were only so many public places to meet-up in a remote area.

During the college years I felt as footloose and fancy-free as any other time in my life. It’s a beautiful feeling and the college years are a great time for young adults to discover who they are, what their passions are and what they want to do in life. I wish every individual could have an opportunity to experience living on a campus but with the cost of college sometimes it is prohibitive. So many life lessons are learned when a student lives away from home and in a dormitory with others.

In my memoir I recount a college experience that changed my life forever, abruptly. With that came huge realizations about life. I wrote about this event in Chapter 32 An Awakening. This chapter is an example of why memoir writing is so important. As Karen Armstrong, author of The Spiral Staircase once said, “We should probably all pause to confront our past from time to time, because it changes its meaning as our circumstances alter.” Click for Info on Karen Armstrong books.


Life, like cars, passes by quickly. Sometimes we make stops in our journeys through our different experiences. After the college years came the responsibilities of career, marriage and child rearing. And with those events came more stories!

JSC photo

Dibden Center for the Arts, Johnson State College, Johnson, Vermont

http://www.jsc.edu

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of A Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.  For more information on my publication, click here Sue’s memoir.