Writing Poetry on a Dreary Winter Day

Today I planned to meet a friend for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, the Signature Room at the top of the John Hancock Center. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate; commuting from the suburbs just for lunch when sleet and snow are forecast didn't seem wise to my friend. I understand. This is a good day to stay indoors.

As I've said before, writing is a great way to brighten dreary days, so I wrote another Rictameter (see my December 17, 2007 post for other examples). I am not a "real" poet, but I like the mental challenge of this restricted form. Why not try writing a poem? Any form, including free verse, will do. Let's keep our brains active

Think and Dream

Think. Dream.

Write your story.

Do it in poems, in verse.

Try rictameters or sonnets,

Quatrains, tercets, octaves, sestets, shaped poems,

Free verse, rhymed or unrhymed, good, bad.

Stretch your brain; flex you mind.

Express yourself.

Think. Dream.

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

The Best Review of this Blog I've Seen!

We bloggers sometimes get the feeling that no one is reading what we write (hint: leave more comments). Today, I happened upon this review from "The Senior Surfer" (http://theseniorsurfer.blogspot.com/), a blog I'd not heard of. There's nothing like a good review or a kind comment to brighten a cold winter day in Chicago!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007:

If You Ever Wanted To Write Your Life...

"Have you always wanted to write a memoir but never quite gotten around to actually starting the darn thing? If one of your New Year's resolutions is to get that memoir out of your head and onto paper, you might want to turn to Write Your Life, an inspirational blog that just might give you the guidance you need to finally churn out your life's story. Created by senior blogger Marlys Marshall Styne, also a retired English professor and memoirist, Write Your Life is filled with the kind of useful tips and exercises designed to liberate the writer within you. For example, if you're "stuck" creatively or not sure exactly how to start writing about your life, Marlys suggests ten journal assignments to get you going in the right direction.A copy of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style on your desk and Write Your Life on your desktop might be all you need to get that memoir written in 2008! Best of luck!"

Posted by Aurelio Zucco at 10:33 PM
Categories: Notable Senior Blogs

Thanks, Aurelio. It took me more than two months to discover this, but I appreciate it!

There's an Interesting Writing Challenge Going Around

Here is an idea I found on "Wintersong," previously borrowed from "Grannymar" (an Irish blog), borrowed from . . . . You get the idea. This is one of those memes going around the blogging world. Here are the rules:

* Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
* Find Page 123.
* Find the first 5 sentences.
* Post the next 3 sentences [sentences 6-8]
* Tag 5 people

I'll skip the tagging part; that's too intrusive for me. But I decided to give the rest a try.

The book on top of my "To Review" pile, one of those books sent me by a publisher for review on one of my blogs (I don't get books from the "big guys" in publishing, of course), is Send Yourself Roses, by actress Kathleen Turner, in collaboration with Gloria Feldt (Springboard, 2008).

I'm not a fan of celebrities' or ex-celebrities' books, most of which seem to be ghost-written anyway, but after all, this book does fit my criteria otherwise: it's the life story of an older woman, and it deals, in part, with aging. O.K. The cinching factor was that I happened to see one of Turner's movies, Serial Mom (1994), on TV fairly recently. It's a funny film, but not a great one. Still, I was amazed by Turner's ability to make a monster killer almost sympathetic, in a humorous way. Turner is best known, of course, for her first film, Body Heat (1981). She also had later stage successes in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? (2005-2007), as well as many other roles.

Page 123 of Send Yourself Roses comes in the chapter "Hold On to the Power to Say No." She regrets the one time (according to her) that she accepted a role mainly for the money. The film was Switching Channels, 1988. Turner was pregnant at the time, the film was delayed, and "Since Michael Caine couldn't do the film in time, the producer hired Burt Reynolds." As Turner's girth increased, her co-star wasn't very understanding.

Here are sentences six, seven, and eight from page 123:

"For whatever reason, he [Burt Reynolds] immediately said to me, 'I've never taken second billing to a woman.' I excused myself, ran to my room--we were rehearsing in a hotel--and called Jay [her husband], breaking into tears, saying, 'I don't think I can do this.' Burt was just nasty."

I've not finished reading this book, nor have I written my review. I may do so eventually. There is a certain charm in entering a world very alien to my own to encounter a woman whose life has been nothing like mine.

