I find fall the most inspiring of all seasons. Every year when autumn comes around, my creative drive goes into overdrive. I have no idea why. I just know that for me, it’s a good time of year for writing.

Writing Forward is Three Years Old!

I can’t believe it’s been three years since I started this site. To celebrate Writing Forward’s third anniversary, I’ve revamped the design. This year, it’s a lot sleeker and slimmed down. I’ve trimmed a lot of content and design elements in favor of simplicity. Less is more!

Writing Forward

Here at Writing Forward this month, you can expect more articles on creative writing. Over the summer, posts were sparse (and I was busy watching the entire series of Lost). But with summer’s end in sight, posts will become more frequent and you can expect new articles once or twice each week.

In the coming months, I’ll wrap up the better writing series, add new and updated articles packed with creative writing tips and ideas and share some fresh fiction writing exercises and creative writing prompts for anyone who’s stumped with writer’s block. I’ll continue advocating for good grammar and keep encouraging all writers to pursue poetry as a means to improve your writing.

Your Feedback

Is there a topic you’d like to see covered here? Any grammar questions you have? A writing problem that’s got you stuck and frustrated? Questions, suggestions, and feedback are always welcome, so don’t hesitate to contact me or leave a comment if you have any ideas or questions. After all, we are all part of the larger writing community, so let’s keep sharing and discussing, and most importantly, let’s all keep on writing.

Today’s guest post is by Alexis Bonari, a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at onlinedegrees.org, researching areas of accredited online degrees. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

One of my literature professors once told me that there’s no wrong way to create an outline so long as it accomplishes the intended purpose. By the time they are asked to complete a lengthy project like a thesis paper or novel, most writers have already developed their own unique approach to outlining their work. While it’s a good idea to stick to what works for you, taking a quick look at other outline approaches can be helpful. The following are some of the most common outlining strategies.

The Classic

This outline is bullet-pointed. Roman numerals and letters are used to break down each idea. Word processing programs generally have an outline function that makes the process even easier. You set the progression of bullet-point symbols. Here is an example:

I. Main Idea

A. Supporting information

II. Main idea

A. Supporting information

i. Details

People prefer this style of outline for its readability and the simple process for summarizing complex ideas.

The Scatter Method

My personal favorite since middle school, the scatter method, is essentially just what it sounds like. You make a rough outline of where you want to go with the project. Then, you write sections of the paper without transitions. Although it’s good to have a working thesis before starting, there’s nothing that says it must be written down and refined at the outset of the project. All the pieces and parts are then assembled into a rough whole. Some are edited or taken out entirely. Only then are transitions are added.

It should be noted that this method requires a great deal of time spent reading and re-reading your draft. While this works for me, it certainly isn’t for everyone.

The Visual/Kinesthetic Learner Option

Much less common than the first two styles is the visual/kinesthetic learner option. You write and then print out bullet-pointed elements of a classic outline, including phrases and points that you want to make. Then, take these cut-out pieces and arrange them in a grand outline on the floor or a spacious table. This allows you to see more of the outline than you would on a computer screen. You can look ahead further and rearrange by physically moving the pieces around. When you’re ready to go ahead with the project as outlined, simply pick up the individual pieces in order and flip through them as they write.

My father-in-law wrote several published books; he used this method for all three of them. As my professor said, there is no “right” way to create an outline. There’s only what works for you and your writing style.

May is a month in which we have much to celebrate – summer is just around the corner. Here in the U.S., we honor Mother’s Day and Cinco de Mayo, and for those who adhere to the old ways (or who simply appreciate a little pole dancing), May Day (or Midsummer) is a good reason to throw a soirée.

This Month at Writing Forward

This month, things are going to slow down a little at Writing Forward. I’m going to take some time from now through summer to focus on my own writing and business projects. You can expect about one post each week rather than the usual two posts per week, and the posts will be a little more comprehensive. There will also be bonus posts from time to time. In the fall, twice-weekly posting will resume.

