Evansville Coffeehouse Poetry Night and Kevin Zepper’s Poem “Used Poem”

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I was one of the fortunate participants at the Evansville Coffeehouse Poetry Night, an annual event held on April 25, 2013. This event is a down-home mix of poets and readers and poetry appreciators–often all in the same person. Kevin Zepper touched the audience with his “Used Poem.” The LRWN blog by writers about writing for writers seems to me an appropriate place to share this gem.

~Sonja Kosler, LRWN Vice-President

Used Poem
by Kevin Zepper

After many long miles, my poem finally gave out. What can you expect of a poem after fifteen years of hard driving?  Not to say that I overworked the poem or anything. I didn’t try to rod on it, peel out with it.  I filled it with premium metaphors, never settling for less, changed the punctuation every couple of thousand miles.  No different from the next poet.

It served me well, but its time had come.  It took too long getting started in the morning.  On several occasions this past winter I had to jump start it with cables attached to another poem.  Sometimes the battery in the poem was so far gone I had to plug it into an anthology overnight just to get it to spark the next morning.

The poem also showed peculiarities that I couldn’t just let slide any longer. Sometimes I’d just be cruising along, line after line, no problems, poem just purring away.  Then it would start cutting out, right in the middle of a scan, cack, cack, cack, then purring again like nothing was ever wrong.  But the rhythm was off.  A belt was going bad.   It was also burning more and more punctuation at an alarming rate.  I’d have to add two quarts of metrics to the little manifold to insure a straight read through. Even then the poem blew clouds of blue smoke.

Guess the real trouble started about two years ago, after the accident.  My poem got rear ended by a drunk guy with a rock song lyric.  Yeah, he had a beater of lyric too: no insurance, nothing.  Here I am with a poem all smashed to hell in the rear end, and a bent frame to boot.  It took a Linguist and an English professor to pull out all the dents. They did the best they could with it.  You know how it is with a poem wreck, though; once you’ve had an accident with your poem, it never reads the same again.

So here I am, reading through the used poetry section of the paper.  I can’t really afford to get a new one.  You never know what kind of abuse a used poem has taken. Could have been rodded on, stripped down, or rolled, who knows?  I just hope I find a sonnet owned by a little old blue-haired lady.  Someone like that would really know how to take care of a poem, always reading it slow and only on Sundays, taking it for regular grammar and simile maintenance, putting in the right metaphors to keep the engine from punning.  Whether I find a good used poem or not, it’s always tough trading in a poem you’ve reliably read for so long.

Author’s Bio.:  Kevin Zepper, an Associate Professor of English at Minnesota State University, Moorhead, is the author of four chapbooks. His fourth and most recent chapbook, Sugartown, was published by Finishing Line Press <https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product_info.php?products_id=199>. It is also available through Amazon.com <http://www.amazon.com/Sugartown-Kevin-Zepper/dp/1599249820> . He is currently circulating his first book-length manuscript, ghostworlds, and he was recently awarded a writing residency at Starry Night Artist Retreat in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. He resides in Moorhead, Minnesota with his wife, boys and Bichons.

April in Minnesota

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April may be the cruelest month in many ways–especially this year–but for readers and writers in Minnesota, April is amazing.  In this month we celebrate National Poetry Month, National Library Week, International Day of the Book, World Book Night and the announcement of the Minnesota Book Award winners. In so many ways, we celebrate literature, literacy, books, reading, and building community through the written word.  It’s a privilege to be associated with all the writers of the Lake Region Writers Network–we are an active part of this state’s thriving literary culture.

My favorite April event is the Minnesota Book Awards Gala. On April 13, 2013, the 25th Annual Minnesota Book Award Gala was held at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. This gala–open to all–was spectacular. If you haven’t attended one, it is something to put on your bucket list. Authors, publishers, librarians, book sellers, and readers of all kinds, from every corner of Minnesota–nearly a thousand people–were there to celebrate the rich literary life of Minnesota. It is an exciting crowd to hang out with.

Each year, hundreds of books published in that year–written by Minnesota authors–are nominated for consideration by a panel of judges. From these nominated titles come the finalists (32 titles in 8 categories), and from the finalists come the eight Minnesota Book Award Winners.  And it is the winners that are announced at the Gala.

