Tag Archives: memoir writing

St. Patty’s Day Creativity

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St Pattys Day Prompts..Happy St. Patty’s Day! Today we are going to have fun with a little Irish creativity. Are you ready to begin your story? When I found this image, I thought “Good lord – how appropriate each one of these writing prompts would have been for my recently completed publication Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfillment in the Unexpected. Any one of them could have aided me in my writing.

In honor of St. Patty’s Day I am going to craft something that summarizes parts of my memoir but it’s different than from what’s actually written in it. These thoughts may give you a hint as to what’s between the covers.

Using the prompts you can begin to craft your own story.

  • At the end of the rainbow….. my heart echoed.
  • The day I met my leprechaun….I prayed there’d be another to follow.
  • The luck of the Irish wasn’t with me when… my story began.
  • I was just picking up the pot of gold when…I realized it was inside me all the time.
  • I opened my eyes to find a leprechaun…who arrived as a big surprise.

Happy Saint Patty’s Day to All My Beloveds!

“Love leaves a memory no one can steal.” ~from

a headstone in Ireland

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The Glory in the Challenge

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On Thursday, a very important package was delivered to my mailbox. It was a “proof copy,” the first printed and bound copy of my memoir “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.”

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As I opened the package, this is what I was feeling – HAZY!

IMAG0997 In the same blur that has existed for several years now, while the book has been in the making. Writing and publishing a book independently, if I must be candid, takes commitment, persistence, a “can do/will do/nothing is going to stop me attitude. I had determined from the start that I would take on the words of Robert Schuller as a challenge when he asked “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” I was out to answer that and prove it to myself!

Sure, there have been challenges along the way (some big and some small) but I never lost heart in what I was doing because I believed so strongly in the story that I knew one day I’d tell. Every time I got a little disillusioned with my progress, I’d remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who once said “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but rising up every time we fail.”

Here it is – the proof copy. I’m excited but not done yet. Another go round of proofreading faces me.

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You’ll learn more about why I felt it was so important to tell my story when you read it. It has to do with the beautiful traits of a character in it. Although categorized as a memoir, it’s far more than a family tale. There is meaningful value in the universal messages tucked between the covers.

Today, I present to you all my glory……………and by Mothers’ Day, you can share it with me, when you read my story! You can even have it any way you like it – in print from www.Bookcrafters.com and other major on-line booksellers, in an e-book or audio book format. For those who decide on the audio book format – you are in for a very special treat!

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.com. I’m so excited! This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Thank you, Patient Souls

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St Francis quote about doing few things wellI have always been too good at multi-tasking as most women are. But there are consequences that come with allowing ourselves to do too much.

I think this sign should hang in front of every mirror in every household where there is a woman present. Some lessons are easier learned than others, and this reminder hanging plainly in the face of women might alleviate the guilt feelings that come along  when we CAN’T do it all.

Over the past few years, as I have written my memoir, there are things that I know I am guilty of – having neglected certain people, circumstances or tasks. I apologize! It’s not like me at all. But, I guess since I am only a human being, like everyone else, sometimes I screw up or overcommit.

There have been compromises that have been necessary to getting the “other job done.” I am talking about writing and independently publishing a book. Thankfully, my regrets are few. Penning my story has been most personally fulfilling thing I’ve done in my life.

Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, I’ll have a surprise for you that has made my transgressions all worthwhile.

god bless you and thank you

Today I ‘d like to honor anyone who has had to be patient

 with me and who has had to sacrifice, so that I could get the job done!

Signed, Forever Grateful.

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Miles of Memories

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“Family, like branches on a tree. We all grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one.” ~ Unknown

Memories….for me they really come flooding back during the holidays. Since I’ve been writing a memoir, things get even more stirred up.

luggage 1950sMy native Baltimore has been on my mind a lot lately. These old photos make me think of all the times my parents and I and my three siblings took to the road. We traveled many miles up and down I-95 together in our station wagon, often headed to Vermont. Lake Champlain in the summer and then to Stowe and other ski resorts in winter whenever we could work it into our school vacation schedule. Many Baltimoreans thought we were a strange lot. After all, Maryland was known as the “Land of Pleasant Living.” Friends would ask “Why would you want to go anywhere else?”

Our family station wagon was always filled to the ceiling, with luggage and other ski gear. And arguments began before we even started down our long driveway because no one wanted to sit on “the hump!”