Book Bloggers Contest Announcement

Last year, Jennie Nash stopped by to provide insight on “Creative Cross-Pollination” while she was promoting her novel, The Only True Genius in the Family. Now, she’s getting ready to release her second novel, The Threadbare Heart. This time, she’s hosting a contest. Here’s a message from Jennie:

The Threadbare Heart is a love story inspired by my mother’s recent marriage to a man she met on the same blind date where she met my father, 54 years ago. It’s a mother-daughter story, as well. Readers of my last novel, The Only True Genius in the Family, won’t be surprised to hear that the mother-daughter relationship is fraught with jealousy and tension. This time, however, I really amped it up. (And I wrote in third person for the first time in six books. I’m very proud of myself!) At the same time that a daughter loses the great love of her life, her mother — a woman in her mid-70s — gains the great love of her own. In the middle of the story, a prized piece of fabric, which the daughter has been saving for more than 40 years, is the last thing saved from a house destroyed by wildfire. It’s that piece of fabric that becomes the bridge between a mother and a daughter torn apart by grief, jealousy and misunderstanding. Click here to read the first chapter or visit jennie.nash.com.

About the Contest

• ON MAY 2ND or 3RD: Book bloggers invite their readers to send in 250-word entries about their favorite mother-daughter relationship in literature. Which pair made you laugh? Made you cry? Made you cringe? Which pair revealed something true about your own mother-daughter relationships? All participating blogs (no more than 30) will be listed on Jennie Nash’s website.
• ON MOTHER’S DAY: Book bloggers post the entry they like the best (and email them + winner addresses to Jennie at jennie.nash@verizon.net on Monday.) Winners** at each blog will receive a signed copy of The Threadbare Heart from Jennie Nash and will be entered in the Grand Prize Giveaway. (Note: bloggers are welcome to enter on other blogger’s blogs.)
• ON MAY 16: Jennie Nash will choose a Grand Prize winner** from all the  blogger entries. (How will I pick? Whichever entry just hits me as being heartfelt and true.) The Grand Prize winner will receive a “Book Club in a Box” — ten signed copies of The Threadbare Heart, a call-in from the author, and a delicious rum cake. (Why rum cake? You’ll have to read The Threadbare Heart to understand! I’ve picked out a cake by a baker named Kelli because she started selling rum cakes when she lost her baking buddy to cancer and I loved her story — and I happen to think that good stories are a big part of a good life.)  The blogger who submits the winning entry winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to Powells.com.
• THROUGHOUT MAY: Book bloggers may post reviews of The Threadbare Heart., or have Jennie guest blog, give an author interview or do a live chat. Reviews (good or bad) or appearances are NOT a requirement for participating in the contest.

** Prizes shipped to U.S. addresses only.
***This is a contest run by Jennie Nash, not her publisher.

Spring may be the most inspiring season of all; many poets throughout the centuries have captured the glory of spring with carefully crafted language:

“Early Spring” by Rainer Maria Rilke

Harshness vanished. A sudden softness
has replaced the meadows’ wintry grey.
Little rivulets of water changed
their singing accents. Tendernesses,

hesitantly, reach toward the earth
from space, and country lanes are showing
these unexpected subtle risings
that find expression in the empty trees.

Source: Famous Poets and Poems

National Poetry Month

One of my goals this year is to get back to poetry writing in a serious way. There was a time when I wrote poetry every single day, but that was a long time ago. Since April is National Poetry Month, it’s a perfect time to attack my goal with total abandon, and I’ll be kicking it off with some momentum since I’ve already been making headway by reading, writing, and listening to poetry almost every day for several weeks.

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.

Now is the time time to engage with poetry. Here are a few ways  you can get started:

• Great writing is rooted in good reading. Sign up to receive a poem a day for the month of April.
• Want to dive right in to poetry writing? Sign up for NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month). You’ll notice that many other sites are promoting NaPoWriMo — be sure to go to napowrimo.net, because that’s the source that truly started the movement.
• Head over to Read Write Poem, which is packed with awesome resources for poetry writing, including a forum, poetry challenges, and regular articles that are relevant to the poetry community.
• My favorite poetry resource in the world, where you can listen to some of the most creative talents perform their work: IndieFeed: Performance Poetry. If you use iTunes, be sure to subscribe.

Most importantly, have fun. Poetry is meant to be enjoyed and appreciated. Get out your old books (yes, even nursery rhymes and children’s poetry) and revel in the magic. This month, I’m working my way through Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words and The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (affiliate links).

This Month at Writing Forward

In honor of National Poetry Month, we’ll be focusing exclusively on poetry here at Writing Forward throughout April. I want to touch on a little bit of everything regarding poetry and poetry writing, so we’ll look at form, feature a poet, and try a couple of poetry writing exercises. So stay tuned, and keep your pencils sharpened for a month packed with delightful antics in poetry.

