Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category

SNEAK PEEK #10: The 2000s

“Reality” – From Chapter 10 “100 Years in the Life of an American Girl: True Stories 1910 – 2010″ (publishing summer 2013) “Reality” - Chapter 10 — The 2000s, Dylanne White At 10 Dylanne’s three greatest wishes were to be allowed to wear make-up, get a new pair of skinny jeans,

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Three Easy Tips

What’s new in your life? Whatever is new in your life makes a great writing topic. It’s where the energy is. Even if you’re already working on something else, try this: 1. Make a list of what’s new in your life right now — the standouts. Go for 3 to

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SNEAK PEEK #9: The 1990s

“Boom, Dynamite!” — From Chapter 9, “100 Years in the Life of an American Girl: True Stories 1910 – 2010″ (publishing summer 2013) “Boom, Dynamite!”  Brianna — Grandville, Michigan Brianna lived in a large house in a woodsy suburb with her older sister, her stay-at-home mom, and her dad, a

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SNEAK PEEK #8: The 1980s

“The Gen X Poster Child” — from Chapter 8, “100 Years in the Life of an American Girl: True Stories 1910 – 2010″ (publishing summer 2013) “The Gen X Poster Child”  Jenny Isenman, Maryland Born in 1973, Jenny grew up an only child in an affluent suburb with a bedroom

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SNEAK PEEK #7: The 1970s

“Texas Goes Technicolor”  from Chapter 7, “100 Years in the Life of an American Girl: True Stories 1910 – 2010” (publishing summer 2013) Texas Goes Technicolor Kim — Dallas, Texas Kim was born in 1963 into a family she describes as “arch conservatives and budding hippies.” Her parents were older

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SNEAK PEEK #6: The 1960s

“Survival Rules”  — from Chapter 6 in my upcoming book, “100 Years in the Life of an American Girl: True Stories 1910 – 2010” (publishing summer 2013) “Survival Rules”   Johnny, Arkansas Johnny lived in town with her family on four acres. They grew or raised everything they ate: collard

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Who Is She?

Memoir is about people and experiences. It’s about relationships, connection. And characters — the people in our life stories — are at the heart of it all. I see some of my students and clients writing memoir that can suffer from describing incidents one after another, neglecting the important fact

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SNEAK PEEK #5: The 1950s

“Southern Girl”  — from my upcoming book, “100 Years in the Life of an American Girl: True Stories 1910 – 2010” (publishing summer 2013) Chapter 5: The 1950s “Southern Girl”   Belva Carole — Savannah, Georgia Belva Carole lived in two different worlds in this part of the Old South, the

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Real Life Characters—The Heart of Your Memoir

Free Teleseminar Thursday March 7, 2013 4 pm PST   5 pm MST   6 pm CST   7 pm EST  Join me for my free teleseminar on creating believable characters in memoir. I’ll be the featured speaker on a Roundtable teleseminar at the National Association of Memoir Writers (NAMW) on how to

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SNEAK PEEK #4: The 1940s

“Wartime Comes to the West Coast” — from Chapter 4 of my upcoming book, “100 Years in the Life of an American Girl: True Stories 1910 – 2010.” The book will be a rare view inside the lives of over 50 young girls from around the country and throughout a century. While

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