Pick up the nearest book and give this exercise a try.

http://wintersong.wordpress.com/
http://www.grannymar.com/

An update, February 21:

In the interest of fairness, I tried this with my own book Reinventing Myself. Page 123 falls toward the beginning of the chapter entitled "Taking a Walk." This passage is leading up to my explanation of why I prefer outdoor (fair weather) walking to other forms of exercise and to a description of things observed on a neighborhood walk:

"I'm not into suffering. Yes, I can exercise by using my stationary recumbent exercise bike or a treadmill at the local health club (there's one in my building), but that's quite boring. The bike's in my bedroom, so I do try to use it several times a week."

Not only is this one of the duller passages in the book, but it makes me feel guilty that I've not been exercising lately. I guess this writing exercise can be dangerous!

Another Update, March 18:

I finally reviewed Kathleen Turner's book on my other blog, "Never too Late!" Here is a link:

http://seniorwriter.blogspot.com/2008/03/lessons-from-50-something-actress-book.html

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Journalism: A New World?

Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the Illinois Woman's Press Association. I am not exactly a press woman (my last newspaper "gig" came during college in the early 1950's), but the group includes writers of all kinds now. The speaker was author and Northwestern University Journalism Professor Michele Weldon, and I was fascinated by her speech, "Adapting to a New World in Journalism."

I'll leave the reviews of Weldon's speech to actual journalists, but her message was appropriate for us older "what's the world coming to?" moaners who sometimes lament the decline of the newspaper as we used to know it. Long gone are the days when we eagerly waited for our morning newspaper to catch up on the news of the day. Now, we've seen and heard that news on TV and/or listened to it on the radio and/or followed it on line, so a newspaper holds few surprises.

Take, for example, the tragic shootings at Northern Illinois University. I happened to turn on my TV that afternoon, just after the event, and I watched all the latest developments. Had I watched updates all night, I would probably have been up-to-date on everything from the body count to the ID of the gunman. That's the kind of immediacy we demand these days.

Still, I read the next day's newspaper. There's something comforting about sitting down with a cup of coffee and the Chicago Tribune. Like other newspapers, it no longer dwells for long on the Who-What-When-Where-Why-How basic facts. Now it's in-depth interviews and public reactions and background stories, and I like that. Of course radio and TV do the same to some extent, but somehow, I prefer a well-developed newspaper story to a series of short sound bites.

I hope that printed newspapers never disappear. We'll always need writers to look beyond the facts and concentrate on the "Why" and the effects of news events on those involved, either directly or indirectly. In her newest book, Everyman News: The Changing American Front Page (U. of Missouri Press, 2007), Michele Weldon discusses how "newspapers have carved out a narrative niche that reflects society's fascination with personal stories and readers' demands for diversity in content."

You gave me a lot to think about, Ms. Weldon. Keep up the good work.

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Those Feel-Good Moments

Life tends to get a bit dull in the midst of a cold, snowy, dreary winter, but sometimes something that I see gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. It's such things that we should remember to write about.

This time, I happened to see a TV news report on the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Just the sight of that happy little Beagle, Uno, made my day! Somehow, the usual poodles and other more exotic dogs don't impress me very much, but Uno is different.

I'm basically a cat, not a dog, person. I had dogs during childhood, but my later city life has not encouraged me to get a dog. I don't consider a city apartment the best place for a dog. Frankly, I'm too lazy for those outdoor walks, especially in the winter.

Uno reminds me a bit of my father's long-time companion, Bill. I remember Bill best as a fat and ailing older beagle whose decline seemed to parallel my father's (he--my father--died at age 70). Still, I have a picture of my father with a very young Bill, just a puppy, and he was very, very cute then.

The sight of Uno doing his victory walk, tail in the air, strutting happily, brought back fond memories. When something makes you smile, take time to think about it--and write about it, too. I'll have to write more about my father's dog, Bill.

(Happy Valentine's Day to all! Tell that special someone that you love him or her.)

Finally! Archives for my eGenerations Columns

It has bothered me a bit that on those rare occasions when someone asked about one of my past columns, I was not able to help him or her. The current column was always there at the top of the "Connect" page, but earlier ones could only be found when they popped up at random. Now, at last, all the columns can be found at http://egenerations.com/write-articles.

For anyone who might be interested, here is a list of titles for the columns I've written thus far. I'll try to keep the list updated. You can find them all with the above link.

