There's An angel in your inkwell blog

Seriously, It's Not Always Easy

2012-01-10T11:39:00.000-06:00

Fern Lake Trail - photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

When Gentleman Friend and I were in the Rocky Mountains near Estes Park, Colorado a couple of years ago, we set out on the trail to Fern Lake. We had finished a picnic lunch beside a stream and hadn't really planned on hiking; but, we saw a sign that said Fern Lake trail. "Oh, that sounds pretty," I said. "Let's hike." The trail was narrow and disappeared into the trees and brush. Gentleman Friend motioned me to go first to set the pace. Off I went. I carried a water bottle that was half full -- or half empty, as it turned out. For protection against sun and ticks, I wore a long-sleeved shirt over a tee shirt. The day was very warm. Not a breath of air moved through the looming trees. Soon I removed the denim shirt and drank all my water.

The trail became steeper and rougher. My pace slowed. My breathing increased. "I don't think I can go any farther." We stopped in the middle of the trail. Then we heard voices. "Oh, we must be almost there." We stepped out again.

Soon a several hikers came around a bend. They wore hiking boots, floppy canvas sun hats, shorts, light tee shirts, had several water bottles attached to their back packs, and carried hiking staffs. I stared. Good grief! They were prepared for a serious hike.

"Are we almost there?" I asked between panting breaths. "Oh, maybe half way. It's still pretty far. It's worth the hike.The falls are great." And then they were gone, talking and laughing as they disappeared down the trail.

I bent over, hands on my knees. "I don't think I can make it all the way." Gentleman Friend looked fine, but, because he is a gentleman as well as a friend, he willingly reversed direction. By the time we got back to the car, my hatless head felt fried , any cooling persperation had dried, and I felt light headed. I had some water from the extra bottles in the car and soon felt fine, but I realized how foolish it was not to respect nature and to set off without being prepared.

This memory flooded back recently when a woman interested in writing for publication told me about a writers group she had joined. "They are so serious," she said. "They go over the manuscripts line by line. They rewrite and move stuff around." Annoyed at her lack of respect for writing as an art, a profession, and a business, I wanted to say, "Duh." Probably the same thing the prepared hikers felt like saying to me.

I'm looking forward to giving it another try this summer. At http://www.travelblog.org/ I learned that the Fern Lake trail is a "moderately difficult" trail, 7.7 mile round trip, and the elevation of the lake is 9530 feet. The first part of the trail closely follows the Big Thompson River but there are other wonderful sights along the way. This time I'll be prepared because, while I still plan to have fun, I'll take it seriously.

Like hiking, writing for publication must be approached with respect and preparation. It's the only way to make it all the way to the Fern Lake of writing -- publication.

LAUNCHING PAD

Fern. What image does the word fern bring to mind? Have you grown ferns, are you old enough to remember "fern bars?" My across-the-pasture friend, Shirley, before she moved far far away to Alabama, had a beautiful fern she put outdoors in the summer. It stood on a pedastal in a corner of tall white lattice at the entrance to her beautiful garden. Also, although I have never seen ferns in a funeral home, I think of them in that context. What is your experience, image, or memory of ferns?

Here's how to use the Launching Pad: write uninterrupted for at least ten minutes without worrying about punctuation, spelling, or grammar. Later, return to what you have written and edit, expand, and rewrite as many times as necessary to produce a polished piece.

* * *

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

To our life story writers group book party in December, Sue brought a jar of homemade hot fudge sauce. What a perfect hostess gift! The following is not Sue's recipe; hers is so utterly fantastacilly delicious, she should be allowed to keep her recipe a secret forever so I did not ask for her recipe. However, I did find the following recipe at http://www.cooks.com/. I seriously doubt this is as good as Sue's. In the Readers' Comments, one person said she added a bit of salt and one square of dark chocolate so you might experiment with improving it.. I thought about substituting sweetened condensed milk for the evaporated milk. Trader Joe's has an organic sweetened condensed milk. Look for it in a plastic bottle with the packaged milk.