Much more information about the process and how it works can be found at http://www.thefriends.org/programs/mnbookawards.html. This is a statewide program sponsored by the Friends of the St. Paul Library, and there are any number of ways you can be a part of this, no matter where you live in Minnesota or who you are: by writing books, by nominating books, serving as a judge, hosting writers in your community, reading the books, and attending the Gala.

I eagerly anticipate the list of finalists each January because it serves as a wonderful reading list.  My book clubs look forward to reading titles that we might otherwise have missed and, of course, we’re pleased when the list includes books we’ve already read and discussed. We are especially proud of the writers and publishers who  come from our region.

The culmination–and the high point of the process–is the Gala put on by the Friends of the St. Paul Library. All participants are recognized and the Minnesota Book Award Winners are announced. It is a high honor to be a finalist and great honor to be named a winner.  The wine, the cheese and fruit, the champagne, the fancy desserts are wonderful;  the conversation, the festive crowd and the books are extraordinary. It’s an awesome combination of talent and energy in celebration of writers and the written word. It’s uniquely Minnesotan in nature–and not to be missed!

More information and photos are found at: http://www.thefriends.org/programs/mnbookawards.html.

Congratulations to the 2013 Minnesota Book Award Winners:

  • Children’s Literature:   It’s a Tiger  by David LaRochelle
  • General Nonfiction:  Rez Life: An Indian’s Journey Through Reservation Life by David Treuer
  • Memoir & Creative Nonfiction:  Turn Here Sweet Corn: Organic Farming Works by Atina Diffley
  • Minnesota:  Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota by Gwen Westerman and Bruce White
  • Novel and Short Story:  The Round House by Louise Erdrich
  • Poetry:  Odessa by Patricia Kirkpatrick
  • Young People’s Literature: Nothing Special by Geoff Herbach

However snowbound we felt this April, it was a good month for writers and readers in Minnesota! And the best part–we get to repeat this whole process again and look forward to more books and another Gala next April. I hope to see you there.

Author’s Bio.: Ruth Solie has been a librarian for over 30 years, working with all kinds of libraries and in a variety of communities. She grew up in Montana, attended Carleton College as an undergraduate, and received graduate degrees from Michigan State University and the University of Chicago.  Her personal commitment is to literature, literacy, libraries, and young children. She has been an active promoter and supporter of the literary arts in Minnesota through involvement with the Minnesota Book Award program, as co-chair of the Spotlight on Books Conference, and extensive library programming over the years. She is honored to work with the writers of the Lakes Region Writers Network. Ruth is serving as president of the LRWN Board.

Writing about a Photograph

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Here’s an idea that has been used by teachers and writers for many years.

Select a photograph to write about. This can be a photo that has importance to you, a family photo, a photo from a newspaper or magazine, from Google Images, a photo on display at a gallery. For whatever reason, you are drawn to the photo.

Here are some questions that can be used to generate material. You don’t have to respond to them in order. You don’t have to respond to all of them.

  • Describe what you see in the photo–the details, the details, the details.  Remember, you’ve got the photo, not your reader.  Where does your eye go first?  Who is in the photo?  (You might include names, like “Here is…” and “This one is…” as though you are pointing people out to someone who is looking at your photo.)  What are the people wearing?
  • What is happening now in the photo?  What is the occasion?  If you’re not sure, what might be happening?  Tell the story of the moment held still by the photograph.
  • What happened before the photo was taken?  If you’re not sure, what might have happened?
  • What happened after the photo was taken?  If you’re not sure, what might have happened?
  • What is being said?  What was said?  What will be said?
  • What is beyond the photo, beyond the edges, beyond the frame? Behind the photographer? In the background, perhaps out of sight?
  • The details, the details, the details!
  • What do(es) the thing(s) in the photo look like now?  What has happened since the photo was taken?  What has changed?  What has stayed the same?
  • What does the photo remind you of? The day that …. The time we ….
  • Details, details, details!