Take a tour around the web, check out some grammatically flawed public signs, peek into a mass market paperback book. You’re sure to find a grammar mistake or two (or two hundred).

Throughout my adult life, I’ve made a conscious effort to expand my knowledge of grammar, and the more I learn, the more I realize that proper grammar is a rare thing indeed.

Now, I’m not a member of the grammar police squad. I’m all for breaking and bending the rules, especially when doing so makes your writing stronger or when it lends to the artistic integrity of a piece. But to break the rules effectively, you really have to know them first.

Today is national grammar day. I say that to honor this working holiday, we writers (bloggers — that means you too!) make a commitment to work a little harder at mastering grammar. You don’t have to sign up for a course or spend your days reading grammar handbooks. Just make a bit more effort to pay attention to language, words, and sentence structure. Train yourself to review your work with a sharper eye. Pay close attention to what you don’t know. Next time you’re uncertain about a grammar issue, look it up and do it right instead of rewording your sentence.

National Grammar Day

National Grammar Day is a day to “Speak well! Write well! And on March 4, march forth and spread the word.” This year’s event is hosted by the one and only Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty (I’ve been telling you about her podcast for years!).

Tweet It!

Want to help make this a huge event online? Got Twitter? Use this hashtag to tweet about the event, contests people are having, and other grammar topics over the next few days: #grammarday

Head over to the National Grammar Day site and get tons of great grammar goodies:

• A National Grammar Day theme song
• A free National Grammar Day e-card
• Free teaching materials
• Winners from a language poetry contest
• Pictures of messed up signs from the Grammar Girl Flickr group
• A songwriting hall of shame playlist
• Links to John McIntyre’s grammar noir series
• Grammar T-shirts
• …and even more!

The occasion is brought to you by The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar (SPOGG), which is “for pen-toters appalled by wanton displays of Bad English,”

SPOGG is for people who crave good, clean English — sentences cast well and punctuated correctly. It’s about clarity. And who knows how many of the world’s huge problems could be solved if we had a little more of that?

SPOGG is free to join and you get entertaining newsletters about grammar, so do check it out.

How will you participate in National Grammar Day this year?

Many people cite spring as their favorite season. New life starts appearing and the sun starts its annual battle against gray, cloudy skies, a battle that the fiery star will win by summertime.

For those of you who are interested in specifics, the vernal (spring) equinox occurs this year on March 20. Astronomically, this equinox marks the halfway point between the longest night of the year (winter solstice) and the longest day of the year (summer solstice). It’s a reminder that brighter days are ahead.

How will springtime inspire your writing over the next few months?

National Grammar Day

Every March, writers, grammarians, and language lovers celebrate good grammar. March fourth is National Grammar Day:

Do you adore clean, correct sentences? Do ungrammatical advertisements make you cringe? We understand completely, and this is why the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar has designated March 4 as National Grammar Day.

This year, Mignon Fogarty–better known as Grammar Girl–is the official host.

We’ve been celebrating National Grammar Day here at Writing Forward since the blog first hit the web, and this year will be no exception. How do we celebrate?

“Speak well! Write well! And on March 4, march forth and spread the word.”

IndieReader.com Brings the Best Indie Books to Consumers

PRESS RELEASE

What do indie movies and indie music have that indie (aka self-published) books do not? Respect!

That changed in September ’09 with the launch of IndieReader.com, a new e-commerce website that sells—and provides a platform for—carefully selected self-published books. IndieReader aims to do for self-published books what Sundance did for the once underground independent film movement—create a venue to showcase the very best of the category and prove, once and for all, that quality books can exist—and flourish—outside traditional publishing channels.

Books are chosen for inclusion on the IndieReader site by a panel of editors, literary agents, and marketing professionals, and all categories of books are represented. There is an annual $99 fee for membership; in exchange, authors get a sales venue and a web page. Authors set their book’s retail price and receive 75% of the sales (the buyer pays for shipping). Authors have complete control over the editorial content of their web pages with no general restrictions on reviews, interviews, video, and audio.