EASY HOT FUDGE SAUCE

1 6 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
1/2 cup Pet evaporated milk

Melt chocolate pieces with milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan, stirring over low heat until chocolate melts.

Serve sauce warm over ice cream, cake or pudding. Store unused portion in refrigerator; may be reheated in microwave. Makes 1 cup.

* * *

A friend of a friend is using Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook, Second Edition to have conversation/interviews with her grandmother about her life and times. The friend is then documenting the stories in writing. You can do the same for family, friend, or yourself. Go to www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html to order. It's fun. It's easy. It's life affirming.

All rights reserved 2012 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Take It Off, But Don't Take It All Off

2011-12-12T14:56:00.000-06:00

WRITING TIP

You have been working on your story or book for weeks, months, or years now. The question arises: How do I know when I am finished?

Here is a checklist against which to test the piece of writing:
1. Does the story/action happen on the page? Do your characters do something or just sit and think?
2. Check for abstract words such as wonderful, incredible, unbelieveable, beautiful, or fantastic. Re-write and give the reader something to actually see. A black funnel cloud ripping up trees, thirty-foot high waves, curves that would make Marilyn Monroe look like a fourth-grade Girl Scout.
3. What senses are involved? Smell is a superhighway to the emotions -- use it. Burnt toast? Pumpkin pie? What about the sense of touch? Rough as a cat's tongue? Soft as grandma's shoulder?
4. Forget what you know. Is the story on the page or just in your mind or memory? Have you included setting, scene, characters, and dialogue?
4. What's the point? As a test, state what the story is about in one sentence. If you can't do it, the piece might need focus.
5. Give it the line test. Read every sentence to see if it adds something meaningful to the piece. If it doesn't, get rid of it.
6. Read it aloud to yourself or ask someone else to read it aloud to you. Or, you could record your story and play it back. If you feel yourself bored or confused, you know where the piece needs work.

Now let's play Pretend. Pretend my story is an outfit.

I could tell you about an outfit I put together: It was all black. I know what the outfit is like; I can see it in my mind, but that doesn't help you. You may be envisioning a lace Victorian dress or maybe it a witch's dress or maybe a funeral suit. Or I could actually show you the outfit.

Now you know -- long sleeve tee shirt, black slacks.

It begins quite plain, no embellishment. Then, to my outfit/story, I add all the stuff mentioned in the first three questions above. Here's how my outfit looks now.

Now I apply the last two questions: What's the point and does every detail add something meaningful?

Is this a summer or winter outfit? I have a straw hat and snow boots. Which do I want it to be? Do I need two details around my waist? Which do I want? Tailored belt or lacy scarf? What about that big handbag? It is cotton with sequins. Does that work with the snow boots? Does the outfit need that necklace? My outfit will also include Chanel cologne, Oil of Olay face cream, and Avon hand cream. Does all that make your nose twitch?

Just as putting together an outfit is a judgment call, so is writing. We want to leave room for personal style, but we want to avoid the bizarre and confusing. Put on details. Take them off. When you have achieved the perfect balance, step out and see what the world says.

~~WRITING PROMPT~~ - LAUNCHING PAD

Too much. I once showed up at a college dance wearing a bright royal blue wool dress with wide blue satin belt and dyed-to-match blue satin heels. All the sorority girls were there in their matching blazers, straight skirts, and penny loafers. No, my date never asked me out again. That little story has a lot of "too much" in it, doesn't it? Too much outfit. Too much embarrassment. What is your story of too much? I once ate too much cheesecake, but if I told you about it, you would say, uh, too much information. Have you ever told too much, spent too much, loved too much, or suffered too much injustice? Write about it. Then re-write it -- until it is ready for going out in public.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL - Today's recipe is from http://www.nancyskitchen.com/. Enjoy!

German Chocolate Pie

1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp. cocoa

Mix well.