Here’s the process:

  • Write. Don’t worry about how it sounds or how it looks. Don’t worry about writing a poem or a story. Write to generate material. Don’t think. Write. This is just the beginning. And the beginning can be messy.TREPLIEFF: The conviction is gradually forcing itself upon me that good literature is not a question of forms new or old, but of ideas that must pour freely from the author’s heart, without his bothering his head about any forms whatsoever.(The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, ACT 4)
  • Don’t worry about grammatical correctness. That will slow down the process. Corrections can be made later. Just write.
  • If you’re using a pencil, don’t erase; draw a line.
  • You may find yourself unable to write fast enough to keep up with what has come into your head. That will be an exciting time! Write like crazy.
  • What you’ll have is just the beginning. What’s next?
  • Find those places that are most interesting to you, most surprising, where you find the most energy.
  • Begin to select and arrange. Look for a pleasing arrangement of story and details. Begin to add, to delete. Throw nothing away. One day something may seem disposable; the next day, vitally important.
  • The writing could become a poem or a series of poems …. or prose.
  • What’s next? This could be as far as you decide to go …. or, perhaps, ….more writing about this photograph…writing about other photographs…writing that can be printed with the photograph/s as cards or broadsides and given as gifts to family and/or friends…a little handmade book with one photo and writing or a collection of photos and writings.

Here’s a photograph of my dad and grandpa …. and a poem:

BengtsonPhotograph 1936

They face each other, my father in a white jacket
rented for the day, my grandfather
in a dark suit, tie too short, a light felt
dress hat with a dark band, the shadow
of the brim covering his eyes.

Graduation is over. They’ve just
come home from the high school. There’ll be
a little party. Before everyone goes inside,
someone, one of your brothers, says, “Wait,
we need a photo of Gilbert and Pa.
How about over there by the tree? Gilbert,
stand in front of the bench. Pa, you stand
next to him. Okay, look at each other. That’s good.
Gilbert, don’t hide your diploma.” So
you hold the roll of paper a bit higher.

Dad, that bench is so close, right behind you,
if you backed up at all, you’d have to
sit down. Go ahead. Sit with your dad.
There’s enough room for the two of you,
and smile. He’ll reach his arm around you and
tell you how proud he is.

Now, the tall pine is gone, slashed in a storm.
The large yard, now covered by the house built
by one of your brothers, then shared
with his son and his son’s wife
until last year when your brother
came home one night to find them
inside, refusing to open the doors.
There he stood, on his own front steps, 89,
locked out, forever.

I would like to stand in the space
between you and your dad, and say,
“Let’s sit together on this bench. Let’s talk
about the things that frighten us,”
and we’d talk about boilers that explode,
long trips on rough seas to small islands,
why a son, given everything,
would turn on his father, his family,
the love of family.

                         ––David Bengtson
What Calls Us, Dakotah Territory Press

Here are some poems based on photographs:

“This Is a Photograph of Me,” Margaret Atwood (The Circle Game)

“Old Photographs,” Gabeba Baderoon (So Much To Say: 100 Calabash Poets)

“Loose Leaf,” Naomi Shihab Nye  (Words Under the Words)

“A Snapshot of the Auxiliary,” Richard Hugo (Selected Poems)

“An Old Photograph,” Ted Kooser (Sure Signs)

“First Car, Phebe Hanson (Sacred Hearts)

“Portsmouth Square, 1966,” Priscilla Lee (Wishbone)

“Fifth Grade Autobiography,” Rita Dove (Grace Notes)

“The Photograph,” Ellen Bryant Voigt (The Lotus Flowers)

“The Inevitable,” Diane Glancy (One Age in a Dream)

“A Snapshot of My Brother, George, Crying at His Seventh Birthday Party,” John Pijewski (Dinner with Uncle Jozef)

“Behind the Camera,’ Lorna Crozier (The Blue Hour of the Day)

“Upon Seeing an Ultrasound Photo of an Unborn Child,” Thomas Lux (New and Selected Poems 1975-1995)

“Creche,” Maura Stanton (The Pushcart Prize, XVI)

“Taking My Cousin’s Photo at the Statue of Liberty,” Richard Blanco (Looking for the Gulf Motel)

“Class Pictures,” Shlomit Cohen-Assif (The Flag of Childhood: Poems From the Middle East, selected by Naomi Shihab Nye)

“Where I’m From,” George Ella Lyon

“Ode to Family Photographs,” Gary Soto (A Fire in My Hands)

“Snapshot, Harvey Cedars: 1948,” Paul Lisicky (Flash Fiction: Very Short Stories)

“Photograph from Antietam,” Mark Turpin (Hammer: Poems)

…. and thousands more are out there!

Author’s Bio.: David Bengtson grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island, and moved to Minnesota to attend Concordia College in Moorhead. From 1968-2002, he taught English at the high school in Long Prairie, Minnesota, where he lives with his wife, Marilyn. In addition to three chapbooks and a collection of 71 prose poems, his writing has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies and has been heard on “The Writer’s Almanac.” In 2003 at “Poetry Hour,” sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources and the National Park Service on the Mississippi River Stage at the Minnesota State Fair, he handed out his first batch of “Poems-on-Sticks.” Since then, he has given away more than 7000 “Poems-on-Sticks” at readings, workshops, and presentations.