1. Tell Your Story!
2. Excuses for Not Writing? A Few Reassurances and More about Getting Started
3. Need More Writing Suggestions? Your Life Experiences, Your Special World, Your Legacy
4. Writing to Discover: Who are you? Where have you been? Where are you going?
5. Flexing your "Writing Muscles": Interviewing Others--or Yourself
6. Sharing Your Experiences, Your Memories, Your Stories: Printing, Copying, or Publishing
7. Writing to Heal: Writing as Therapy
8. Expressing Yourself On Line and Off: Journals, Blogs, Books, and Blooks
9. Tell Your Life Story Through Poetry?
10. My Experiences with Print-on-Demand and Online Self-Publishing
11. Does Your Writing Need Improvement? Self-Editing, Copy Editing, and Content Editing
12. In Defense of Old-Fashioned Communication: Writing Holiday Letters
13. Year-end Thoughts and Last-Minute Gift Suggestions
14. Looking Back and Looking Ahead: A New Year of Writing
15. Newspaper Book Reviews: An Endangered Species?
16. The Humorous Side of Book Reviewing, or Is It?
17. Internet Book Reviews
18. Become a Book Reviewer?
19. Fact, Fiction, and Book Scandals
20. Writing Inspirations, Part I: Photographs

Happy reading and writing!

One of Those Ideas I Wish I'd Thought Of Myself

Thanks to Larry Lehmer of "Passing it On"
(http://whenwordsmatter.typepad.com/passing_it_on/2008/02/your-life-story.html), I've just encountered a new book based on a joint Smith Magazine and Twitter Contest. The book is called Not Quite What I was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. I haven't seen the book yet, but go to Larry's blog to read about it, with some samples and some links.

Here's a quote from the smithmag.net web site:

"Surprisingly addictive, Not Quite is both a moving peek at the minutia of humanity and the most literary toilet reading you’ll ever find."

I wish I'd known about this contest; I might have entered it. As it is, I still intend to give the idea a try. Talk about a challenge! Stay tuned; if and when I come up with six golden words about my life, I'll post them here. Meanwhile, give it a try yourself.

Update: 2/09: Here's what I've come up with so far. I'll keep trying.

"Seventy-five, wrinkled, writing, still enjoying life!"

Want to buy the book at Amazon.com? http://www.amazon.com/Not-Quite-What-Was-Planning/dp/0061374059?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199932988&sr=8-1

Another Book Reviewing Dilemma

In my November 18, 2007, post "The Truth About (Old-Style) English Teachers and a Book Reviewer's Dilemma" here, I lamented being unable to review an interesting and well-intentioned book because it contained so many elementary writing errors.

As a relentless promoter of life writing and family stories, I hate the disappointment of reading a seriously flawed book, especially one that shows promise. I'm too honest to encourage readers to buy a book that I find hard to get through.

Now I've found a second book I can't review in a positive way. This book was sent to me by the author in good faith, and I have not intention of shattering her dreams with a published review. More writing errors? No. This book is very well written in the technical sense. Its "sins," as I see them, are an unrealized premise or unifying idea, weak organization, trying to cover too much ground, and a strange lack of vivid personal details. There's too much telling and too little showing.

I don't question this book's value to family members and friends. What I question is whether it has value for the wider reading public. The author, who has apparently formed her own publishing company to publish this book (I'm not attacking self-publishing; I've done it myself, although not by forming a company of my own), tried too hard to make her family's story special and unusual, and I didn't see it that way.

I guess my real point is that while I believe everyone has a story to tell, and that family lore should be recorded, not every book deserves general publication and distribution, at least until it has had serious copy and content editing. (See my eGenerations column, "Does Your Writing Need Improvement?" at http://egenerations.com/article-1053-6-does-your-writing-need-improvement). Be careful!

As for the book in question here, I hope I am wrong, and that the author's dreams will be fulfilled. I still believe in big dreams.

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Write Away Your Excess Weight? A Book Review

I've read more than enough diet books during my lifetime, from the sensible to the faddish, from the scientific to the ridiculous, without solving my weight problem. After absorbing the "wisdom" of all those books, I swore to ignore this year's diet book crop.

Then, I discovered Julia Cameron's The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size (Jeremy P. Tarcher / Penguin, 2007). With a title like that, how could I resist?

It seems that Cameron, author of The Artist's Way and much more--non-fiction, fiction, plays, poetry--teaches a twelve-week course in "creative unblocking." As her students became more creative, they astonished their teacher by becoming slimmer as well. She observed that "weight loss is a frequent by-product of creative recovery." Apparently, "Overeating blocks our creativity [and] we [also] can use creativity to block our overeating."