2 slightly beaten eggs
3 tbsp. melted butter
2/3 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. coconut
1/3 c. pecans

Pour into a 9 inch crust and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

The instructions aren't very specific, but I'm guessing you mix the wet ingredients and add them to the combined dry ingredients and then add the coconut and pecans. Or would you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients? There's some rule of thumb about that, but I also do not remember that. However, I do remember that this recipe is chocolate and easy.

You still have time to order the Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook, Second Edition. It's a great Christmas gift or project for the new year. Find it at www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html/

A fashion photographer, I am not; but I took the photos.

All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Stir It Up Today

2011-11-14T09:54:00.000-06:00

WRITING TIP

A couple of hours after last week's post (the one with the recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies), I got a phone call from my friend, Justine. "Come on by. I have pumpkin chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven."

"Today's recipe cookies? How did you do that so fast?"

She said she had all the ingredients on hand so she made them. A double batch, in fact. Thank goodness she lives nearby. I was there in a flash.

I was so impressed with Justine's ability to stir up a batch of cookies without all the "someday-ing" I indulge in, I thought it would be a great blog post. I would take a picture of a plate of the cookies she sent home with me and write about how important it is to avoid procrastination I would say, When you have a good idea, write it down. When you see a good market for your writing, send your writing out. When you remember something from your life, write about it immediately.

That was what I was going to do -- someday -- when I got around to another blog post.

And then one day, I entered the kitchen and there was Gentleman Friend with the last portion of the last cookie raised to his mouth.

"Waaaiiiit!" I wailed. "I wanted to take a picture of the cookies."

The poor guy looked downright guilty as he gently laid the cookie remains back on the plate. I snapped one quick picture and returned the morsel to him. I might mention he was not so guilt-ridden he was unable to gobble down the last bit.

That's what happens. Fail to write down an idea, a story, send a submission, and it disappears before you know it. I'm going to try to follow Justine's good example and stir up my ideas today and not dream about doing it "someday."

PS - I heard from Ronnie that she, too, made the cookies that day.

~~WRITING PROMPT~~ LAUNCHING PAD

Red-handed. Have you ever been like Gentleman Friend? Caught red-handed? Actually, he was doing nothing wrong, but sometimes we all do. Maybe you were red-faced instead of red-handed. Maybe you saw a cardinal one day -- they're red. Maybe you were sunburned. It's okay to go far afield with the Launching Pad. Write whatever comes to mind. Later, shape and polish it into a story or essay.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL The inspiration for today's recipe came from Allrecipes.com; however, I didn't follow the recipe exactly. If you look on Allrecipes.com, the original recipe is called Israeli Stuffed Dates. It calls for Medjool dates, bittersweet chocolate, pecans, and sweetened, shredded coconut. My version is below.

Chocolate-Dipped Dates Stuffed with Nuts

Dark chocolate chips - because I like dark chocolate. You could use milk chocolate or whatever.
A package of whatever kind of dates the grocery store has
Walnuts - because that's what I had on hand
Sweetened, shredded coconut. Optional

Melt small batches of the chocolate chips. While it melts, keep one eye on it and one eye on the dates as you stuff them with nuts. You can sort of shape and form the dates around the nuts. Dip one end of the stuffed date in the melted chocolate. Place on wax paper. Sprinkle with coconut. I served these in little candy cups to help them stay upright. Dates and dark chocolate are a good source of all sorts of healthful stuff.

Writing your life story is good for your health, too. Get started with Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook, Second Edition, available at www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html.

All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Get Close

2011-10-31T12:10:00.002-05:00

WRITING TIP

At a recent meeting of the life story writing group, Sue read something she had written about her father's duty in the Civil Air Patrol just before and during World War II. She had her father's pilot log book and she had researched the history of and requirements for membership. Lots of good material.

However, Sue felt that the story read like an encyclopedia entry. She asked the group for opinions and suggestions.
We all agreed that the story was fine as it was, but the only problem with the story is the same problem with the photo above. We don't know where to give our attention. There are too many pumpkins, too many shelves, one sign that has absolutely nothing to do with pumpkins, and other signs that, while they give information, aren't especially interesting.