Members of IndieReader.com benefit from an ongoing national publicity and marketing campaign that seeks to build brand recognition through traditional and web-driven media, regional events, and cross-promotion with other businesses that promote the self-publishing industry.  The site also has a monthly, online magazine called The Indie Reader, which has featured contributions by writers Joel Stein (Time magazine), novelists Brunonia Barry (The Lace Reader) and Lisa Genova (Still Alice), columnist Dan Savage, designer Isaac Mizrahi and singer/songwriter Joshua Radin.

Drunken Boat

Drunken Boat online journal of the arts recently launched its eleventh issue, which marks its change from an annual to a semiannual format.  In addition to a broad array of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, the issue features a folio of  photography and short nonfiction on the theme “Life in a Time of Contraction,” in which artists and writers focus on the effects of the global economic crisis.  Current United States Poet Laureate Kay Ryan is featured in a craft interview.  And Drunken Boat #11 also has an interesting folio of Sound Art– our first.

Read a longer introduction to the issue:
http://www.drunkenboat.com/db11/statement.php

This Month at Writing Forward

In honor of National Grammar Day, this month’s posts will focus on good grammar, spelling, and punctuation. There will  be a mix of creative writing articles too. Look for a spotlight on one of my favorite poets (I’m still trying to decide who I’ll choose), fresh writing ideas, and more.

Let’s Chat

Are you going to participate in National Grammar Day? If so, how are you going to celebrate and promote good grammar? What do you think about independent publishing? is it the future for writers? A trend for people who like to buck trends? Or will it become a permanent publishing path for artists who like to work outside the mainstream? Finally, because Drunken Boat is addressing the global economic crisis, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how this crisis affects writers (or does it?). Has the state of the economy had any impact on your writing? Does it inspire you?

Have a great spring season everyone, and keep on writing!

This time of year inspires a lot of love stories and romantic poetry as well as seasonal reflections. I like February because it’s often a rainy month, and the sound of rain pattering against the rooftops and windowpanes makes me very happy.

Some folks don’t like the weather that winter brings. No worries! Spring is right around the corner — it starts next month!

With spring on the horizon, I’m eagerly plowing through several big projects. I’ve made good on my goal to write more poetry, although I still need to work on submitting it to print publications. Sometimes I think the internet has made me lazy. After all, I can always publish my own poetry. Do I really need to try and get it published elsewhere?

The answer is yes and no. Indeed, I can publish my own work (and I already have a website primed for just that), but there is a definite validation that comes from someone else (preferably someone reputable) choosing to publish it. I don’t know if I need that kind of validation. I mean, it couldn’t hurt, right? On the other hand, there’s something inherently rebellious about intentionally circumventing the whole process of getting published.

Clearly, I need to spend more time thinking about this. Any thoughts?

This Month at Writing Forward

As I mentioned, I’ve been writing poetry. As a result, there will be a couple of posts this month that deal with poetry writing. We’ll learn some new poetry terms (also known as literary devices for you fiction and nonfiction writers) and we’ll also explore new types of poems. Tanka, perhaps, as it would be a good follow up to the recent post on haiku.

I also want to get back to the basics of inspired writing and journaling. Lately, a few lovely readers have commented on innovative ways to use journals, which has inspired me to get back into my own journal writing.

You can also expect the usual fare: writing tips, creative ideas, and a dose of good grammar.

What are your writing plans for February? Do you have any big projects in development? Is anyone still recovering from NaNoWriMo? Maybe some of you are still recovering from the holidays?

Let’s all stay warm this month, and keep on writing!

Now, we can all put 2009 behind us and look forward to 2010. According to science fiction literature, this is the year we make contact. But contact with whom?

Every new year, predictions and premonitions abound. This year is no exception, especially since in addition to starting a new year, we’re also entering a new decade. One trend I’ve seen predicted is, in fact, contact: real-world contact and community-building. Will we put more space between ourselves and the Internet to engage in more offline interactions both professionally and personally? Will we focus less on me or I and focus more on we and us?

I certainly don’t think it would hurt.

This Year at Writing Forward

Everyone’s making resolutions and setting new annual goals. I’m still working on goals I set this past fall. It’s tempting to get caught up in the resolution-making, but I find that if I set goals at more natural intervals rather than the ones dictated by the calendar, I have a much better chance at actually reaching them. Resolutions always seem to fade away by February or March, so, I have decided to forgo them altogether this year.

