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“True, I’ve written a few stories, but I’m not a writer!” Such is the mindset of most beginning writers. In January of this year I posted an interview with author Nancy Pogue LaTurner based on her experience writing her memoir, Voluntary Nomads: A Mother's Memories of Foreign Service Life . I’m happy to welcome her back with this guest post building on the metaphor of Santa Claus as she outlines her writing path from novice to “real writer.” Before beginning my memoir, Voluntary Nomads , I carried a weight around with me. Like Santa's bag of presents, I hefted my sack of stories. It was full to bursting and I needed to lighten the load by giving these gifts away. Unlike Santa, with his centuries of expertise and magic delivery system, I worried that I was ill equipped to carry out my plan. When I began the memoir-writing journey, I didn't consider myself a writer. I could have, given my early experience as editor of my elementary and high school newspapers, colum...

All my life I’ve wanted to fit in, or so I thought. Now I wonder. What is it that I wanted to fit into? Some might say their jeans, but so far, my jeans have fit fine. I wanted to fit in with others, to blend seamlessly with the group. To be an insider . To be like others . Suddenly I wonder: just what does that mean? What was I hoping to be like? And who were these people I wanted to fit in with? Last month travel writer Annabel Candy published a blog post, 35 Ways I Don’t Fit In , and she challenged readers to make their own list and link back to her post . When I sat down to make my list I realized that any given item is far from unique. Each specific attribute will be shared by a multitude of others – like DNA, it’s the total combination of shared elements that makes me unique. In no particular order, I’ll list  35 of the countless elements that add up to my unique experience and self. 1. I love chili, the hotter the better – up to a point. Inspired by Elizabeth-Anne Kim , I’m...

Elizabeth-Anne Kim recently published two collections of life stories, DANCING IN THE RAIN ( free Kindle download Thanksgiving Day through Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012 ) and WHAT MY MOTHER DIDN’T KNOW , as Kindle Shorts. These memoir pieces were largely unplanned. In this guest post, she explains how incidental writing can turn into something surprising. If you can be an accidental life story writer, that's what I am . I didn't mean to publish independently either; it just sort of happened. After nearly four years in Korea, my husband and I transitioned our family back to the United States in the spring of 2010.  I found myself in a new setting with two children who needed me close at hand. Traditional career options were not going to work. I decided to try writing. I had previously done a bit of writing work, and I felt pretty confident in my ability to transition back and forth between genres. What I didn't feel comfortable with was my ability to stick to a deadline all ...

Everybody has a junk drawer in the kitchen or somewhere, a drawer where you put the stuff you don’t know where else to put. Stuff you intend to sort and put away properly “someday.” I have a folder like that in Documents – odds and ends of lifestory starts and sandpaper drafts. Bits and pieces of memory and story that beg for completion, but I haven’t had time, or lost the thread or … you know. Stories that made it past the Story Idea List stage, but not by much. Stories with beginnings, but no endings. I’ll bet you have a folder like that too. Today, when the post I’d planned didn’t work out because the video I wanted to include doesn’t display right, I decided to peruse my junk file. To be honest, I have more than one such folder. I found an older one with files dating back about four computers. I haven’t looked in it for ages, and I found some real treasures. Among them is a file I’d intended to use as the first chapter of a memoir about my mother. The folder date on that file...

If you, like Santa, are making a list and checking it twice, here’s a gift idea for adult relatives: stick a copy of The Heart and Craft of Lifestory Writing in their stocking. This gift is a way of urging them to record their stories for you and the future . While you’re at it, order a copy for yourself. While you may not be able to crank out the story of your entire life in the next six weeks, you can begin now with a single story or two. If you write two pages a week, you’ll have six hundred pages in two years . Amazon has dozens of books explaining how to write lifestories, and all have merit. In fact, I encourage anyone who is serious about writing lifestory, autobiography or memoir to read several.  I also encourage them to begin with mine, which is the most comprehensive I’ve found. In addition to the usual guidelines for writing stories, here’s a list of features that set The Heart and Craft of Lifestory Writing apart: Start-to-finish instructions on planning writ...