Both the story and the photo can be improved very simply. Get closer. Focus on one pumpkin. Or, in the case of Sue's story, focus on her father in particular instead of all the men of the Civil Air Patrol in general.

For example, instead of writing, "They had to provide their own planes," she could write, "Daddy had to provide his own plane." Instead of writing, "They received a small daily allowance," she could write, "Dad's allowance barely covered daily meals." (Sue had specific details such as the amount of the allowance. I just don't remember them right now, but you get the idea.)

Get close so we really get to know the person. And then we care. And then we want to read more.

~~WRITING PROMPT~~ LAUNCHING PAD

Out of my gourd. Remember that old saying? I've always liked it. Maybe gourd is just a funny word. And gourds are just kind of funny themselves. Lumpy and bumpy and twisted. Colorful. Useful. So what does it mean to be out of my gourd? You don't need to use that actual phrase. Just think of a time you felt crazed or wacky or lumpy and bumpy.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL Today's recipe is from Tamara Hall's contribution at http://www.thecookbookproject.com/. It's an interesting combination of pumpkin and chocolate chip -- perfect for this time of year -- Halloween or Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. pumpkin
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Nuts (optional)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directions: Dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside. In large bowl add
pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir. Add flour, baking powder,
cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well. Stir in
chocolate chips and vanilla. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at
375 degrees 10 to 12 minutes or until done.

Get closer to your writing life with the Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook, Second Edition, available at www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html

All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Piece of Cake

2011-09-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

Photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

Yes, we eat chocolate at the life story writing group meetings. You can too. Jane is starting a group in Montanna, and Margaret has found a group in North Carolina. Is there a life story writing group in your area? Ask at your library. Read the book section of your local newspaper. If you find a group, join it. If not, start your own. Create a flyer and post it at the library or at your church or community center. Soon you will have fun, friends, and find your life newly affirmed.

Jerry found affirmation by writing about two Berlin trips and having his story published in his local newspaper. Last week we talked about Jerry taking the initiative to go in person to visit the newspaper editor. This worked for Jerry, but, of course, we don't want flash mobs in editors' offices so use some common sense and courtesy.

What else did Jerry do to get his story published? Let's look again at what he said: (Jerry's comments are in blue.)

I wrote the article to have something for our writing group meeting.

Aha! There's one important reason to join a group. It keeps you motivated and writing.

It wasn't until I got started that I realized that this was a milestone anniversary of the event.

If he had not started writing, he wouldn't have had the insight. Writing is a process. Revelations come through the writing.

Over the weekend I did some editing and touching up to round it up and to make a point.

Jerry didn't settle for that preliminary draft he brought to the group. He continued to polish and he made sure there was a point to the article. We don't want the reader to come to the end and say, "So?"

I expressed some disbelief that the paper would overlook such a major historical event,

When Jerry talked to the editor, or when you have a telephone conversation or mail conversation with an editor, be prepared to "sell" the story. Why is it important? Why would the publication's readers be interested?

and asked if it could be printed as a feature on Saturday.

Jerry suggested when and where the story would fit into the newspaper. This shows the editor you are familiar with the publication and that you have saved the editor some work by thinking about placement. A basic rule of selling: ask for the order.

Good work, Jerry. Thanks for the reminders for all of us. And for those of you without a life story writing group, keep joining us here, find a group, or start a group. It's a piece of cake. (Sorry, couldn't resist trying to tie this all together with chocolate.)

To see all of Jerry's comments and a link to his article, see the Sept. 12, 2011 post.

~~WRITING PROMPT~~ - LAUNCHING PAD

Why fight it? Let's just go with it as the Launching Pad? Piece of cake. What has been easy for you? What did you think was going to be easy, but was not? What is the most delicious piece of cake you have ever had? The worst? One time I was a bar-b-que sauce judge at the American Royal in Kansas City, Mo. Sounds easy and fun, right? I love bar-b-que sauce so much I could drink it. But not this day! What were the contestants thinking? Was it some sort of "punked" routine? One sauce was truly gag-worthy. What's your piece of cake story?