Last year at this time, Writing Forward’s editorial calendar for 2009 was complete. It was flexible, and I managed to stick with it for the most part. The cycle continues into 2010 with a mix of articles about creative writing. There will be more tips, ideas, and resources for writers that deal both with creativity and with skill-building.

Last year was heavy on fiction writing and light on poetry, so I’m going to flip that and work on articles for poets and poetry lovers. Finally, there will be more writing exercises and prompts, which were a big hit this year. They didn’t get a lot of comments but people were sure clicking all over those posts!

If you have any requests or suggestions for topics at Writing Forward, feel free to share your ideas by leaving a comment or sending me a message. I welcome all of your feedback, so don’t be shy!

News Update: mifiction Contest Winners Announced

In November, mifiction announced their Interactive Fiction Competition. Did you enter? If so, you should know that the winners have been announced:

Surrey, UK, December 15, 2009: The winners of mifiction’s competition to find new and talented writers of interactive fiction have been announced. The first prize of £300 was awarded to William Dunn of Barcelona, with a Victorian Vampire story entitled Dead Flowers. Chosen because of its tight plot and gripping story line, judges thought Dead Flowers was well written and full of intrigue.

Who won second and third places? For a full list of winners visit www.mifiction.co.uk.

What Will You Write in 2010?

I’d love to hear from all of you about your hopes and expectations for 2010. Will you write a novel? A memoir? Submit short stories or poems to literary journals? Start a blog? And what’s on your reading list for this year?

Finally, Happy New Year!

I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy, happy, and prosperous year. Keep on writing all through 2010!

On the world stage, it’s been a whirlwind year. Is it just me or does it seem like there was an inordinate amount of bad news in 2009? My hopes for 2010 include more positivity, more good news, and more peace, love, and understanding.

And more reading and writing!

I love change and fresh beginnings. Even though I think New Year’s is an arbitrary occasion (we humans created it), it’s good to mark time, take a step back, and examine one’s life and ask Where have I been? Where am I going?

They say that to know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been. Before I think about what 2010 has in store for Writing Forward, I’d like to take a look at the milestones of the past year and share with you some of the best articles that were featured here throughout 2009.

Milestones

Milestones are a great way to mark our accomplishments. The best ones come unexpectedly, like when I found out that Writing Forward had been named one of the “101 Best Websites for Writers” by Writer’s Digest. My hope is that the site will receive the same honor in 2010.

Another milestone for the site was crossing both its two-year anniversary and the 200-post mark. September marked the beginning of Writing Forward’s third year of publication and sometime in November, the 200th post was published.

Top 10 Posts

Here is a mix of my favorite posts from the past year along with those that have been most popular.

1. It turns out the entire writing exercises section has been one of the most visited links on the entire site over the past twelve months.
2. 25 Creative Writing Prompts (from October) got lots of visits, beating out most posts from the past year that had been up for much longer.
3. In keeping with writing exercises and activities and moving into fiction writing, Getting Into Character was a big hit. I guess people like to play-act while they write fiction!
4. Fiction Writing: The Elements of Plot was also well-read by fiction writers, who also got a kick out of…
5. …Five Ways to Break Through a Fiction Writing Block
6. For grammar geeks and words nerds, Homophones: Two, Too, and To got into the nitty gritty of how to spell words that sound the same.
7. I was happy to see that one of my personal favorites, How Poetry Writing Improves All Other Writing made this list! I’m a believer in poetry as a way to increase creativity and improve your writing skills.
8. 18 Do-It-Yourself Proofreading Tips made a splash with readers. The post got a lot of comments, and I received several complimentary emails, thanking me for the useful tips the article provided.
9. Writers are always looking for more sources of inspiration, so it’s no surprise that 12 Places to Find Awesome Writing Ideas and…
10. Where to Get the Best Creative Writing Ideas both made the list.

Did I miss any? If there was a post from the past year that you loved, please feel free to leave a comment and share a link. And it doesn’t have to be from Writing Forward. Please leave a link to any of your favorite articles on the web from the past year, as long as they’re writing-related.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who has read, commented, and subscribed to Writing Forward in the past year. You guys have been great and I appreciate your support and readership.

Happy New Year!

I hope you all have a happy, prosperous, and productive 2010. Keep on writing!

Do the seasons affect your writing?

I find the holidays incredibly inspiring. All the stories and mythical characters are fascinating, especially when you research them to their origins. Most major religions have important celebrations around this time of year, and these holidays are thought to have roots in the winter solstice, which is the turning of fall to winter.

