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Narrative Voice in Writing Memoir

03/04/2010 By 2 Comments
Ann Seymour's I've Always Loved You

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 all those who served in WW2. Seymour writes achingly beautiful prose as she gives us a view of WW2 through the eyes of an enchanting, gregarious child, who doesn’t understand why Daddy has gone to war and will never return. But the well woven story goes beyond the eyes and ears of a loving daughter. I’ve Always Loved You moves between the diaries and journals her parents kept and the actual documented words of the power brokers of Imperial Japan in such a way as to give anyone a more fully rounded picture of WW2, which is an accomplishment worthy of applause. “Only an ephemeral

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Memoir Writers’ Labyrinth

02/16/2010 By Leave a Comment
Grace Cathedral

Well, I’m still coming up for air after the wild 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 in morning fog and by afternoon crowned by the brilliance of azure skies, stood magnificent Grace Cathedral, where I walked the famous labyrinth each day to get some air and quiet time for thoughtful reflection. The conference menu boasted several memoir sessions. I was lucky enough to attend two of them: “Capturing your Life on the Page – Writing Memoirs that Sell” with Adair Lara, author of Naked, Drunk, and Writing; and “Doing an Anthology” with Victoria Zackheim, author of The Face in the Mirror. Both sessions were outstanding – full of tips and ideas from both bestselling

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Writing Narrative – Tips from a Pro

01/27/2010 By 2 Comments

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, author, and program chair for California Writers Club-Marin, to thank for coaxing him out of hiding, where he’s immersed in his next book. While deeply serious about the craft of writing creative narrative for fiction and nonfiction, I’d have to say Roberts is an entertainer in disguise. His compelling tips, “From Silk Thread to Steel Cable,” were comprised of seven points – well, as he went along, he added another, so now there were eight – points he said he wished he’d learned before he discovered them for himself throughout years of writing. I’m sure he has a few more up

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Meta Memoir

01/04/2010 By Leave a Comment
Tanya Egan Gibson

I figured what could be better than to start the new year with a guest blog by my great friend and brilliant author, Tanya Egan Gibson. Thank you, Tanya, for helping make 2010 a very interesting year to look forward to. My advice - read my review - then read her book. On Meta-Memoir  Halfway into writing an essay about your mother’s carefully crafted thank-you notes--the handwritten and heartfelt kind that seem to have gone the way of the mastodon--you find yourself stuck.  Perhaps you're worrying that nobody else in the world could possibly care about this story, or that you won't be able to properly convey the nuances of your mother's motivations.  Or perhaps you're finding yourself revealing more emotion or truth than you're really comfortable with--you actually resented the time she took writing those notes when she could have been helping you with your homework/Home Ec project/boy problems.  As you ruminate about how difficult it is to tell this story, a thought

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National Reading Group Month at Book Passage

10/12/2009 By Leave a Comment

Book Passage to host three outstanding Women’s National Book Association authors C.W. Gortner, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, and Tanya Egan Gibson for our 3rd annual National Reading Group Month Event Thursday, October 15th, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. The San Francisco chapter of Women’s National Book Association is proud to announce a special event at Book Passage’s Corte Madera location, celebrating National Reading Group Month this October. Please join us for this exceptional reading group of three authors, all local members of Women’s National Book Association: C.W. Gortner (The Last Queen), Kathi Kamen Goldmark (And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You), and Tanya Egan Gibson (How to Buy a Love of Reading). C.W. Gortner will bring insight into his intriguing and highly adventurous historical novel, The Last Queen, and what’s next from him. Kathi will read about one fabulous character (her health-food-obsessed mom, Betty) from both a fictional and a nonfiction perspective.

