Jump Write In

As we approach the week in which we traditionally focus on gratitude and giving thanks, I thought it only appropriate to give a writing prompt on the topic. But I want to put a little twist on it. It is easy to make a list of things we take for granted;the air we breathe, the roof over our heads, our families, all those simple and obvious things in our life. Just for today, write a gratitude list for the difficult or hard times in your life, then pick one and write about it.  Have you ever had a situation come up in your life in which you thought there was no light at the end of the tunnel then, somehow, things turned around and you made it through to the other side.  How did that experience change your life for the better? What were the lessons learned during that time in your life; about yourself, the people in your life, and the world around you?

I write with gratitude for you, dear readers!

Until next time,

Walk in beauty, write life with passion

Writing A Letter the old fashioned way can help release writers block

I have a confession to make. I have been fighting writers block for quite awhile now.  When I sit down to write, it feels as if my fingers are no longer attached to my hand, they just type on their own. It has felt as if there are no feelings or thoughts flowing from my brain and down through my fingers and onto the keyboard.  So early last week, as  I was typing an email to a friend, I suddenly thought about how much typing has dominated my life.  I suddenly felt a longing for my childhood days when I was writing a letter to a pen-pal in Yugoslavia, or to my brother’s friend who was serving in Viet Nam. I thought about the airmail stamp, of licking it and putting it on the airmail envelope then dropping the letter into the mailbox.  And then I thought about the the time I wrote a story in the sixth grade when I felt proud of my penmanship, and my wild imagination that took me to the planet X where I flew an X-15 rocket around the planet to the far side and saved the planet from destruction.  My inspiration back then was a brand new television show called Star Trek, and another show in which the Robinson Family continued to be “Lost in Space.”

So as I finished typing the email to my friend and clicked send, I vowed it would be my last personal email for one week.  For me, typing a letter has become a detachment from everything that is important to me.  In that moment I suddenly longed for the act of  writing. For my own sanity, I needed to get back to basics. I needed to hold a pen in my hand, put it to paper and form the letters that make the words to convey my feelings and thoughts to the recipient of my letter.

I posted my intentions to my wall on facebook. I made a declaration that for one week, my response to everyone who sends me personal emails will be a hand written letter from me.  “Yes, it will take longer”, I stated, “but I need to get in touch with my writer self again.”   I also requested they also include their mailing address, just to make sure I had the updated information.

Five of my friends responded to my post, sounding rather excited about receiving something in the mail that wasn’t a bill. When I sat down to write the first letter, I thought, “Why not encourage others to hand-write a letter as well?”  So I did.  In each letter I wrote, I included a blank stamped envelope on which I put their name and address in the return address corner. I asked them, in the letter, to use that envelope to hand-write a letter to someone they care about and include a blank stamped envelope in their letter, asking their  friend to do the same thing.  My dream is to get the whole country to hand-write one short letter. The cost is one stamp, two envelopes, and the paper on which to write their letter.  (No, I don’t work for the post office.) After this one week of hand-writing letters, I feel better.  I feel like I have reclaimed the writer within.  I found the part of me that had moved out of the way for the sake of technology.  For me, this past week has been a rebirth.

I know there are probably many of you shaking your head and saying, “What the heck is the big deal? I can type my feelings just as well as I can write them!”.  Perhaps others of you are stuck in a writer’s block mode right now, struggling to get in touch with the act of writing again. Why not try hand-writing a letter to a friend. You may find yourself experiencing an “aha” moment (along with a little writer’s cramp) as you put your pen to paper and discover that writing a letter for old time’s sake, is just what you needed to help you move forward with your story or poem. Write a letter to a friend about the first letter you ever wrote. How old were you when you wrote it? To whom was it written?  What was going on in your life at the time that you couldn’t wait to write the letter and tell that person all about i?

Have Fun!

Until next time,

Walk in beauty, write life with passion!

Did you ever have a pen pal?

What country did he or she live in?

Have you ever written a fan letter?