CHOCOLATE INKWELL - Have you seen the new Food Channel show, "The Pioneer Woman" on Saturday mornings? I love it. It's unlike any other show on right now. On a recent show, her young teen daughter made a sheet cake in the background while The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, made the main meal. This cake is sometimes called Texas Sheet Cake. Whatever it is called, it is easy to make and super-yummy to eat. And, it contains the magic ingredients -- Eagle Brand Condensed Milk and chocolate. This recipe is from www.eaglebrand.com/recipes.

Chocolate Sheet Cake
Photo courtesy of www.eaglebrand.com

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 1/4 cups butter, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
1 cup water
2 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk, divided
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

Instructions

HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan with no-stick cooking spray.

MELT 1 cup butter in small saucepan. Stir in 1/4 cup cocoa and water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in large mixing bowl. Add cocoa mixture, beating well. Stir in 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan.
BAKE 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
MELT remaining butter in small saucepan. Add remaining cocoa and sweetened condensed milk. Stir in powdered sugar and nuts. Spread on warm cake.

For a mocha chocolate sheet cake: ADD 1 tablespoon instant coffee with cocoa to cake and 1 tablespoon instant coffee with cocoa to frosting.

Discover the fun of life story writing at www.angelinyourinkwell.com.
All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Jump the Fence

2011-09-12T13:34:00.000-05:00

Berlin Wall 1975 Checkpoint Charlie
photo courtesy of Jerry Pratt

WRITING TIP

A few days after the August meeting of our life story writing group, Jerry, who lives in Independence, Missouri, called with news. His story about the anniversary of the Berlin Wall going up had been published. His experience reminded me of an anecdote told by the instructor of a feature story writing class.

It seems an editor sent a reporter to get an interview with a jockey after a race. When the editor asked why the reporter had returned without the interview, the reporter said he couldn't reach the jockey because there was a fence in the way. To which the editor demanded, "Why didn't you jump the fence?"

Jerry definitely jumped the fence to get his story published. I asked Jerry to tell us how he did it.

I wrote the article to have something for our writing group meeting. It wasn't until I got started that I realized that this was a milestone anniversary of the event. I thought about getting it into the paper, but by Thursday it was too late for The Examiner on Saturday.

Over the weekend I did some editing and touching up to round it up and to make a point. I took it to The Examiner on Wednesday morning. Just before the noon deadline, I spoke with an editor. I prefer meeting face-to-face, and I didn't trust using e-mail where it might sit in a pile of a lot of other stuff, until someone might "get 'round tuit", or get deleted. I expressed some disbelief that the paper would overlook such a major historical event, and asked if it could be printed as a feature on Saturday. It wasn't an editorial or letter-to-the-editor, or something to be reduced to a few paragraphs.

The first thing Saturday morning I ran out to pick up the paper. I didn't find anything in the front section. There was a voice-mail message waiting for me, when we got home Saturday night. Some gentleman raved in appreciation concerning the article. He cut the article and was saving it. Yahoo!

After digging the papert out of the trash, I found the article. I was amazed at its size, about three columns! They made a four-column headline and retitled it Disbelief on the Anniversary of the Berlin Wall Going Up,

Other than a very few internal edits, it printed as written. Thank you, Examiner!

Jerry, who is a couple of years older than I am, likes to tell people I was his high school English teacher. And he is right. I taught high school English at Jerry's high school, East High, in Des Moines, Iowa. We just weren't there at the same time. By the time I was there, Jerry was in the Air Force, stationed in Minot, North Dakota. Still, I am as happy for Jerry as if he were my high school student.

Of course, you don't want to go knocking on an editor's door every time you write something, but on certain special occasions, it pays off. Next week we'll talk about some more things Jerry did right.

~~WRITING PROMPT~~ - LAUNCHING PAD

Disbelief. A recent night Young Advisor and I watched Project Runway TV. One of our favorite contestants created a garment so weird it left us in open-mouthed disbelief. East coast residents watched torrents of water rush through their cities. News reports told of huge waste in the war in Afghanistan.

