Marion Roach Smith’s alternate sisterly reality, with Margaret Roach.
Last week’s memoir class began much like every first-week-of-November class I’ve taught for the last 14 years. No one had agreed to this beforehand. No one had said anything. No memo had gone out. There was no round-robin email suggesting that we turn our writing in any particular direction at the same time we turn back our clocks. It just happened, just like it happens every year. The reason? [click to continue…]
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WHEN SHEILAA SAYS there is a once-in-lifetime major transformational shift in my life, I listen. I do. And why not? Sheilaa knows. Don’t know Sheilaa? That would be Sheilaa Hite, the TSP astrologer, who writes this month that I need to get out in front of an unstoppable force and do something. Do what, exactly? Well, I’ve got a few ideas. [click to continue…]
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WHAT INSPIRES YOU? What are you reading? What are you listening to? When writing memoir, are you aware just how positive an influence media can be? If not, you are missing one of the great helpers for those who struggle to write what they know. That’s right: Help. It’s all around you, if only you know how to identify it. [click to continue…]
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THE SISTERHOOD OF MEMOIR is alive and well, I’m happy to report. Despite the rumors of the death of publishing, marvelous books continue to appear all the time, many of which are not only great reads, but are also perfect primers for learning to write your own tale. Three books in particular come to mind, all of which I recently read, and all of which reaffirmed for me perhaps the single most important lesson in writing what you know. Remember what that is? Come along, and I’ll remind you. [click to continue…]
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THE SUMMER SLUMP. This is a tough time for writers–that time of year when the most seductive set of temptations to not write beckon: the great outdoors and all its wonders. I mean, who can write in this weather? Who can write when you could instead: swim/sail/run/play tennis/golf/hike, whatever? You can. That is, if you’ll willing to do a simple things. Are you? Then come along. [click to continue…]
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Margaret's godfather, Max Hirsch
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JUMP RIGHT IN and enter to win a free, signed copy of my new book, Writing What You Know: Realia. All you have to do be in the contest is leave a short piece of memoir at my on-line writing group at Beliefnet.com, where May is Memoir Month. It’s that simple. I’ll see you there.
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USE THE CALENDAR. I’ve covered this topic before, but guess what? Since I love you like a sister, I have made a calendar for you to use. Oh yeah: interactive, digital, online, and with all kinds of quirky (Quirky? Me?) dates for you to use to get those fingers typing up your personal essays. Now you’ve got no reason not to come along and use it. Here’s how. [click to continue…]
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IAM SO EXCITED TO INVITE YOU to come join the just-launched month-long memoir workshop I’m doing on the giant website Beliefnet, where (with a little prodding from yours truly) May has been named Memoir Month! The workshop is called “Writing What You Know” (sound familiar?). Why Beliefnet? Because I believe that writing what you know is the single greatest portal to self discovery. Come take a peek as we gear up, or register to join the free group class.
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MY SISTER’S GARDEN is famous. My sister’s garden is almost as amazing as she is. My sister’s garden is (almost) as eccentric as she is. My sister’s garden is not mine, but because of hers I do have a hand-me-down collection of some wild and crazy plants. [click to continue…]
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LITTLE SISTER, BIG SISTER: A digital moment, today.
First time here? Here's the idea: The Sister Project is a network of blogs about the many facets of the word sister, and the concept of sisterhood. A sisterhood of sister blogs, you could say. Whatever sister means to you, from identical twin to sister-in-law (or in friendship or in feminism), we’ll make room to listen in about it or express it on TSP. Like the slogan up top on our homepage says, “Don’t you have something to say to your sister?” We've got galleries of art and literature by and about sisters, and a Sisterpedia of sisterly trivia...but now we're getting ahead of ourselves. The quick study: Learn more about TSP, and how to find your way around. And oh—a giant, sisterly welcome.