Learning about religion, holidays, mythology, and legends can be a fantastic way to get writing ideas.

WorkLifeGroup Career Transition Stories Competition

We all hold stories of passion, connection, pain and fulfilment from our working lives.

WorkLifeGroup is inviting storytellers to explore how work and life overlap each other, drawing out common themes in life and work that bind us all; rich or poor, successful or unsuccessful, young or old.

The winning storyteller will be awarded a $500 prize, and all valid submissions will be promoted on the WorkLifeGroup website.

In addition, WorkLifeGroup is aiming to identify talented writers to continue writing for us on an ongoing, paid basis.

The competition is free to enter, and entries close 30 January 2010. To register your interest or find the more detailed brief, please visit the link below.

http://www.worklifegroup.com/contests/career-transition-stories/

This Month at Writing Forward

With all those holidays coming up as well as end-of-year activities and getting ready for the new year, I’m going to slow down posts at Writing Forward for the month of December. Instead of two articles a week, there will be one a week. In January, I’ll resume the regular posting schedule.

Stay tuned for articles on grammar, better writing, creative writing ideas, plus a special post celebrating 2009.

Got any suggestions for next year? Anything you’d like to see more (or less) of here at Writing Forward? Your feedback is always welcome, so please leave a comment sharing your thoughts.

Today’s guest post, “How to Write a Memoir with a Partner” is by Deborah Prutzman, co-author of Addie of the Flint Hills: A Prairie Child During the Depression (1915-1935).

Few writers would argue that writing is a solitary pursuit. That said, collaborations between two or more writers do occur, and some have been highly successful. This is especially true when it comes to memoirs. Why? Because often one person has a remarkable story to tell but is not a professional writer, and the other person is needed to help write the personal story (and tell it in a most compelling way).

Sometimes that person is a relative or friend. Sometimes that person is a professional, paid ghostwriter or editor. In my case, I helped my mom write her memoir. At age 94 she had an interesting story to tell but needed my help to access her memories and then organize and write them in the form of a book. This was our first collaboration but hopefully not our last, because Mom wants to do a whole series of books!

In writing this memoir with my mother, I learned a lot and am delighted to be able to share my “lessons learned,” some of which will hopefully be helpful to you.

Steps to Writing a Memoir

1. Start with whatever your partner can do. It can be a recorded or written list or a spoken dialogue about his or her life. If your partner cannot start, you might offer a list of key events and ask for feedback, thoughts, and reactions about these or inquire about how friends and family were affected by these events.
2. Develop a list of questions on a specific topic coming from multiple angles and ask about one or two each time you meet.
3. Listen and write everything down. You may not think something your partner says is significant, but months later you will see why it matters.
4. Let your partner repeat stories, and view this as a chance to get new details and better words.
5. Tell others about the effort. Many of our friends and relatives sent photos or came to visit and told Mom stories. Some of this material made its way into the book. Some triggered memories, which was also wonderful for all of us.
6. Have your partner answer three overarching questions, appropriate to the time, and weave these into the book. These can differ based on your interests and the interests of your partner and family, friends, or business associates. I asked my mother what was her experience of the moment, what was the family dynamic in her judgment now, looking back, and how did the economy back then impact her.
7. Buy books, music, and videos of the places and times to trigger memories. Mom would look at these on her own and write down a memory or thought that these brought to mind. Many of these comments were incorporated into the text. As part of the research I also reached out to local historical societies, and went on Ebay looking for relevant items, old postcards, programs, etc. Also, reviewing the materials provided hours of fun for her while I was not there.
8. Read, reread, and discuss the draft text. Again, this provided many enjoyable hours for Mom when she was otherwise alone. Often I asked her to focus on a theme or a person and spend the next few days writing down whatever came to mind.
9. Always work with whatever your partner’s natural tendency is. Nail it down and then push for the opposite. My mother was very factual; almost matter of fact and devoid of emotion. I captured that, and then pushed to find the little details that hinted at the emotions, which began slowly but surely to release the flood of feelings!
10. Have a professional editor go over the manuscript for typos, grammar, and punctuation and also to edit out any redundancies.

More Thoughts on How to Write a Memoir

One more thing I can add from my experience that really worked: Just asking someone to write his or her memoirs can be overwhelming for that person. In our case, for a year or so previous to actually writing, we laid down the groundwork by making a video.

