ON WRITING—INSPIRATION, INTENTION, FRUITION

01/25/2012 By 2 Comments
Inspiration

Or is it intention, inspiration, fruition?  Many years ago, inspiration led me to write a book, a guidebook filled with exercises and stories to take “most anyone” on a journey along a writer’s path. For the past few years, my intention has been to craft it well, to make it different and special, and then to send this guidebook out to the masses. That is now coming to fruition—this spring TellTale Souls Writing The Mother Memoir: How to Tap Memory & Write Your Story will be published – March or April, well before Mother’s Day, anyway.Back to the order of the nouns. Fruition needs to stay put on the list, since it marks the end point, the fulfillment of the desire to transport your thoughts to paper through a heartfelt story or to Wow! the world with a brilliant 400 page page-turner.  However, whether to put intention or inspiration first on the list isn’t so cut and dried.  But, does it matter?  Let’s take a look at both intention and inspiration.Is it your

[Read More]

Extolling the virtues of mom in memoir? Not for everyone.

01/05/2012 By 15 Comments
Reversible Skirit Holland

The point of writing The Mother Memoir can be misunderstood. The guest post, below, by Laura McHale Holland, “Some Spirits Are Better Left Alone,” provides an opening for me to add some clarity.  The Mother Memoir is not meant to be about extolling the virtues of or praising the woman you call mother, although mother’s positive merits are frequently in play when writing about a healthy relationship.  In any case, a Hallmark greeting card The Mother Memoir is not. Rather it’s asking you to look at mom from the inside out and learn more about her, as well as yourself, from a new perspective.I ask people to write one short story to capture the intrinsic character, whether positive or negative, of their mothers to keep spirits alive. In the case of difficult relationships, people can use what they learn from mindfully writing about their flawed connection with mom to honor themselves. Understanding ensues.The Mother Memoir is about honoring the relationship with the woman who

[Read More]

‘Tis the Season…so please tell me what you believe in

12/22/2011 By 2 Comments
Woman in creative thought

Merry Mother Memoir and a Happy New Writing Year    I BELIEVE. TELL IF YOU DO, TOO, AND WHY.      With love from The Story Woman to you thoughtful, amazing TellTale Souls

[Read More]

Russian Winter: The Story Woman’s review

12/12/2011 By 2 Comments
Russian Winter

We’re deep into winter here in northern California, although not a Russian winter by any means. Winter evenings, when afternoon light fades earlier each day into cold, inky sky, I relish the extra time I guiltlessly take to read good books. Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay was one terrific novel I recently finished. It’s not a short read, but its complexity interwoven with love, loss, betrayal, dark secrets, intrigue, life-altering revelations, and redemption make for a true page turner.Daphne Kalotay crafts a magnificent novel rooted in well-researched historical facts with characters who compel attention. The personality of the ballet, life in Stalinist Russia and in Boston, and the exquisite depth of amber are superimposed on an interesting array of characters adroitly depicted by Kalotay in Russian Winter. Love affairs, lies, and political beliefs essentially trap humans in their tracks every bit as much as a spider finds herself forever suspended in time, emerging egg sack and

[Read More]

THOUSAND FACES OF MEMOIR

11/29/2011 By 2 Comments
Buddha in the Attic

The Buddha in the Attic is a novel that reads like a memoir of a thousand voices. Julie Otsuka's writing is unique and lyrical, and the book is a treasure of souls. One that I couldn’t put down. When I came to the end of it, I wasn’t ready to let these Japanese mail-order brides and their families go. I realized there are Buddhas in many an attic waiting to be found. This is a hauntingly beautiful story made even more moving as the women appeared to be at once one and all. The universality and perseverance of women who are undervalued and the lessons on the female spirit are moving. The Story Woman highly recommends this book. It makes a beautiful gift.It may inspire you to become a TellTale Soul and write about a woman you know - as in the Mother Mother, where women are at once one and all.

