Memoir Labyrinth, Write Through Series: No. 4

thestorywoman — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:17:29 -0800

Writing through emotional pain is today’s focus. Physical pain (Remember the slap in the face mentioned in the last post?) can be rife with emotional pain. Incidentally, one woman sent me a message, after post #3, saying that she called the slaps she received from her mother “love taps.” That’s an interesting way of looking at that topic, and I reasoned from her further remarks that she ...

Remarkable Mix of Memoir and Facts

thestorywoman — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:04:07 -0800

Ann Seymour’s I’ve Always Loved You is a book everyone interested in writing historical memoir should read. It is a remarkable example in emphasizing how to sustain a narrative voice when history is a big part of the memoir. Fascinating and heartbreaking are the first two words that come to mind after reading Ann Seymour’s beautiful tribute to her family, especially her father, as well as ...

Memoir Labyrinth, Write Through Series: No. 3

thestorywoman — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:39:00 -0800

The last time you joined me on the memoir labyrinth, we touched on time as a great leveler. Today we’ll tap into time as a powerful healer.When was the last time you thought about the day your mother slapped your face? I remember when my very non-violent mother slapped mine, although I haven’t thought about that incident for years. It only came to mind as I was writing this article. I now ...

Memoir Labyrinth, Write Through Series: No. 2

thestorywoman — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:15:12 -0800

The story you will write, from the maze of your memories into memoir, will come from the truth as you see it. Time and memory transform what and how we remember.Time is a great leveler. Time levels because it allows us to gain control over our emotions and we mature. Our feelings simmer down after time dilutes the memory of an emotion laden incident. An event we once thought was earth-shattering ...

Memoir Labyrinth – Write Through Series: No.1

thestorywoman — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:37:37 -0800

Writing a memoir is like making one's way through a maze. First of all, it’s hard to back away from life’s events and experiences to see them clearly. The honest attempt to put our ego and emotions aside is something we, TellTale Souls, constantly work on when writing our bio-vignettes that capture the character and spirit of our mothers or other significant people in our lives.This is ...

Memoir Writers' Labyrinth

thestorywoman — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:47:27 -0800

Well, I’m still coming up for air after the wild Valentine's weekend at the San Francisco Writers’ Conference. I spent a great deal of time “manning” the Women’s National Book Association’s table, where I made connections with many, many interesting literary types from all over the country.The conference was atop Nob Hill at the historic Mark Hopkins Hotel. Just a block away, draped ...

If it's Readers you Want - Try these Tips

thestorywoman — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 08:55:14 -0800

I had the rare and exciting opportunity last Sunday to hear powerful writing tips from Jason Roberts, author of A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler. He wasn’t there to sell books, although we coaxed him into staying around afterwards so we could purchase A Sense of the World from Book Passage and get his autograph. We have Tanya Egan Gibson, talented writer, ...

My Favorite Poem

thestorywoman — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:03:23 -0800

For over two decades, while encouraging and teaching hundreds of people to write "Mother-Memoir" and writing my how-to book, Give the Gift of Story, TellTale Souls' Essential Guide to Tap Memory & Write Memoir in Five Acts, a snippet from a poem by Suzanne Lipsett never ceases to echo through my soul from its nesting place in my heart. The following are five stanzas from a 33 ...

Meta-Memoir

thestorywoman — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:34:31 -0800

Last August right here on Red Room I responded to an interesting article about meta-fiction by Tanya Egan Gibson asking her if would switch gears and write a guest blog for me regarding meta-memoir. Good friend and brilliant writer that she is, she did it, and here it is. (Yes, it took awhile. But give her a break; she's the mom of two little ones and had recently published her debut novel, so ...

The Way of the Soulful Thanksgiving

thestorywoman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:39:28 -0800

This little turkey is taking a good look at all the reasons I have for GivingThanks. I won’t subject you to my thankfulness list, but I’m asking you to gather your thoughts about your loved ones and thank them for all they’ve given you throughout the years. Maybe you’ll thank them openly around the bountiful Thanksgiving table; better yet, put your thanks in writing. WRITING MEMOIRS ...

LET ‘EM KNOW THEY MOVED YOU

thestorywoman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:25:59 -0800

Words – that’s what we’re all about here, are we not? But not just any words – words that have the power to move.No matter how passionate you are about your work, do you ever question if what you’re doing really matters in the larger scheme of things in life? Sometimes I ask myself – how much a difference does my memoir work make as I encourage sons and daughters to recognize the ...

All Saints Day – Halloween Vamps & Witches – Mother Memoir, anyone?

thestorywoman — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:42:42 -0700

The Story Witch stirs the cauldron. A friend called asking me if I were giving my “Tap Memoir & Write Memoir” workshop at Book Passage on November 1st because it was All Saints Day. Well, no. That timing had never occurred to me, but it’s an interesting tie, and it provoked a good chuckle between us.Many people are dwelling on Halloween this weekend: witches on broomsticks silhouetted ...

3 Billion Women. “I like your hat. Do you like mine?”

thestorywoman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:14:40 -0700

Soooo many stories waiting to be told. Tell me a story. A Tidbit. A trifle. What unique anecdote do you want remembered about a significant woman in your life? “If you could tell just one small story that would capture ‘her’ character and keep her spirit alive for future generations, what would it be?”If you read my guide book you might remember when I fell into Dr. Seuss syndrome with, ...

A new review of Give the Gift of Story Guide Book

thestorywoman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:51:41 -0700

Lynn, what a wonderful GIFT you're giving writers! I loved your book, and your class on Sunday, Nov 1st will be terrific!Lynn Cook Henriksen's Give the Gift of Story: TellTale Souls' Essential Guide to Tap Memory & Write Memoir in Five Acts provides a fresh approach to crafting engaging memoirs about significant people in our lives. Writers of any caliber will find this gem of a ...

Memoir Workshop at Book Passage, November 1st

thestorywoman — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:48:35 -0700

If you're anyone who's ever had a mother you will want to take this "different kind" of memoir writing workshop at Book Passage in Corte Maders offered by Lynn Henriksen, who believes in Keeping Spirits Alive One Memoir at a Time.2-consecutive Sundays - Nov 1st and 8th - 2pm-5pm"If you could tell just one small story that would capture your mother's character and keep her spirit ...