It was a simple production. We gathered all the family photos we could find and put them in a more or less chronological order. Mom thought about her life and we agreed upon a loose script. Then, I asked questions and she responded. We edited it down to an hour or two and were very satisfied with our results. When I finally suggested that Mom write down her memories, she had a framework.

The bones of the story are the partner’s life, the person who lived the events (unless you both did). What really matters is capturing that person’s thoughts and experiences, so be nonjudgmental in order to freely allow your partner to lead you down the path of his or her past life. With my mother, I tried to be curious about why she thought and felt certain things. I am a lawyer and a pretty strong woman, so the role of a more passive partner is not one that I am all that comfortable with. It took effort, but I was able to channel her thoughts and experiences. Working on the book brought all sorts of good things to my family and most of all, brought Mom and me closer together.

When the memoir I wrote with my mother was finished, we found a publisher, hired a publicist, and then went back to mom’s local roots for a mini book tour, which was highly successful. Mom loves to read and re-read her book. Now we are going on to the next 20 years. I hope you and your writing partner are equally delighted with the end result of your venture.

To learn more about the memoir that Deborah wrote with her mother, and to get more tips on how to write a memoir, please visit www.adalinesorace.com.

There is wide belief in gratitude as a means to promote positive thinking (and feeling good in general), which seems to be growing. By practicing gratitude each day, you train yourself to recognize the good things in life, a very beneficial practice for people who are prone to complaining or seeing the glass as half empty.

You can start a gratitude journal with a small notebook. Every day, simply jot down a few things that you’re thankful for. The best time to do this is in the morning when you wake up, or at night before you go to sleep. You can also incorporate your gratitude journal into your existing notebook. Whenever you’re feeling down, read over the things in life that are good, or add more to the list.

NaNoWriMo is Underway

There are many things for which I’m grateful, and one of those is NaNoWriMo, an annual writing contest that you win by writing a 50,000-word novel over the thirty days of November. Last year, I was a participant (and a winner!), and I’m eternally thankful to Chris Baty and the event he founded for helping me write and finish my very first novel. Now, just a few days into November, NaNoWriMo is underway. If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s not too late! Head over to the NaNoWriMo website to learn more.

Call for Entries: Interactive Fiction (mifiction)

Press Release

mifiction calls for entries from established and aspiring authors to create modern interactive fiction

mifiction, an innovative online publisher based in Surrey, is looking to reinvigorate interactive fiction using the latest in modern technology, and your writing skills. In an effort to encourage authors and to find a host of exciting and imaginative stories, mifiction is hosting a writing competition which is open to anyone with an interest in interactive fiction and a passion for writing.

“We hope to encourage aspiring authors to enter the competition with the opportunity to ultimately win a publishing contact as part of our new venture.

For mifiction interactive fiction competition rules and guidelines click here.

Deadline: 5:00pm (GMT) on Monday 30 November 2009.

All winners will be offered a publishing contract with mifiction with the overall winner receiving a £300.00 cash prize. Prizes for second and third place of £200.00 and £100.00 respectively will be awarded with six runners up prizes of £50.00 each. Judges’ decisions are final and prizes are awarded at the judges’ discretion.

mifiction is an imprint of Mobile Interactive Horizons Ltd, a company registered in the UK and founded to publish interactive text for standard mobile devices such as phones and PDAs. Mobile Interactive Horizons Ltd. is a joint venture lead by iBundle – an innovation hub for software and web companies providing innovative new tools and services for their target markets.

Announcing a New Fiction Website: Lit Drift

Lit Drift is a new website dedicated to the art and craft of fiction in the 21st century. Lit Drift aims to showcase interesting examples of storytelling, from short stories to movies to multimedia mixtape magazines, and to help its readers improve their own storytelling skills. In addition to conversations on craft, Lit Drift also offers daily creative prompts, daily short stories, and a weekly giveaway called Free Book Friday. Check it out at www.litdrift.com.

This Month at Writing Forward

November brings more great creative writing articles from yours truly. Learn about one of the best poetry resources in print, try writing exercises that tickle your senses, and get tips for editing your own work. Plus, there’s a special guest post this month on how to write a memoir with a partner. Later this month, we’ll wrap up the series on Shakespeare’s poetry.

Stay creative and keep on writing!