What to Include in Memoir
Hard-working mother in college Memoir isn’t a life story. That is autobiography. Memoir is one particular period in a person’s life, one instance or one experience in which the memoirist …
Roving Through Revisions
When it’s going well… Although Hemingway and Anne LaMott may call the first draft by a different name, I feel my synonym works just as well. I’m plodding through the …
Keeping the Children Entertained While Travelling Cross-Country
Dad entertaining the troops Long, long, long driving days ensued when we took the family of seven camping across country, from New Jersey to California. Oh, we tried to break …
Platform Building: A Must for All Writers
A friend from my South Jersey Writers group confirmed what I had been hearing in every class and on every blog. “Your manuscript could be great,” he said, “but if …
Connecting with Family: Leaving the World Behind to Camp with Family
Thinking of charade behind the bed curtain Why do you go on a family vacation? For us, it’s a chance to place the world on hold and totally enjoy being with …
What to Write in Those Confounded Chapters
What to say; what to say… What’s your method for filling your chapters with words? I begin with my outline topics for each chapter. I do a lot of staring …
5 Steps to the Perfect Family Camping Trip
The crew’s ready to help Step 1: Start planning your trip before the campgrounds open for the season. Meet with the family to get everyone’s input. Determine the type …
Writing is not a Cookie-Cutter Science
Writing is not a cookie cutter deal Take all suggestions to your writing as just that—suggestions. It is, after all, your writing, not someone else’s. This is why it is …
The Need for Objective Readers: Writing Partners
Writers helping Writers Many times, I don’t see what’s missing from my scenes or story. In memoir, the writer has lived through these adventures, and in most cases, can still …
How to Entertain the Family at Camp Without a Car
Always the Fisherman Whereas our son is a born fisherman—mosquito bites and all—his father is not. However on vacation in New Brunswick, Canada, everyone needs to enjoy his or herself. …