After the seventh or eighth hour of being on the road, tensions became heightened in the “wagon.”  We kids started fighting about one or the other taking up too much room. Although, I, being small in stature, didn’t get accused quite so often.

dashboard of station wagon“Time for car songs,”  my mother would say. Tunes from The Sound of Music always rang out first.  We weren’t deep in talent like the Trapp Family I can assure you of that. But anything to pass the long arduous miles helped. Twelve hours in a car grew old quickly with an AM radio with reception that faded in and out and crackled so badly you could barely hear the tunes. Even our voices sounded better than that.

The film The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews has a place in the memories of almost every family of my generation. It’s often played on TV this time of year. I believe the movie and the legacy of the von Trapps’s will live on and on because of the ability to order the film and stories of the family’s history through e-commerce on the world-wide-web.

julie andrews

Speaking of road trips, if you are going to be on the highway this Thanksgiving week, please drive safely. And have a fulfilling holiday!

This blog brought to you by www.allthingsfulfilling.com. The space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business.

Nostalgic Images Stirred

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“When people…rethink their personal stories, they begin to build a sense of connection and responsibility…they begin to view their personal stories as intertwined with history.”~ Paul Rogat Loeb

I have kept it no secret that I have been writing a memoir over the past few years. For those who knew me in my early childhood days, they’ve asked “has writing a life story  been painful?” I have to laugh.

I laugh because as I have written the personal narrative, it has stirred and returned me to some fulfilling memories of an era that has gone by and will never come again. That’s life. That’s progress – ever moving forward.

I realize how woven history is with my story. I am a survivor and have lived through times of great historical importance. As an author, in telling the story, I’ve tried to capture those nostalgic times. If you are of the baby boomer generation, what societal changes do you think has had the most impact on life in America since the 1950’s? I’m interested in your opinion.  

This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. The space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

Writing Conflict and Lessons

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Life is a circle. The end of one journey is the beginning of the next.”
― Joseph M. Marshall III, The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History

I read a marvelous article recently in Poets and Writers Magazine about character development in stories and it got me thinking about real life people. Is it not true that some of the most interesting individuals you have ever met have incredibly complex life journeys?

If every thing in life was smooth, easy and breezy, our personal stories would be boring and there would be little reason for memoir writing. Out of strife and struggle comes personal growth, and by reading tales written by others we meet some very interesting characters who inspire us to become better people.

art of perseveranceThere is a book I encountered on Goodreads called Keep Going: The Art of Perseverance.  This book may be a good resource for writers who are frustrated and disappointed in their progress or at a loss for direction. Sage advice on not giving up is incorporated into this book. Rather than the typical new age jargon, wisdom of the ages from the Lakota Indian is shared through the writings. Click for info & ordering

Author Joseph M Marshall III, a Native American writer, inspires others in his workshops on character and leadership and through his other publications. Please visit his website to learn more about Marshall as a writer and motivational speaker. http://www.josephmarshall.com .

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.Click for info and ordering See you tomorrow on http://www.AllThingsFulfilling.com. The space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business.

Memoir: Personal Insight

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“Back on its golden hinges, The gate of Memory swings, And my heart goes into the garden, And walks with the olden things.””~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

William Faulkner often complained that contemporary literature has brought a loss of vitality to writing. However, there are many who would say that memoirs change all that.

The reader of a memoir can liken the experience to being in a confessional dropping in on someone else’s life. Self-exposure and raw emotions of humanity are what attracts the reader to it’s fulfilling content. Indeed, we are a voyeuristic society.

A novelist hints at possible connections between character and writer, but with the memoir, the writer tells all. It makes the literary form easy to digest, in that the reader is not left with the question “How did this writer come up with this story?” The events in the story are real life occurrences. Rather, we are sometimes left with the thought “I can’t believe this guy did this or that happened!” Often, there is tantalizing or inspirational energy behind the story

 Not every person has scathing accusations or hot tell-all revelations to shout out in a story, but it that does not mean a person’s life is not interesting to the reader.

There couldn’t be a better time in publishing to write a memoir.  E-books provide a very appealing way to publish for people who wish to write their memoirs.. Independent publishing has made it possible for people in all walks of life to begin fulfilling their dreams by writing their personal narrative.

Don’t know where or how to start? The Colorado Independent Publishers Association offers help through an 18 minute webinar that gives some very good insight. Here is the link.http://bit.ly/oIkV2g.

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