What Do You Want from Feedback?

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A true artist willingly removes their heart, allows constructive criticism to stomp it,
then puts it back–bruised and aching–to continue improving
due to the all-consuming obsessive love for their art. ― H.G. Mewis

After teaching for over 16 years, I thought I was pretty good at providing my students the kind of feedback (or constructive criticism) that would not crush their voices, but inspire them to write louder, stronger, and just plain better.  I discovered, by being a student again myself, that feedback is not just a practical piece of the writing process.  What inspired this discovery? A question asked during a live chat for my Your Books Starts Here Part 2 (YBSH 2) writing class: What do you want from feedback?

What do I want from feedback? There’s more than one answer to this question?  After switching off my “teacher brain” and flipping on my “writer brain,” I began to understand that we writers want feedback for different reasons and we even want feedback from different readers. Hmmm…

As a writer, do you share your work with different readers? I do. Obviously, it’s highly recommended (That’s “teacher talk” for do this!) that I share my work with my fellow writers and instructor in YBSH 2. I also share my work with my best friend, Heather. And, it’s obvious to me to share my work with them. Not so obvious was the reason why. What do I want from their feedback?

What do I want from my fellow YSBH 2 writers’ feedback? Suggestions. Suggestions. And more suggestions for revision—help me turn this SFD (Sh*tty First Draft) into a bestseller. You all are writers too, so what can I do to make the story, the container (setting), the characters stronger?

What do I want from my instructor’s feedback? Answers. Answers. And more answers to help me revise. You are published. You are an “expert.” Is what I’m writing working? Why or why not? What can I do to make it better?

What do I want from Heather’s feedback? Reactions—does this work? Why? Why not? You are a reader. What can I do to keep you engaged in the story, seeing, breathing, hearing the container (setting), believing in my characters?

That’s what I want from feedback. However, my classmates and instructor pointed out that there is another reason why writers want feedback. Really? Yes, and that reason is support. Hmmm….

Support? Now I hadn’t thought of that. I’m not the writer-type that needs a hand to hold or a venting session over cocktails or a sympathetic ear to listen to me whine about how writing has become an exercise in staring at a blank screen for three hours. That’s not to say that I don’t get sooooooooooo frustrated with a scene or chapter I’m trying to develop that I don’t want to scream, walk my Grampa dog, Merle for miles and miles (no matter what the weather), or eat a whole tub of Haagen-Dasz (Swiss Vanilla Almond is the best!). I do. But, I know that I will figure it out—eventually. Just trust yourself, Ann.

Other writers need support—including my students. That was the discovery. Yes, feedback is a practical piece of the writing process—the opportunity to make my students’ voices and writing stronger, louder, and just plain better. Yet, it is also the opportunity to be supportive and say, “You are a good writer. Believe in yourself and know: There is no wrong or right in writing, only revision.”  Happy Writing!

Author’s Bio.: Ann Schwalboski teaches college composition and literature online and writing about current issues on campus for M|State—Fergus Falls, as well as speech for Herzing University Online. And yes, she really does walk her dog in blizzards, subzero temperatures, and eat Swiss Vanilla Almond Hagen Daas ice cream when writing becomes just too infuriating? Maddening? Exasperating!

What the Group Thinks

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I have devoted far more time than I’d like to admit chasing rave reviews.  Junior high provides a wealth of embarrassing illustrations of this.  Like when I saved my babysitting money for a spiral perm — a perm that, when burned into my thick, heavy hair, created such dense coils that no comb could find its way through from my earlobes to my shoulders, even before I added the aerosol hairspray. Pictures from birthday parties and football games document that moment in time: there I am, in a group of girls with lip-glossed smiles and giant frizzy puffs on their heads.  What you can’t see in the picture – my uncomfortable insecurity and constant worry about what that group thought – I wrote (and wrote and wrote) about it in pink pen with i’s dotted by hearts in diaries that I lost somewhere (ok, burned) a few years back.

Fast forward a few years and not an insignificant number of hair styles, and the tendency to seek – or at least hope for – the approval of others remains, in situations ranging from my selections for home décor to my choice of profile picture for Facebook.  And, of course, I want everyone – and you specifically right now – to like what I have written, whatever little essay or poem or wandering reflection it is that made it off my desktop and into the world.