This book is divided into two sections, "The Tools" and "Situations and Solutions." The tools begin with "Morning Pages": basically writing three daily pages of a journal. This is the same mind-clearing, self-revealing journal exercise I've long recommended and frequently practiced. "Writing Morning Pages, our mindless lives are behind us." These pages are great places to examine all relationships, including that to food. The Morning Pages evolve into full-fledged journals, by this time addressing eating matters for those with weight concerns. Other useful tools include walking and finding a "body buddy" to cheer one on, among others.

The "Situations and Solutions" of Part Two cover more than thirty common food situations, generally with writing suggestions and/or examples. For "Scaling the Scale," Cameron quotes a student who writes, "I feel the scale is all that stands between me and disaster. I can only imagine what would happen if I tried to go a month without its input." The cure for bathroom scale panic, according to the author, is to weigh oneself monthly, not daily.

In "Eating to Please," the author points out that many believe that food is love, so we eat what a loved one eats and join in extravagant meals. We may eat to show our appreciation for "Aunt Helen's cheesecake" or other festive goodies. The suggested writing task to overcome this tendency is to "write out the worst scenario you can imagine if you refuse a dining experience." Use humor; what will happen if you stand up for yourself? "How would it feel to stick to your own agenda and even lose weight during the holiday season?" That would be great, but it's never happened to me.

This is an interestiong book, and I suspect that any fledgling or would-be writer who completed all the suggested writing tasks could develop a better relationship with food, a better figure, and some additional creative skills as well.

While the sheer number of situations and writing tasks intimidates me a bit, this book is full of cleverly-written common sense. This is a book that requires action. It does not suit the couch potato style of reading for escape or entertainment, so put down that bowl of chips and pick up a pen!

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Amazon Shorts: An Interesting Idea

Have you heard about Amazon Shorts? The gigantic online bookseller and vendor of other goods as well includes a section offering short pieces of writing (fiction and non-fiction) for download at $0.49 each.

In order to participate, an author has to have at least one book for sale on Amazon, and then any submission has to be approved for inclusion as an Amazon Short.

To my surprise, two of my short stories (yes, short stories--fiction) were accepted. I am not basically a fiction writer, but two stories I wrote last year, "Volunteer" and "Marie's Story," appeared as Amazon Shorts yesterday. To find them, do a search for my name under "Books" at Amazon.com. Search Amazon Shorts for other choices, too.

I found the idea fascinating, although it is not likely to be a revenue producer. Some authors use the Shorts to generate interest in their related books, or even to provide updates or additions as Shorts. Others offer serial episodes of longer stories or books. My stories are not related to my books, although they are written by a senior and feature seniors, perhaps encouraging other seniors to write, and writers in general to include sympathetic senior characters.

If you are an author with a book or books offered by Amazon, consider submitting shorts as well. If you have a dollar to spare, I'd appreciate your downloading, reading, and reviewing my stories (as customer reviews). I am interested to know what someone, anyone, thinks of them.

If you have any experience with Amazon Shorts, either as a reader or as an author, please let me know. To me, it's an interesting experiment; it's existed for several years, yet I had not heard of it until fairly recently.

My books and shorts: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/105-2997487-5818060?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Marlys%20Marshall%20Styne

Amazon Shorts: http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sa_menu_sh2/103-1435355-6091001?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=13993911

For authors: How to participate in Amazon Shorts: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=570212

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Write Your Way Through Winter

"According to health experts, the extreme cold can cause major health problems, such as pneumonia and hypothermia, in senior citizens.

"People over the age of 65 are more likely to develop these complications than any other age group because their bodies tend to have more difficulties regulating temperature."

Are you tired of reading and hearing facts like this (quoted from a typical on-line weather feature) or the usual dismal weather forecasts? Is winter getting to you, despite your comfortable indoor environment? What are your coping methods? Do you overeat, bury yourself in soap operas, exercise, sleep most of the time, or what?

In case you can't or don't want to escape to a warmer climate, I'd like to suggest writing as a way to beat the winter blues. Your basic life writing may fill the bill, but how about emphasizing some warm memories? Do you remember a wonderful summer day at the beach (local or foreign)? Do you remember a walk along the lake on a beautiful, warm, sunny day?

Thank about the good days from summers of the recent and/or distant past, from childhood or adulthood. What did you do? How did you feel? Writing has to be one of the best ways of coping with inclement weather, and it won't make you fat.