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COMMON SENSE Win Cash and Tap Memory Book

09/29/2009 By 5 Comments

Update: Some people are emailing their comments, so that works, too, if you'd rather: lynn(at)telltalesouls(dot)com. Tell me how Using COMMON SENSE Makes Perfect Sense THE STORY WOMAN'S TWO-PART COMMON SENSE CONTEST  Social, Intellectual, Religious, Political– you name it! Winner of Part 1 receives my “how-to” book, Give the Gift of Story: TellTale Souls’ Essential Guide to Tap Memory & Write Memoir in Five Acts, since learning to capture the character of a loved one in story makes Perfect Sense. Winner of Part 2 receives $25 USD from The Story Woman™, since my Common Sense tells me people like cash; it’s as simple as that. Threads of Common Sense run throughout the Mother Memoirs of TellTale Souls, but collecting pieces, examples, or bits of Common Sense is not the purpose of the bio-vignettes that daughters and sons write about their mothers.   However, the purpose of this contest is to do just that. This is a very simple contest with very simple rules

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Captivating Throne of Passion, Juana la Loca of Spain

09/18/2009 By 4 Comments
The Last Queen

I'm posting this book review on an historical novel by C.W. Gortner because I think The Last Queen is a great read and highlights the difficulties women have had throughout history attempting to be taken seriously whether they are royalty or not.  Gortner will be honored this October 15th at an event for National Reading Group Month by Women's National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter. See links below for more information. Juana’s courage, strength, and passion amazed me as The Last Queen came of age so vividly under C.W. Gortner’s admirable pen. This historical novel is fraught with crushing battles of power and chilling intrigue throughout the courts of her parents, Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, and of her husband, Philip of Flanders, as the Infanta of Spain attempts to take her rightful place on the thrown she inherited from her mother. My soul was struck as I witnessed, through Gortner’s well paced story, the agony Juana endured as her

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Love Made of Heart Strikes a Universal Chord

09/13/2009 By 2 Comments
Love Made of Heart

Teresa LeYung Ryan's, Love Made of Heart, is a stirring look at the intricacies of familial relationships, including mental illness and abuse, that for Ruby Lin, the narrator, have taken the bright, clear color from her world as she struggles to grow up as an American girl drowning in a sea of distinctly Asian values. Although the intricacies of the mother-daughter bond are the overall theme of this heartfelt story, there is a convoluted push and pull in Ruby's psyche as she clashes with her father, her Chinese husband, and in-laws, while leaning heavily on the powerful goodness and understanding she discovers in her sister and an adopted Jewish grandmother who has become her beacon in this violent coming of age saga. LeYung Ryan has Ruby slowly awaken through self-reflection to a universal truth as she works over time with her psychologist. Dr. Thatcher encourages her to unravel the conflicts and mysteries within by speaking with a clarity that resonated with Ruby (as it does

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Proof You Can Write Memoir Anywhere, Anytime

08/04/2009 By 5 Comments
On the Potty with Laptop

This picture says it all, but, of course, I'll add a word or two. When the words start to flow... Some say our best insights come at the most unexpected times and places, so always be prepared. This picture actually reminded me of my daughter, Samantha - you just can't keep that girl from working and creating. You go, girl! Okay, no more excuses. Write your Mother Memoir now. That's it; you're on your way to honoring that most important woman by capturing her character in a bio-vignette - because you love who she is in the here & now AND want future generations to get a glimpse of that spirit you loved so much. My friend, Judith Marshall, author of the soon to be published book, Husbands May Come and Go, but Friends are Forever, gave me permission to filch this picture from her blog. So, I didn't really steal it, and now I invite you to steal away from my blog for a bit to check out what Judith is blathering about. The Story Woman asks all daughters and sons to

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First Mine for gold, then Write Memoir

06/18/2009 By 2 Comments

First Mine for gold, then Write Memoir Hello, all you writers and authors and artists from across the board.  I recently read a great little book by Abigail Thomas, Thinking About Memoir, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you about this book and add it to my new Book Review blog category. By the way, my reviews aren’t confined to the memoir genre. From the inception of my blog, which wasn’t that long ago, one of my main purposes was to give voice to a wide range of nonfiction and fiction writers as well as artists in general who have caught my eye and my spirit. If you’d like me to post a blog about you and your work, please contact me and we’ll go from there. I believe the inspiration we get from each connection we make with art, whether through books, paintings, sculptures, theatre, dance, or music breathes life into our beings as we discover new ways to view our world. Abigail Thomas’ book, Thinking About Memoir, is oriented towards crafting the story of

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