A favorite phrase of a friend's toddler is, "I can't beyeeve." What has caused you to stop in disbelief?

Photo courtesy of www.eaglebrand.com

CHOCOLATE INKWELL - Can't finish this blog post. Have to rush away to make today's recipe. It sounds so good. Okay. I'll share. Here's the recipe. It is from my new favorite website: http://www.eaglebrand.com/. I love Eagle Brand Condensed Milk. It makes me feel so good, I'm pretty sure it's a health food.

Chocolate Coconut Balls

Yield: 4 dozen balls

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 (14 oz.) package flaked coconut
1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cup (6 oz.) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 cups (18 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening

STIR together sweetened condensed milk, coconut, pecans, bread crumbs and mini chocolate chips; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

SHAPE mixture with lightly greased hands into 1-inch balls. (Mixture will be moist.) Place on wax paper. Cover with additional wax paper; let stand 8 hours.

MELT chocolate chips and shortening in large saucepan. Spoon chocolate mixture evenly over coconut balls covering top and sides completely and allowing excess to drip. Place on wax paper; chill until firm.

.
Want to write about your life? Get started with Write Your Life Story Workbook in Eight Weeks, Second Edition. Available at www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html.

A Sure Way to Get Started

2011-08-22T13:53:00.000-05:00

WRITING TIP
I was only on page five of the Introduction to The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life , a recent book written by Marion Roach Smith, when I felt my eyes widen and my mouth drop open. Roach writes: "This [memoir writing] is serious work. And it cannot be reduced to generic writing exercises and prefabricated prompts. . . . I suspect that those manners of nonsense have instead stolen what little time you had for writing." There's more to her rant, but you get the idea.

Despite my dismay at the introduction, I read on and found much to agree with in the book. However, I could not stop thinking about writing prompts, (Launching Pads as we call them here) and Launching Pads made me think about Betty S. I think Betty, who has been in our life story writing group the longest of anyone, loves Launching Pads and has great success with writing from them and getting the writing published. So I asked Betty to tell us about her process. Here's what she wrote:

"The launching pad for next time is bicycle,” our writer’s group leader instructed. I had no idea how to write anything that had to do with a bicycle. I never had a bicycle, not even as a youngster. But, my brother had a black and orange bicycle. I also had a subject to write about.

I saw my brother’s bicycle in my mind’s eye and soon I was tossing words around in my head, then eventually I had a poem written, titled, “The Bicycle.” Much to my delight a favorite national magazine published it.

Another time the prompt or launching pad, which our writer’s group relates to,

was “A Strand of Beads.” I gathered thoughts in my head. The antique necklace I couldn’t live without from the Antique Mall would be something to write about. Or, the necklace a high school friend bought at a garage sale which she later gave to me. But, I felt a closer bond to my mother’s necklace she wore on her wedding day. When I had sufficient material stored in my brain, I typed the words on my computer. The poem “A Strand of Beads” was born.

Capper’s magazine asked readers when they think about a special Christmas, what do they remember most about the day? Again, the brain process worked for me. I had the initial writing subject. I remembered many special Christmas days, and then chose one to write about. I wrote a memoir about a Christmas in Albuqurque when my husband was stationed at Sandia Base. The editors posted the story on their web site.

Sure, I can write without a launching pad, but when I need motivation, inspiration, or just simply something to write about, it’s the prompt that gives me a head start.

What’s next month’s launching pad? Oh, yes, write about an item that belongs or belonged to a loved one.

I use a white oval bowl that was part of my mother’s everyday dishes. I see steaming, hot, mashed potatoes fluffed and piled high in the bowl. The plates sit on a faded oilcloth that covers the small, drop-leaf, wooden table.

Ah, the story begins………Potatoes again tonight? It was depression years……..

I'm not sure how many stories, poems, and essays Betty has had published that began with writing prompts, but the number is considerable.