One of my favorite memories from childhood is when my mother read stories to me from a book called Animal Stories. Within it’s pages, elephants talked to mice, puppies talked to rabbits, and birds and cats were best  friends.   These stories combined with our country living, spawned my love and appreciation for wildlife and the world of nature.  For those of you who feel adventurous in your writing today, warm up first by making a list of stories you remember in which the animals spoke and lived like people do. Choose five to seven of the animals I’ve listed below,  give them names and describe them. What kind of clothes do they wear? What does their voice sound like? What is their personality.

Now, imagine the animals have been called to a special emergency meeting.  What is the emergency? Who is in charge and why?  Write the dialogue for the animals attending the meeting. What is their final solution for the emergency situation?

Dove, coyote, tarantula, Gila monster, quail, javelina, stinkbug, skunk, possum, robin, hummingbird, fire ant, rattlesnake, Eagle, centipede, bee, jackrabbit, bobcat and, burro.

After Brain Injury: Telling Your Story, A Journaling Workbook is co-written by Tucsonans Barbara Stahura and Susan B. Schuster, M.A., CCC-SLP.

New Journal Writing Book For People With Brain Injury

It is  full of  information designed to guide the person with brain injury and family members through the emotional and psychological turmoil and shock caused by brain injury and trauma. The simple expressive writing exercises guide the reader through the progression of life after brain injury by addressing topics like memory loss, grieving the losses, changes in relationships, and moving back into the community.  For family members, this book provides a glimpse into the life and issues their loved one is facing.

At her recent book signing presentation at Health South Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern Arizona, Barbara said “We called the book After Brain Injury: Telling Your Story because in a very real sense, that’s what journaling is—telling your story, even if only to yourself on a private journal page.“  When I asked her why she felt the book was important to write she said it is because ” When your brain is injured, the familiar story of your life changes. You may face many new and unexpected challenges, and you need to find a way to cope with them and rebuild your life. Fortunately, story can be your medicine. Creating a new story after brain injury can allow a measure of healing, even years later, and offer hope. Like laying stones to form a path, you can use your own words and insights to guide you through a now unfamiliar world. By giving voice to your deepest self after the trauma of a brain injury, to whatever extent you are able, you can forge a new understanding.”

The book was the result of a natural progression from a very personal place. Barbara’s husband Ken was injured in a motorcycle accident in 2003.  After using her own personal journal writing as a way to process and cope with his recovery, she eventually created a journal writing workshop for people with brain injury. Ken’s outpatient speech therapist Susan Schuster opened the door for Barbara to use the rehabilitation facilities to offer the new material to people recovering from their brain injuries.  Eventually the two women put their skills and knowledge together to co-write the book

The book is available for around $30 and can be purchased through Barbara Stahura or the publisher, Lash & Associates.

A few years ago, while attending a five-day memoir writing retreat, I entered into a discussion with another attendee about writing and spirituality.  This conversation inspired me to think quite a bit about writing one’s spiritual memoirs.  I encourage you to include writing your spiritual and religious experiences in your personal stories. Writing spiritual memoirs can provide greater insights into your life, not only for yourself but for your readers as well.  Here are some suggestions to help you get started with writing your spiritual memoirs.

1. Make a spiritual timeline. Begin by making a list or drawing a timeline of your earliest memories of  spiritual awareness. When did you start wondering if something was “out there”?  Perhaps it was when you learned a church song or heard a conversation between your parents.  In making your list write the age you were and only a word or two to help you remember why that time in your life was significant.  Make sure your list covers your life up to the present day.

2. Write about the earliest childhood experience from your list.  Imagine yourself back in the situation or memory you are writing about. Who were you with? What did you hear? Where were you at the time?  What significance did this time period have in your formulation or impressions of spiritual beliefs?

3. Write about a transition you have experienced in your spirituality. How old were you when it happened? Did your beliefs shift or change at all? If so, how?  If you haven’t had any spiritual beliefs or transitions, you can write about a discussion you’ve had with someone who had opposite views to yours. Write as much detail as you can.

4. Continue on to the next time period on your list and simply repeat the above process until you catch up to your present day on your list.

Writing spiritual memoirs provides a rich and insightful look into your life, adding a new dimension to your memoir and a legacy for future generations.

Have fun!

