Yes, Finishing Your Memoir Really Is Important! It’s natural to question things. Sometimes we even question ourselves. Does it really matter if we finish writing our memoir? Well, here are three good reasons to keep going! First, of course, your memoir matters to you. After all, something stirred you to begin […]
Passages from a Memoir
Memoir author Candy Mitchell shares a story Candy Mitchell is working on her second family history. Her first book was about her great-grandfather, who traveled from Connecticut to Oklahoma during the land rush, and wound up as a newspaperman in Muskogee. Candy was able to use excerpts […]
Sharing a Story: from Margaret McCaffrey
This month I put out a call to fellow memoir writers, asking if anyone would like to share a short snippet they’re especially proud of from their memoir-in-progress. Such beautiful responses flowed in! Margaret McCaffrey of Melbourne, Australia shared not only a beautiful story about her dad, but also […]
Memoir Tip: What Can You Leave Behind?
Three years ago, I was fortunate enough to be asked to help a Native American woman complete her oral history. This month, I attended her funeral. Funerals aren’t generally happy affairs. But this one left me feeling up-lifted. It was a genuine celebration of a well-lived life. And although […]
Old-Fashioned Sayings
The Legacy of Old-Fashioned Sayings . . . . I remember standing in the kitchen while my mother was cooking. If she wanted us to pitch in and help, she’d nudge: “Make yourself useful as well as beautiful!” That meant, jump in here and start chopping! It just made […]
Try a Virtual Family Reunion!
Used to be, family reunions were a great way to reconnect with folks you hadn’t seen in a while. And reunions were a fun way to collect some great family history, too! Sadly, “social distancing” has changed all that. For now, at least, cruise ship get-togethers and globe-trotting gatherings […]
Memoir Tips Just for Labor Day: What Did Your Ancestors Do?
Did you know that Labor Day got its start in 1894? It was a “workingman’s holiday,” back when a typical job meant 12-hour days, 7 days a week. Ugh. Just think of that. But jobs or occupations can make a great entry point for a memoir! So, […]
Roots a Mile Deep: The Story of the Adams Family
They weren’t trucking cattle up to summer pasture when Wally Adams was a kid. Nah. For over 30 years, Wally helped drive cattle the hard way, saddling up at 2 a.m. to get the herd to the top of Old Kingsbury Grade before nightfall. That meant long, dusty days on horseback. But it’s what you […]
Capturing Oral History
Oral history is a rich source of family and local information. But it’s an incredibly fragile source. Memories fade. Old-timers move on to whatever the next life brings. Does your local museum or historical society already have an oral history program capturing those elusive memories? If not, consider launching one! […]
Tales of Resilience: How Our Ancestors Coped
I’ve been fascinated lately by the concept of ‘resilience.’ Our ancestors had it. Somehow they made it through wars and food shortages; terrible pandemics; losing a spouse or a child to disease or accidents. And medical care? Well . . . some of the very best medical treatments back then would be cringe-worthy today. Sure, they had opium, laudanum, […]
Memoir Writers: Who Inspired You?
It’s easy to think of our memoir as just our own story. But how many other paths crossed yours to make you who you are today? Probably thousands and thousands! In this pool table game of life, we’ve all taken hits from a few random cue balls. Our trajectory has been disrupted by unexpected forces that coaxed us, prodded […]
Food & Family History: Special Memories Often Start in the Kitchen
Serendipity gives me goosebumps. Just as I was about to write this post about “food memories,” I stumbled on a terrific example of this exact form of family-history writing. “From Billee’s Kitchen” is a great, simple collection of not only recipes but memories. Compiled in pdf form by Melissa Corn Finlay, it honors her grandmother, Billee […]