What do you do when you come across journals, letters or personal stories written decades ago by a stranger? Do you throw them away without looking at them or do you take the time to read them?
As for me, I’m innately curious. I’m excited to discover a bit about the past and what was important to the writers, so of course I take the time to read such documents.
A year or so ago, I was pleasantly surprised whenRead More
In February, I hosted my first-ever Meaningful Moments Writing Contest for my email subscribers. Two winners were selected, with the grand prize being their stories featured here on the Ink & Impact blog.
It is with pleasure that I share the second winning entry, a humorous short story by Charlotte Hackman.
Charlotte started the Landfall Writers Group in 2015 and has collaborated on two books published by that group. She is also the author of a nonfiction book, The Strength to Let Go published under the pen name, Jo Henry. She is currently working on a mystery thriller.
Happy reading!
Dalene Bickel
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My husband, Ed, got a temporary job assignment in Montreal, Canada in the winter of 1976. We arrived on New Year’s Eve and moved into our downtown high-rise apartment and celebrated with a six pack of Molson Beer and Guy Lombardo on TV.
We had taken a few ski vacations and decided our stay in Canada would be the opportunity to get serious about the sport. On the weekends we took day trips to the surrounding ski areas where we were honing our skills on the icy slopes.
In early March, we decided to take a “big” weekend trip to Mont Tremblant and spend two nights there. The forecast was for several inches of snow and we had never skied on powder, the term used for inches of new snow.
It was here, early in our skiing days, we encountered Read More
Last month, I hosted my first-ever Meaningful Moments Writing Contest (the winners will be featured on the blog over the next two weeks). Inspired by those who contributed to the contest, I wrote about one of my own meaningful moments, “Flames in the Night.”
Remember, I’m a writer just like you, striving to improve my craft. Part of the writing process involves putting my work out there to the public – something that isn’t always easy for me to do. Nevertheless, I value constructive criticism (feel free to post a comment below!) and I hope that this short story will help raise awareness about an often-overlooked hazard.Read More
Although the name itself appears self-explanatory (the story of one’s life), the term “life story” nevertheless evokes many questions from individuals who attend my life story presentations.
For example, what exactly does a life story include? Should you incorporate every last detail of your life, from your birth to the present day? How does life story differ from memoir…or is it the same thing? Where does autobiography fit in?
If you’re reading this article, then you probably have similar questions. Let’s break it down to discover the differences.Read More
I recently rediscovered an oval wooden object in the recesses of one of my drawers. My mother-in-law had given it to me years ago, explaining that it was a tool that her mother had used to mend holes in socks.
To be honest, I didn’t understand why she wanted me to have it. I can’t even thread my sewing machine (another gift from her) and I knew I would never bother to mend my socks. Nevertheless, I accepted her gift and promptly forgot about it.
Now, holding the object in my hands once again, I decided it was time to learn more about it.
I discovered that my wooden tool is called a darning egg or a darning mushroom. Having assumed it to be a relic of the past – indeed, some are considered to be collectible (see RubyLane) – I was shocked to learn that many people steadfastly continue to use them to repair the holes in their socks.
The egg doesn’t do a lot, really – its primary function is to serve as a prop. You insert the egg into the sock so that the hole is exposed, thereby creating a workable area to interlace new material with the old (you can see it done on this YouTube video). Thus, even though the darning egg doesn’t do the mending or stitching itself, the task would be much more difficult without it.
Similarly, there are times when we encounter holes in our story – when we can’t remember the circumstances around or our actions toward a person, place or event…or even the event itself. Read More
Genealogy research is distinctly different from life story writing, but genealogists often unearth interesting facts that can shed new light on their own life experiences. I recently interviewed Michelle Ule, a New York Times bestselling author and speaker, who writes inspirational and historical fiction and is currently finalizing the biography Mrs. Oswald Chambers: The Woman behind the World’s Bestselling Devotional, which can be preordered now. She is also a longtime genealogist who self-published a family biography titled Pioneer Stock and is currently editing the life story of her grandfather. I think you’ll find her genealogy tips and surprise findings quite interesting. Prefer to listen to the interview? Click here to access the recording.
Dalene [D]: Welcome, Michelle, and thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.
Michelle[M]: I’m happy to chat with you, Dalene.
D: So with my audience being primarily life story and even family history authors, I thought I’d start out by asking why you think family history and life story writing is important.
M: That’s actually where I began. In my case, the grandfather biography I’m updating was written twenty-seven years ago to celebrate my grandfather’s 100th birthday.
D: Oh, wow!
M: And my end of the celebration was to write his history so I interviewed my aunts, my uncles, my cousins. I had a whole lot of material. I did auxiliary reading to put his life in context. He was an immigrant from Sicily prior to WWI and our family got our citizenship as a result of his service in the Army during WWI. Read More
Dalene Bickel is an author, book coach and speaker who helps aspiring authors successfully write, develop and self-publish their books.