While it may be hard to do, why not follow Italian author, playwiright, and poet Pietro Aretino's advice: "Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius." For more quotations about winter, go to

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art37089.asp

For a humorous look at winter weather, go to

http://joyofsix.typepad.com/joyofsix/2008/01/chicago-weather.html

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Senior Writing

If you have any doubts that seniors can write, or that they should, or that senior writing workshops are worthwhile activities, read "Students Outshine Instructor" on the Wintersong blog. I would love the chance to "facilitate" such a group!

http://wintersong.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/students-outshine-instructor/

More About Blogging

I've written quite a bit about the joys of blogging. Now I invite you to watch a video from "Blogging in Paris." Claude, the author of "Blogging in Paris," is featured at the end of an interesting, short France 24 TV show.

Claude is a sixty-three-year-old widow, a former English teacher who obviously lives in Paris. Like most blogs, hers offers a view into the world of another elder blogger. It's a wonderful new world in which we can visit other countries without leaving home.

If you have considered a blog, especially to help your family and friends keep in touch, give it a try. It's very easy to do, thanks to Blogspot and similar sites.

Link: http://blogginginparis.com/2008/01/12/45-seconds-on-france24/

The Joys of a Good Book Review

Do you read book reviews? Do they influence your reading choices? Book reviewing provides good writing practice, and you may discover some wonderful books in the process.

I have dabbled in the art of book reviewing; you can see a few of my reviews on this blog. Also, as an virtually unknown writer, I have eagerly sought reviews of my own two books. While neither book is a best seller, I've been pleased with several good reviews of each.

Did you know that any customer can write a customer review on Amazon.com? Perhaps some filtering goes on to avoid unfair personal attacks and porn, but there are a lot of non-professional reviews there.

If you're a reader and a writer, why not read and review some books by obscure authors for your blogs and/or for Amazon?

As an author, I was especially pleased by one of the more recent reviews of my book Seniorwriting (there are several other good ones, too.). This review from Midwest Book Review (on line) strikes me as a very good example of a short review--and I don't just say that because it's about one of my own books.

"Seniorwriting: A Brief Guide For Seniors Who Want To Write, by Marlys Marshall Styne, is a succinct 81-page instruction manual specifically designed and intended for older men and women wanting to record their thoughts, their memories, their experiences, their observations, and their commentaries for the benefit of themselves, their friends and family, and future generations.

"Short writing examples and samples are provided based on Marlys Styne's own writing skills, expertise, and personal experience as a retired college English teacher who took up writing an award-winning book at the age of 73.

"Seniorwriting is a non-technical "how to" manual and guide that is ideal for those who have never written anything before -- and holds much of value for those who have written things earlier in their lives, but who have not done anything along those lines since. There are no rigid rules or straight-laced requirements in Seniorwriting, only practical advice, inspiring examples, alternative ideas, and motivating choices.

"If you are a senior and would like to record your thoughts be they simple observations or the next Great American Novel, then give Seniorwriting your attention. It will be one of the most rewarding reads you can do!"

Happy reviewing!

Teddy Turns Fifty

It's amazing how a gift can lead to a lifetime of memories. This is my niece's favorite toy, a small yellow teddy bear appropriately named "Teddy," at age fifty. Here's his story:

It all began in December, 1957. I was a spinster school teacher in West Virginia (actually, I was only twenty-five, but earlier marriage was in vogue then) when I got the news that I had become an aunt. My younger brother and his wife were the proud parents of a baby girl, Cynthia Marshall. They lived in Iowa City, Iowa, where my brother was a graduate student.

Since Cindy was born on December 22, my Christmas vacation was the perfect time for a visit. Of course I knew nothing about babies, but I knew that a gift was appropriate. I headed for a toy department (Marshall Field's in Chicago, as I remember). I'm not sure why I was there--I didn't live in Chicago then, but I was probably visiting my parents in nearby southeastern Wisconsin. The store clerk suggested a very small, soft, washable yellow teddy bear as the perfect gift for a small baby. I bought it. Thus was Teddy born. I planned a trip to Iowa City to see the new arrival.

It was love at first sight when Cindy saw Teddy. From that day, he lived in a corner of her crib. As she moved along to larger beds, he was always her companion. Somewhat tattered, he endured a bit of repair work and even accompanied Cindy to college at Texas Lutheran.

Cindy remained in Texas after graduation and married, and I was barely in touch with her over the years. Of course I had forgotten Teddy, as I'd long ago forgotten any toys I might have had myself. As it turned out, Cindy remembered.

In 2005, I made my first holiday trip to Houston, Texas, to visit Cindy, her husband Scott Truby, and my grand-niece Lauren. Imagine my surprise to learn that Teddy still existed! By then, Teddy--and Cindy--were forty-eight years old, and I was seventy-three. I mentally filed away the fact of Teddy's survival, but I didn't actually see him then. Cindy delighted in telling me about him.