It’s scary to put something out there – to an editor, in a publication, or even on my blog –  to be read.  Really scary.  Eighth grade scary.

Fortunately, I have a writing group that helps me deal with that fear, a group that willingly pre-reads some of my little musings, that deals with (though sometimes suggests revisiting) my sentences with far too many clauses, and that even perhaps has come to accept my frequent use of speculative language.  We meet once a month to share, read and critique, and then at the end of two hours spent pouring over each other’s work, we sit and smile and chat a little more, because we know that this is good, this time to meet with other writers, this chance to share our works where they are, this opportunity for feedback from trusted and talented folks who have become friends.

I love my writing group.

We come from a wide range of backgrounds, represent the full swath of adult life stages, and write about a diverse set of topics.  We bring our messy essays, our imperfect poems, our unordered memoirs, our slumping stories – and sometimes we bring those pieces that we’ve really shined up, and we smile so brightly when we read those aloud.  And, of course, we share not only our words but also the pieces (sometimes the deepest, most significant pieces) of our lives.  We write about the tough stuff, about loss and failure, and about the mundane, about the diapers and SATs and watching TV with the in-laws.  We listen carefully and read closely.  We follow each other’s blogs.  We are a fan club for each other.

I love my writing group.

It can be paralyzing – in life in general and as a writer in particular – to spend too much time wondering about what the group, any group, thinks.  I have learned over the years and through some rather regrettable choices that you should wear your hair as you see fit and spend your babysitting money as you may, and that my thick straight hair really should just stay that way.  But when it comes time to write about that eighth grade perm and all those best friends/enemies who had the same one, it can be so helpful to hear what the group thinks, if the group is a writing group as supportive as mine.

Guest Blogger: Kris Woll is a writer and editor, a mother, a lover of autumn and bakeries and history, a hoarder of pens, and an admirer of homegrown tomatoes and of her husband, who grows the tomatoes. She has a B.A. in English and history from the University of Minnesota at Morris. She also has an M.A. in history and is interested in the pasts we’ve lived, inherited, imagined, and in the stories we tell about ourselves. Two of her poems “Moving In” and “The End of the World” were published in Lake Region Review (© 2011). Other work has appeared in Minnesota, MinnPost, Prairie Poetry, Edible Twin Cities, Memoir (And), MomEgg, and MNArtists.org

Muddles Meanings, Am I Accurately Conveying My Thoughts?

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One of the areas of writing I find especially fulfilling is proper word choice. I’ve yakked about this before, but a recent event at work reminded me, again, that not only do we need to choose the right word for our own intention, but we must consider our audience and their particular interpretations as well. I work in a hospital lab with many other women and one lonely man. He constantly struggles to understand us and to be understood. One morning, as the Chemistry Supervisor, the man announced at a meeting that he had added a comment to a test report. If indicated, the results would now include: “probable errors due to hemolysis.” All the women screeched in unison “No! Not probable, possible!”

He scoffed at us. “What’s the difference?” Not seeing that probable meant would be and possible meant could be, he thought the words were interchangeable. I found it interesting that all the women were in instant agreement, and the sole man seemed to think either word was fine. Is there a gender difference in communication? Just kidding, of course, there is. And, if I am to listen to my own advice, I should tell you that hemolysis is the breakdown of red blood cells, because you are writers, and probably not lab rats.

Most lab techs seem to be cut from the same cloth: we exhibit meticulous attention to detail and value exactness. Perhaps that’s why the subtle nuances of words are so important to me.  Imagine how much fun it is at home for my husband! (Okay, to be clear here, I am referring to conversations.) Good grief, clear communication is more difficult to attain than it seems it should be.

I think we could all use a little practice in this area. Plans for the next writer’s conference are under way, and I’d like to give you a chance to give your opinion on what kinds of workshops you would like to see. Please think about it and email us here at the LRWN website with your writing needs.

I’d love to see a basic writing class where we can explore exchanging words in our sentences to change the meanings. Bring your thesaurus!

Author Bio.: Lois Reff has published a monthly motivational newsletter since 2002.  She enjoys learning about and writing in the genre of fiction.  She has participated in several Barnes and Noble writing workshops, and the Weekend With Your Novel workshop at the University of Wisconsin.  She is an active member of the Fergus Falls Writers’ Group.  She is currently working on a mystery novel. She and her husband, along with six pets, live north of Fergus Falls by Jewett Lake. Lois is serving as the LRWN Conference Director.

