DL—This is the fourth excerpt from A Sugary Frosting, the memoir of Martha Blowen, my lifemate and business partner who died in 2008 of metastatic intraductal breast cancer. The previous posts (first, second, third) covered Martha’s premature birth and her family’s recent move to Worcester, Massachusetts, where her father had taken on to serve as minister of Congregational church there and her grandparents’ demanding stay with them and their precipitous departure. This excerpt presents early memories. Isolated memories that seem too ordinary for a memoir can be a challenge to incorporate into a memoir as they usually lack inherent drama. (more…)

Some people manage to write a lot of memoir text during the same period of time that others hardly produce anything. Often, those who don’t write but who say they try to write have really valid reasons: company to cook for and entertain, a bad cold, “the kids are in drama workshops and I have to taxi them around,” “the computer wasn’t working all week,” cleaning house, buying a new car, etc. It comes down to this: they really “tried,” but you know how it is, they didn’t get to write a single word. Others who are producing memoir text, (more…)

DL—This is the third excerpt from A Sugary Frosting, the memoir of Martha Blowen, my lifemate and business partner who died in 2008 of metastatic intraductal breast cancer. The previous posts (first, second) covered Martha’s premature birth and her family’s recent move to Worcester, Massachusetts, where her father had taken on to serve as minister of Congregational church there and her grandparents’ stay. — As it turned out, my mother’s choice—albeit unconscious—of my grandparents over me proved to be a wrong one. By coming to Worcester, my father was closer physically to his half-siblings who, if I remember right, lived (more…)

DL: On July 7, 2015, the Writers Fun Zone ran an interview with me that I want to be sure you got to read. — 1. Tell us who you are and how you help writers in 100 words or less. I help writers to write memoir with more focus, joy and skills. Many writers start their project with enthusiasm and then get bogged down in the problems inherent in any long writing project. They become discouraged. They doubt their ability to proceed and ultimately to finish. They second guess their vision and theme. I see my role as the (more…)

DL—This is an excerpt from A Sugary Frosting, the memoir of Martha Blowen, my lifemate and business partner who died in 2008 of metastatic intraductal breast cancer. The previous post covered Martha’s premature birth and her family’s recent move to Worcester, Massachusetts, where her father had taken on to serve as minister of Congregational church there. — Taking her cue from others and their needs, my mother was not a person to take care of herself. In spite of her pregnancy, she had agreed to have my ailing grandparents, Enos and Emily Simmonds Yeomans Blowen, live in her home. This (more…)

DL—This is an excerpt from A Sugary Frosting, the memoir of Martha Blowen, my lifemate and business partner who died in 2008. When you are both a story teller and a story keeper, in thirty-one years of co-habiting with someone who is very verbal, you get to learn many of her stories. A number of them you have heard not only because they are told directly to you as you went about your day—perhaps driving into town—or as you sat in the morning sipping your coffee but also because she told them to others in your presence. Often, details are (more…)

Yesterday would have been my mother’s 94th birthday. The following post was published on Matilda Butler’s fine blog. My mother died on May 5, 2015. — Let me celebrate my mother’s life by writing about her memoir We Were Not Spoiled. Between 2009 and 2013, I interviewed my mother for her memoir for which I was to serve as ghostwriter. I have written about the process elsewhere, so here I would like to talk about how the writing of this book was an integrating experience for me. To read more, click here. (more…)

Following the recent posting of part one of What You Can Do Before You Send a Manuscript to An Editor, I am reprinting a post that contains more useful information on how you can edit your own work before sending it to a professional editor. Self-editing can focus your narrative and save on editing fees. I hope you find it useful and will leave your own suggestions in the comments section. to read more… (more…)

Why would I go away to a writer’s retreat to write when I can write at home, at my very own desk, with my cat and my favorite coffee mug? 1. To be free of distractions A. I won’t be tempted to put up a load of laundry B. Are we out of milk? C. Yes, I am happy with my (long distance service, cable service, internet service, utilities supplier), click. D. No, I am not available to (feed your cat, take your dog for a walk, pick up your dry cleaning). I AM WRITING! 2. To focus completely on (more…)

Is a Life Ever Too Ordinary for a Memoir?

By Martha Blowen

Isolated memories that seem too ordinary for a memoir can be a challenge to incorporate into a memoir as they usually lack inherent drama. How to place early memories into a narrative so that they give a sense of the foundation of a life without turning the reader off. Let me know in the comments […]

Stop “Trying” to Write Your Memoir

By Denis Ledoux

Are you a person who is trying to write your memoir or are you a person who is writing it? Your family will likely be left without your memoir if what you do is “try to write a memoir.” This post is full of ideas for going from trying to write to writing. (more…)

My Uncles Rescue My Grandparents

By Martha Blowen

My uncles came into the parsonage, made their announcement of the decision to remove my grandparents which was a fait accompli that they were not willing to discuss, packed my grandparents up and drove away with them. My parents were in shock. (more…)

My Interview at Writer Fun Zone

By Denis Ledoux

Tell us who you are and how you help authors. I help writers to write memoir with more focus, joy and skills. Many writers start their project with enthusiasm and then get bogged down in the problems inherent in any long writing project. They become discouraged. They doubt their ability to proceed and ultimately to […]

My Mother Chooses Between Me and My Grandparents

By Martha Blowen

This is an excerpt from the as-yet-unnamed memoir of Martha Blowen, my lifemate and business partner who died in 2008 of metastatic intraductal breast cancer. The previous post covered Martha’s premature birth and her family’s recent move to Worcester, Massachusetts, where her father had taken on to serve as minister of Congregational church there. (more…)

Coming Into This World

By Martha Blowen

When you are both a story teller and a story keeper, in thirty-one years of co-habiting with someone who is very verbal, you get to learn many of her stories. A number of them you have heard not only because they are told directly to you as you went about your day—perhaps driving into town […]

We Were Not Spoiled: A Memoir for the Family and for the World

By Denis Ledoux

Let me celebrate my mother’s life by writing about her memoir We Were Not Spoiled—which I will offer you as a gift at the end of this post. (more…)

More Editing You Can Execute For Yourself.

By Denis Ledoux

This post contains more useful information on how you can edit your own work before sending it to a professional editor. There is much you can do more effectively to save on fees. (more…)

Why Go to a Writer’s Retreat?

By Judy Mandel

Why would I go away to a writer’s retreat to write when I can write at home, at my very own desk, with my cat and my favorite coffee mug? Writers at all stages of their writing life and in their projects can benefit from attending a retreat. Even in the beginning, when you may […]