Perfecting a Craft

Leave a comment

Posted on July 25, 2014

Becoming a published author does not mean a writer is finished learning their craft – hardly! Just like any artist, spending time honing skills is all part of being an writer.

A week from today I will be participating in A Day for Writers in Steamboat Springs. This will be the thirty-third annual event hosted by the Steamboat Writers Group. Here’s what Friday evening and Saturday activities look like:

Friday evening Meet & Greet and buffet dinner. Afterward is 10 Minutes of Fame. We will get to read from our published or unpublished work. Fanny (the stellar character in Gift of A Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected) will be making a guest appearance! One never knows what words of wisdom might come out of her mouth.

Mystery Writer Rex Burns will lead us in learning more about setting and description. Later in the day we will practice our craft by writing descriptive passages.

Teresa Funke will be on hand to talk about book promotion. This will be my second opportunity to listen to this highly skilled professional speaker.I look forward to it. Secondly she will give us some insight into the perspective of what book buyers are looking for. For more information on Teresa’s publications, public speaking and creativity coaching, please visit her website http://www.teresafunke.com/.

I am looking forward to a Day for Writers in Steamboat. The opportunity to attend writers conferences and workshops are a gift of a lifetime for me because I plan to continue writing. I can’t learn enough about what readers are looking for when they sit down to read a good book. There is more to it than you can ever imagine.

After next weekend is all over, I will provide you with a recap. So look for the upcoming story on All Things Fulfilling.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. As narrator and author, she says of her audio book ” Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, “the voice contains the real treasure” .For info & ordering click on this link

Memoirs: Never the Same Thing Twice

Leave a comment

Posted on July 14, 2014

“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:

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!

Chiggers at Vespers

2 Comments

Posted on July 12, 2014

“Oh, no!” I said out loud to myself, as I finally read my mothers e-mail correspondence from last weekend. My sister has the chiggers.

“Wow, does that ever bring back memories,” I thought. The first time I ever heard of the chiggers was when my parents sent us twins off to overnight church camp in Virginia. Camp Glenkirk holds many fond memories for me. I recall my mother’s anxiety as she and my dad drove off leaving us girls in someone else’s hands for a week. It was the first time I was away overnight from my parents since my “pioneering” heart surgery.

Although I didn’t completely understand the magnitude of that turning point in my life, I know it was a step toward independence from the watchful eye of my parents. I don’t recall my uneasiness, only that of my mother’s. My anchor, my rock, my twin sister was by my side. And when there were certain strenuous camp activities that I was unable to participate in, my sister sat on the sidelines with me. She never left me behind. What a loyal sister!

What I also remember is when we went to evening vespers (evening group prayer), I prayed saying, “Lord a Mercy,” (mimicking Fanny, the stellar character in my memoir), “please don’t let me get the chiggers!” I’d heard from other campers that they itch something awful.God knows, there were plenty of them in the backwoods of Virginia but, I managed to stay free – I guess someone greater than myself was watching out for me.

Jan – I hope you get rid of those chiggers real quick! Find something to sooth the itch! Be still and know that it is just the chiggers driving you crazy!

Today’s blog is brought to you by author Sue Batton Leonard and that was just another childhood memory not included in my publication Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

A Questionable Start

Leave a comment

Posted on July 11, 2014

“Something really got messed up!” I often thought as a child. How can I be three minutes older than my twin sister? ” I mean, look at the size difference! Surprising, isn’t it? In my memoir I share some insight into more of my thoughts from the perspective of an child who had a start filled with uncertainty.

Photo above – left to right: Yours truly (Sue), Mary Grace (our childhood friend who is one year younger) and Jan, my twin.

At other times I thought:

As an adult I’ve come to know deep in my heart, it was no accident – we are all according to God’s plan. Believe it or not, He has one for each and every one of us!

There is a lot of truth in that statement, isn’t there?

Thanks once again to www.unbridledimages.com for surprising me with this photo that was dug up out of their archives- it is a treasure. Who would have thought I’d be corresponding with long lost friends, exchanging picture and reminiscing with people of my past so frequently? Unexpected things happen when we tell our life story. It’s been truly delightful.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

FAQ: Identical or Fraternal

Leave a comment

Posted on July 9, 2014

Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by doubling our joys, and dividing our grief’ ~ Marco Tullius Cicero

Since my memoir was published in late March, I’ve had wonderful opportunities to do some author appearances, book readings and signings. My memoir will be read by two book clubs this summer and fall, and I am excited about that!

When the audience learns of my fragile beginnings, there is curiosity about the size difference between my sister and me. One of the most frequently asked questions from the audience has been whether as adults my twin sister and I look alike.

Today, I thought I would post this photo taken approximately five years ago. I am with some of my college friends. We were having a last college reunion with our dear friend Amy. She lived life so vibrantly with breast cancer until her final days of struggling came to pass. This get together was a gift of a lifetime for all of us. I’ll let you determine whether my sister and I look like twins or not. What do you think, readers?

The one missing from the picture, our very own “Chatterbox” or “Chatter,” as we sometimes call her, had graciously hosted the reunion and it was a blast.

Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling. I have a THRILLING announcement and on Thursday I will post another surprise photo. I didn’t know it existed – of my twin sister and me and our friend Mary Grace, who is one childhood friend featured in my memoir. You’ll see my twin and me as young children.

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

Democracy, Faith, Freedom and the U.S.A.

1 Comment

Posted on July 4, 2014

Happy Fourth of July, everybody! Journey with me today through a series of images of our patriotic United States of America where freedom rings, thanks to our armed forces. All men and women in every branch of our military services deserve the very best we can give them in terms of healthcare and quality of life. They sacrifice so much to protect and defend The Constitution for the benefit of all of us, and for future generations of Americans.

I can’t get enough of All Things Americana~

See you on Monday on All Things Fulfilling! Have a great Independence weekend!

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime – Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected

Tugs of Heart Strings

1 Comment

Posted on July 2, 2014

Do you remember playing tug-of- war on the play ground?

The physical education teacher marked the the pavement with chalk, threw down a hefty rope and teams were chosen at the discretion of the teacher or the team captains. Then began the battle to see which team had the greatest strength and persistence and could pull the other team over the line.

A few weeks ago when I talked with Kiwanis, I read aloud a chapter from my memoir called Having Faith in Oneself. Essentially it is about Fanny’s advice to me about the feelings I had when I was left out of the crowd on the playground due to my childhood illness. Fanny is the stellar character in my memoir who was a very sage woman.

Now that I am an adult, I understand what she was hinting at in one of our heart-to- heart conversations. One day she said “Sue, there ain’t no one who don’t play tug of war in life. Sometimes we is among the lighthearted and sometimes we are wid da heavy hitters. Dem knots in da rope is what helps us to learn to hang on and to roll wid da punches.” There is a lot of truth in that! But it is more fun to play nice. This blog brought to you by author Sue Batton Leonard. Click here for information about Sue’s memoir, Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

Life in Chapters and Stories

2 Comments

Posted on June 26, 2014

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!

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.

Coping Skills and Economy

Leave a comment

Posted on June 25, 2014

“Entitlement is the opposite of enchantment.” ~ Guy Kawaski

Yesterday after I wrote about my college escapades in my hand-me-down car, I began thinking of how different life is now for students compared to when I was in college in the early 1970s. My sister and I were very fortunate to even have had a vehicle to share in college because the majority didn’t. We were thrilled to death to have inherited the old “jalopy.”

When the budget was low and we ran low on gas money, we pooled our funds with our girlfriends. Back then, giving credit cards to college students was unheard of – most families operated on a cash only basis. If you had built a good reputation or were good friends with the shopkeeper, sometimes they did extend credit in emergency situations.

Back in 1973 it didn’t matter who you were or what kind of car you drove, you were not entitled to having a full tank of gas at anytime of day or night. It was the days of gas rationing. My sister and I had to plan our 500 mile treks home from school vacations very carefully. We could only purchase gas on certain days and at some gas stations there was a 10 gallon limit.

To take things even further – we had to wait in line to use the pay telephone if we wanted to call our parents. And forget calling on a whim – every telephone call cost dearly.There were no package plans! On Sunday evenings, every two weeks, we called home. And the time allotment had two be split between two talking heads, mine and my sisters.

Do you think young adults in today’s society have the same kind of coping skills as in previous generations? I’d like to hear from you.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected Sue’s memoir

Hand-Me-Down Memories

Leave a comment

Posted on June 24, 2014

Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. ~Hans Christian Andersen

I don’t think there is a person alive who doesn’t attach memories to the cars they’ve owned. The car my twin sister and I had in college was a hand-me-down from our parents. They thought the Plymouth wagon had seen it’s better days, but we proved them wrong, big time.

Our college friends nicknamed the vehicle the “The Batmobile.” My maiden name is Batton, hence, the moniker made sense! It was one of the most recognizable cars on campus because it was as long and wide as a barge, and our friends could see us coming down the pike from far distances. For me, just seeing over the steering wheel was a challenge.

We carted around as many fellow students as we possibly could, with all their gear, to Stowe http://www.stowe.com and Smugglers Notch Ski Areas http://www.smuggs.com and places way beyond. We’d pack ’em in like sardines, because seat belts were unheard of in those days. Off we’d head for another day on the slopes. The Batmobile could slurp the gas alright, almost as quickly as it was filled up. And when the fuel gauge finally gave up the ghost we had to keep an emergency gas fund just in case. After all we were only poor college students with limited budgets.

One fall weekend, my twin and I and our girlfriends decided to go hiking on the Long Trail http://www.greenmountaintrail.org (an extension of the Appalachian Trail www.appalachiantrail.org ). Being typical college students we…. ummmm….sometimes got hair brained ideas. We decided we’d be trail blazers and take the lazy louts approach to hiking. We drove as far as we possibly could up the Long Trail and parked it. The next day when we returned to our car after spending the night on the trail in the cabins, here is a photo of what we were faced with. One of our housemates had gotten wind of our plans, and decided to play a prank. It was all in good fun, and one of my most dear memories from Johnson State College http://www.jsc.edu. This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.Click for Info & Ordering

All Things Fulfilling

Writing Focused on Fine Art & The Humanities

Tag Archives: Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected

Perfecting a Craft

Democracy, Faith, Freedom and the U.S.A.