[Read More]

GHOST DANCE OF TELLTALE SOULS

10/30/2011 By 2 Comments
Ghosts Dance

Memories dance like ghosts in our heads until we realize we have the power to set them free.GHOST DANCEI crept inside and found youoh ghosts of persistent passion,sacred dancers, anticipating me;chant-like voices calling, cries summoning—seeking communion… Concentric rings of shadows embrace,spirits soar united, receiving, awakening,inscribing one more soul, ghost dance resumes;mothers, sisters, daughters, the throng consumes—we nod in recognition… I chose the ethereal path seeking you, andfound ageless, fervid wisdom, thick liquid;otherworldly things now manifest in core.children of grace, voiceless ones, my time to guideyour dance… All ghosts of mothers, burgeoning with radiance;spirit flames now molten sterling strokes on canvas;hands molding clay, forever blending, bending, gushing—releasing memories encoded in repose, etched in seed—for youprogeny.  This poem was meant to inspire those daughters and sons hesitant to take first steps intowriting the Mother Memoir

[Read More]

Blindness Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

10/23/2011 By Leave a Comment
Cat winking

“Beauty” is in the eye of the beholder—this saying is hard to dispute, most everyone agrees, and I’ll go it a step further and say “blindness” is in the eye of the beholder. All too often we view others and our surroundings with a blind eye. We have preconceived ideas about people and things making it difficult to lay our assumptions aside to look at matters in a different light. Don’t be blind to possibilities.It is most probable that the inner makeup of your characters has greater depth and complexity than you realize or give them credit for. The particulars you take in at first glance or the filter through which you view people you know intimately is riddled with blind spots. To write well, look at everyone you include in your stories as individuals unto themselves. Get into the heart of whom they are, without painting them into a box you thought fitting. Take off the blinders and look at the potential to incorporate a wider, more robust view of your characters while

[Read More]

Five Reasons to Write Your Mother Memoir

09/23/2011 By Leave a Comment
writing w pen on paper

I’ll start by asking you a few questions and end with a short list of the 5 reasons for you to write a memoir that captures the character & spirit of your mother. The Mother Memoir is a short, true tale—a bio-vignette—of just a few pages, so it is doable!Will you let your mother’s significance simply fade away?How will you make sure that doesn’t happen?Did you know you can learn a great deal more about your mother by looking at her from the inside out?Do you want future generations to know something about her that only you can share?If you feel old wounds open when thinking about your mom, do you want to find an avenue to help heal them?Would it feel good to have your mother remembered with a simple written record?Do you see the value of sharing Mother Memoirs as a significant means not only to connect with your mother, but to connect with the spirit of women from various walks of life?Today’s society puts emphasis mostly on “self;” isn’t chronicling the spirit

[Read More]

Build Your Platform with Writing Coach Teresa

09/19/2011 By Leave a Comment
Teresa - Build Your Platform REVIEW 9-19-11

Coach Teresa wrote the guest blog posted below this one. I've now completed working through her outstanding guide, Build Your Writer's Platform & Fanbase in 22 Days. Here are some thoughts on what I took away from it:Let this book spur you into action. Teresa LeYung Ryan opens the door and guides you directly into the world all writers and authors must negotiate if they want their work to be known. But she doesn’t stop there; rather than tell you what to do, she lets you do it for yourself. In a clear, affirming voice, LeYung Ryan takes you securely by the hand and shows you exactly how to Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase in 22 Days. The focused series of exercises that make up this workbook build on each other and really work. With her finger on the pulse of the community and media interaction, she’ll have you drilling down to the basics while reaching for the stars, the blogosphere, and beyond. You want success?  Coach Teresa’s got it all figured out, let her

[Read More]

What Does Your Protagonist Want? (Guest Post)

09/05/2011 By 2 Comments
Love Made of Heart

By Guest Blogger Teresa LeYung-Ryan, aka “Writing Career Coach & Manuscript Consultant Teresa” “If you’re writing a novel or memoir, what does your protagonist want?” “What are your themes and who are your archetypes?” “If you’re writing a how-to book, what are the issues?” “Do you want to build your platform to attract agents, publishers, and fans/readers?” These are the questions I ask when writers hire me as their coach. For many writers, the first question (“What does your protagonist want?”) is not an easy one to answer. What does your main character want when the story opens? As the story moves forward? For memoir authors, the protagonist is the Self. You the author lived your story and you know the outcome; now is the chance to engage readers via story-telling techniques and show them what you wanted and how you went about getting (or not getting) what you wanted. For novel authors, oftentimes the protagonist (or another

[Read More]