Unlocking Memories

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Everyone has a story to tell. Whether one’s life is unconventional or relatively normal, there’s bound to be something interesting to share. The past two decades have shown a surge in published memoir articles and books, a popular genre that affords opportunities for us to leave behind a written legacy for others. It is important to preserve family stories and events.

It is helpful to the writing process to immerse one’s self in examples of well written memoirs. E.B. White, author of Charlotte’s Web, wrote an essay titled “Once More To The Lake” (1941). It is considered one of the best memoir writing narratives of all time. Follow this link to read the entire essay: http://www.freewebs.com/lanzbom/EBWhiteLakeEssay.pdf.

We are also fortunate in Minnesota to have many writers who have written outstanding memoirs. Each of these authors has written engaging stories that capture our hearts with their personal experiences. Some examples include The Latehomecomer, a Hmong family memoir written by Koa Kalia Yang; she is a community activist and entrepreneur co-founding Words Wanted. Another book is Last Hunter: An American Family Album by Will Weaver; he is a novelist, short story writer, educator, outdoorsmen and a winner of Minnesota Book Award for fiction. Other books include Romantic Educationand theFlorist’s Daughter by Patricia Hampl; she is a writer, memoirist, lecturer and educator. Hampl is also one of the founding members of the Loft Literary Center.

Memoir comes from the French word memoire and means memory. Unlike autobiography that focuses on a whole lifetime, the memoir takes us back to that one corner of our life. It focuses on an aspect or part of a person’s past that is framed by certain events. Memoirs must offer good storytelling, powerful writing, and universal themes. Writing needs to make the reader feel engaged rather than being told what to feel. Writing a memoir piece is one way to explore how we became the people we are today. It is also an opportunity to look at the past, to recall people and events, and the impact each has made on our lives whether pleasurable or painful. There are healing powers in sharing life stories.

William Zinsser, author of Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir, offers a word of encouragement to the memoir writer when he writes, “By narrowing the lens, the writer achieves a focus that isn’t possible in an autobiography; memoir is a window into life.” Some questions to consider while looking at one’s life through a particular window are

  • Why did I choose this slice of my life?
  • What is so important about it?
  • Do I have more to say about this?
  • Where can I get a memory push if I need one?

Keep in mind that writing a memoir will not be a perfect accurate recording but more about finding the perspective. What we say will affect other people especially if the memoir gets published. We shouldn’t use our memoir to air old grievances and settle old scores. When we write, we have an obligation to abide by the truth as best as we know or recollect.

Memoir can be a difficult genre to master. Joanna Penn has written an article to assist in the writing process: “7 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Memoir” found at http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/03/14/7-mistakes-writing-memoir/.

If you are looking for additional ways to improve your craft, explore these links: http://www.writers-block-help.com/how-to-write-a-memoir.html and http://www.ehow.com/how_4531384_write-personal-memoir.html.

Here are some techniques to help you get started writing your memoir:

  • Make a list of all important dates and events in your life—check for accuracy.
  • Interview family members who have unique insight into your story.
  • Jog your memory by looking at journals, old letters and photos.
  • Begin writing only after you have done fact gathering.
  • Include some goals you want to accomplish for writing a memoir.
  • Write first, edit later. Try to get an entire rough draft before you make any changes.
  • Warn family members beforehand if including any unsettling details.
  • Write in first-person point of view
  • Consider writing from point of view of the age you were experiencing this event.
  • Avoid including unnecessary details and focus on the events that relate to the key theme of the story.
  • Think outside the box. Consider other alternatives to narrative memoir writing by exploring poetry.

Every life is rich with stories. Open yourself up to the emotional and artistic challenges that come with memoir writing. It can be fun, therapeutic and a valued treasure for your family. “Write what should not be forgotten” by Isabel Allende.

Author’s Bio: Sue Ready is a writer, poet, former middle school teacher and blogger at http://www.sockfairies.blogspot.com. She is the poetry chair for the Northwoods Arts Council, Hackensack. Sue and her husband manage the NAC website. She has previously published for LRWN http://lakeregionwriters.net/2012/12/17/postcard-poems/ “Postcard Poems” and http://lakeregionwriters.net/2012/01/31/maximize-your-writers-notebook/ “Maximize Your Writer’s Notebook.”