Until next time,

Walk in beauty, write life with passion!

For all the journal writers and victims of writers block out there, I thought I’d give you a writing exercise today but first a little introduction.  I read a book a few years ago called “Only What We Could Carry.” It was an anthology of testimonials told by Japanese Americans who had been interred here in the United States during WWII. The stories are poignant and moving; a grim reminder of a time when many American lives were uprooted and sent into chaos.  My mother (now 91) told me of an experience she had while a nursing student in Portland, Oregon.  Her best friend Tea, a Japanese American, was given notice to get her affairs in order and be ready to leave.  She was forced to drop out of nursing school, leave most of her belongings behind, and relocate to a camp along with hundreds of other Japanese Americans.  There were many restrictions put upon Tea and the others as to what they were allowed to have with them inside the internment camp.  Tea had divided up most of her possessions among her classmates, asking them to care for the items until she could return to claim them.  To my mother, she entrusted her most prized possession; her camera.   After the war, my mother sent Tea’s camera to her and received a letter from Tea a week or so later. In the letter Tea thanked mother for her trustworthiness and integrity. She wrote that none of the other nursing school classmates, of whom she had asked to keep her things, ever returned them to her.  In hearing this story, I learned much more about my mother’s life that day.  It is a story I will cherish and remember the rest of my life.

It is in these kinds of stories that we learn more about who we are and where we come from, both as individuals, and as a nation.  Below are a few writing suggestions to help get you going today:

1. Write a list of ten things, in order of importance, you would pack if you were ordered, like Tea, to take only what you could carry, not knowing when you would be returning. Write about each item and why it’s important to you.

2. Is there a story in your family history; one told to you by an elder, that has been passed down through the generations? Write that story, using as many details as you can remember. Write a description of the elder who told the story to you. What influence has that person had in your life?

3. Write a  story from your own life which you’d like to pass on to the next generation.

Dear Readers, I have a confession to make:  I love books.  In fact, I could say I am addicted to them and proudly call myself a book-a-holic (also known as a biblioholic).  Therefore, I will be adding a once-a-month book review to this blog in which I will focus on newer books written for writers about writing.  But until I can get the first one read and reviewed, I thought I would share with you my top ten must-haves that are part of my writing library at home.  These books about writing pump me up when I am feeling down, help get me un-stuck in my writing projects, and are great reference books.  The books on this list have been around for awhile and have consistently proven to be helpful as I work at living the writer’s life.  What is your favorite book about writing and why do you like it?  I invite you to add it into the comment section below this article.

1. Journal To The Self: 22 paths to personal growth by Kathleen Adams. (1990) My money was well spent on this book. Adams provides easy,  nuts and bolts, how–to-get–started journal-writing steps that anyone can follow.  It’s a book worth having.

2. The Write-Brain Workbook: 366 Exercises to Liberate Your Writing by Bonnie Neubauer. (2006) This one is chock full of nothing but writing exercises, three hundred and sixty six of them to be exact. The pages are busy with bright, colorful artwork, designed to stimulate the imagination and get your pen onto the page

3. Finding What You Didn’t Lose; Expressing Your Truth and Creativity Through Poem-Making by John Fox.  (1995) The author provides wonderful insights into the creative process of poem-making using lots of writing exercises to help you discover or rediscover your poetic voice. I particularly like this book because it made me think about writing as a spiritual, meditative practice and not just putting words on a page.

4. The Artists Way, A Spiritual Path To Creativity by Julia Cameron. (1992) One of the life attitude altering statements from this book for me is “ Creativity is God’s gift to us.  Using Our creativity is our gift back to God”  This book is great for people who may have been feeling stuck in their creativity whether it’s writing, painting, or sculpting or any other creative outlet.  Each chapter has suggestions to help guide a person into deeper self awareness of the individual creative process as well as practical creative projects to put what one is learning into practice.  In the years since I bought mine in 1993, Cameron has written and published an Artist’s Way workbook, as well as a sequel.

5. Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon. (1996) In this book you will find everything you need to assist you in creating and developing a character for a story.  It is a book of lists of things like personality traits and physical features, vocabulary and definitions, descriptive words and terminology, commonly used foreign language names and words, along with anything else you can think of (or might not think of) when it come to creating a person on paper.  I consider Building Believable Characters an absolute must have  book for anyone who writes fiction or short stories.

6. Your Life As Story, Discovering the “New Autobiography” and Writing Memoir as Literature by Tristine Rainer (1997). Your Life as Story provides excellent information, testimonials, writing samples and exercises to inspire and encourage the reader to put their story into print.

7. Outwitting Writers Block and other problems of the pen by Jenna Glazier. (2003) This book is my bible for getting myself going again when the creative flow is backed up by the stresses of life and the fear of moving forward.

8. The Making Of A Poem, A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland (2000). Anything you want to know about poetic form and style is in this book. Each chapter gives an overview and history of a form, definitions and descriptions, samples of the form and a short bio on a poet best known for the form they are highlighting in the chapter.

9. Wild Mind, Living The Writer’ Life by Natalie Goldberg. (1990) A very easy read, think about and do book. Goldberg explores the aspects of what it means to live a writer’s life and adds a “try this” writing prompt at the end of each chapter.

10. Last but certainly not least on my Deb’s top ten list of must-have books is one that many writers may not have heard about called Art & Fear, Observations On The Perils (and rewards) of ARTMAKING (1990) by David Bayless & Ted Orland. It was given to me by an artist friend during a time when I was exhausted at trying to make things happen in my writing life. This book helps the reader explore what it means to live a creative life and the conscious choices we can make to face the fear that often surrounds us, as artists, and holds us back. This is not an activity oriented book and can be read in just a couple of hours (depending on how fast you read), but it  really gets you thinking.

Until next time,

Walk in beauty, write life with passion!

I could not call this a blog about writing without including the topic of memoir, autobiography and biography. Many writers starting out ask me “What, if anything, are the differences between these three?”  In some ways they overlap and in others they are distinctly different. Autobiography is the story of someone’s life, often from start to finish, and is written by the person who experienced it all.  Memoir, also written first person, may not cover a person’s entire life.  It can be about certain periods of their life, like the teen years, or can focus on specific experiences throughout their lifetime and it tends to have more detail around the feelings and thoughts at the time of an experience.  Biography is the story of a person’s life written by someone other than the subject of the biography.  Autobiography and biographies tend to be more timeline oriented – beginning, middle, end – whereas memoir can be written in vignettes that move back and forth between a memory and the present.  Memoirs tend to be more reflective of thoughts and feelings and describe the writer’s personal growth and development.  That’s not to say an autobiography doesn’t have that element as well. Biography rarely will include the personal thoughts and feelings except what the writer is told by others or may find in researching the person whose biography they are writing.

For the purposes of today’s blog I am going to focus on memoirs.  To help you begin writing your memoirs, make a list of significant memories of events that happened throughout your life.  If you have trouble remembering parts of your childhood, don’t stress about it, just start with what you do know and write from there.  Sometimes drawing a timeline on a piece of butcher paper and labeling ages and events or drawing pictures along the line can help your recall.  Looking at photographs are another good way to get the memories flowing.

Sometimes making a pilgrimage back to your childhood home or town will help put details and focus to memories.  Be careful if you do this though as sometimes it is like a dam breaking and memories flood in so fast you can’t sort them out.  One time, while I was videotaping homes we’d lived in so I could show my mother how they had changed over the years,  I was recording general verbal descriptions and lists and had to stop to write in my journal as more personal details flooded in that I didn’t want to talk about on the tape.  I  scribbled the memories in one or two sentences each that would assist in my recall later when I could write more.  Even if you can’t physically return to the places you want to remember, photographs, visualization, and talking to people who shared those times with you can help you piece memories, feelings and thoughts together.

Personal journals also prove to be a valuable resource. When you are ready to begin your memoirs, journals not only help jog your memory about an event and the feelings in your life at the time, but also give testament to your process through it.

The above suggestions only touch the surface of a very broad subject but there are many good books, websites and workshops available to help jump start your memoir writing.  I hope you feel inspired to “jump write in” and give it a try.

Until Next time,

Walk in beauty, write life with passion!