This year, I decided to take a picture of Teddy to commemmorate his fiftieth birthday. How proud I was at age seventy-five to realize that at least once, I'd found the perfect gift, one that has lasted for fifty years. Happy birthday, Teddy and Cindy, and I'll hope to see you both again next year!

Holding Cindy in 1957. Note the 1950's clothes and hairstyle. I don't look very comfortable!

Cindy sleeps while Teddy keeps watch.

Cindy holds Teddy.

My Niece, Cindy Truby, at Fifty (with new tree Santa)


Copyright 2007 by Marlys Marshall Styne.
Photos by John Marshall and others unknown, 1957 and 2007

More Reasons to Talk, Listen, and Write During and After the Holidays

A survey by Ancestry.com uncoverd some surprising results, including the following:

-- Young Americans are looking to their roots. 83 percent of 18- to 34-years-olds are interested in learning their family history. Following closely are the 35- to 54-year-olds at 77 percent and Americans ages 55+ at 73 percent.

--Half of Americans know the name of only one or none of their great-grandparents.

--Twenty-two percent of Americans don't know what either of their grandfathers does or did for a living.

--Although America is known as a nation of immigrants, 27 percent don't know where their family lived before they came to America.

Never assume that no one cares about you or your family's history. Whether or not you want to get seriously involved in genealogy, listen to family stories and write them down. Otherwise, they may be gone forever. Write your own story. We're all part of our family's histories; we all count! The family get-togthers of this season make great opportunities for learning and sharing.

For more of the survey, go to this link: http://www.boomj.com/?page=lifestyle/newsdetail&storyID=112682552&password=fgjqui

Happy holidays! I'm off the Houston, Texas, tomorrow, but I'll be back by December 27. For more about my activities, see my other blog, "Never too Late!"

Copyright 2007 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Ever Try to Write a Rictameter Poem? Here are Two

The "Rictameter" is a nine-line poetry form in which the first and last lines are alike, and the syllable count is 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2. I'm no poet, but I'm fascinated by mental challenges like this. Why not give it a try?


Northern Winter

Snowfall:

White, beautiful,

Silent, soft, inviting

Snow angels, snowmen, sleds and skis.

Time for warm mittens, scarves, parkas, tall boots.

Drivers' challenge: shovel, plow, clear.

Parents' work, children's joy,

Winter's wonder:

Snowfall.


On Writing

Writing:

Challenge, career,

Pastime, necessity.

What we love and what we practice,

Source of joy and livelihood and respect,

Or what we hate and what we dread.

Time-consuming, source of

Rejection slips.

Writing.


Copyright 2007 by Marlys Marshall Styne.

How About a Top Ten List?

At this time of year, you hear and read many, many Top Ten lists: movies, books, TV shows, world events, celebrities, everything. How about writing your own list for 2007?

For some ideas and my personal list, see my other blog, "Never too Late!" at http://www.seniorwriter.blogspot.com/ (or use one of the links on the left).

Enjoy the Holidays, and Prepare to Write About Them

At this time of year, you may be too busy to think about writing your life story; hopefully, you're busy living that story. However, as you savor every positive experience, chance meeting, or family reunion, think about what you can write later. Don't forget the unpleasant experiences or funny mishaps. either. Remember the stories of holidays past that you may hear from family members.

Every experience is worth writing about, so think about the people you love (and possibly whose who cause you problems). Remember the wonderful gifts you give and receive, and the less-than-wonderful ones, too. Enjoy, experience, and think about writing your life, as the title of this blog suggests.

More Writing Ideas: Tracing Creativity (and Other Traits)

In his essay "Your character evolves through time-a memoir prompt," Jerry Wexler, of Memory Writers Network (http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/your-character-evolves-through-time-memoir-prompt/) records steps in his development of creativity, from sewing costumes and assembling model warships to dancing, painting, and singing, and finally to memoir writing. He encourages others to try to same thing.

I second the motion, and it seems to me that this technique can be applied to many traits or personal attributes besides creativity. You might explore steps that led you to a certain career or hobby or special interest, or steps that led you to an awareness of yourself, or even toward religious faith or lack thereof. How about steps in your coming to understand a particular problem, and/or steps that allowed you to solve that problem?

The idea is to focus on specific memories and try to describe them in detail, creating pictures with your words. That's what good life story writers do

Copyright 2007 by Marlys Marshall Styne