Whether you are writing for publication, posterity, or personal growth, don't overlook the humble writing prompt. It might be the pad to launch you into satisfying and successful writing. Thanks, Betty, for the "how-to."

~~WRITING PROMPT~~ - LAUNCHING PAD

Humble. Remember last time the post here was about making your story connect with the reader by using a concrete object or a specific event. What can you write about the concept of "humble" (humility) without ever using the actual word? Do you know a humble person? Have you ever had to learn the painful lesson of humility?

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

Look at this from http://www.hungrygirl.com/ Only two ingredients. Cake mix and a surprise. This I gotta try.

Yum Yum Brownie Muffins

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes

One 18.25-oz. box devil's food cake mix
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (Libby's is the best!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour cake mix into a large bowl and whisk to remove any lumps. Add pumpkin and stir until completely smooth and uniform.

Don't add any other ingredients that may be mentioned on the cake mix box, like eggs, oil, or water. The mixture will be very thick, so you might be tempted to add in other things to make the batter thinner. Do not do this!
Evenly distribute batter into a 12-cup muffin pan lined with foil baking cups and/or sprayed with nonstick spray. Place pan in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly and then serve!

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

Recipe photo courtesy of www.hungrygirl.com. All other photos by Carol Newman.

Writing your life story is a piece of cake with Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook. Order at www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html.

All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

How Do You Say Love?

2011-08-15T16:14:00.000-05:00

A Blue Pitcher (but not Margaret's)

WRITING TIP

Last week at the meeting of the life story writing group, we heard a story Margaret had written about her mother as a child. Margaret engaged all our senses in her story about a country breakfast that included milk her mother, Ann, collected straight from a cow and into her little blue pitcher. In the story, Margaret wrote that her mother is no longer with her, but her mother's little blue pitcher is.

After hearing the story read, there was much for us to admire about it; but then Sue said something that really got to the point of the story and to the point of what the rest of us writers can learn from it.

Sue said, "This story isn't about the little blue pitcher; it's about love -- Margaret's love for her mother."

The pitcher story showed us the love without Margaret ever having to write the word "love." We experienced the love in the story in a way that would not have been possible if Margaret had simply written, "I loved my mother. She was loving and kind and would do anything for me."

My mother-in-law, Phoebe, also had a pitcher that had belonged to her mother. She had told me how sad she was when her mother died when Phoebe was only fourteen. I was sympathetic for her, but it was not until the day she handed me the pitcher, which I had seen on a kitchen shelf for years, and asked if I would keep it for my daughter, her granddaughter. When she told me about her mother using the pitcher and it being the only thing she had of her mother's, then I was able to see Phoebe as a young motherless girl and truly feel her sadness. Phoebe's story was about grief.

If you want to write about an abstract subject such as love, patriotism, faithfulness, or grief, find a concrete hook to hang it on. On the other hand, if you have some small event or artifact you want to write about, find the universal theme. Ask yourself, What is the story really about?

~~WRITING PROMPT~~ - LAUNCHING PAD

Write about an item that belongs or belonged to a loved one. What greater theme can that story illustrate? For example, I wrote a story about a shirt my daughter wore in middle school. After she no longer wore it, I began wearing it and wore it until it fell into shreds last year. The story is about how a mother-daughter relationship develops over the years. It is not a unique theme, but the story of the shirt carries and illustrates the theme. When I sat down to write, I did not have that all figured out. I just let my thoughts wander and wrote about the shirt for ten minutes. Later I re-wrote (and re-wrote and re-wrote) the story until it worked. Just as you can do with the story of the item you choose to write about.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Pie from http://www.verybestbaking.com/

According to recipe notes, the sweet, creamy richness of a brown sugar base makes this chocolate chip pie a perfect foil for chopped nuts and whipped or ice cream. Serve with strong coffee or tea. Sounds yummy-ly delicious, doesn't it? But -- just wait til you read how easy it is to make! Equal parts sugar, chocolate chips, and nuts. And a heap o' buttah and eggs. Oh my!

1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell *
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts
Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

PREHEAT oven to 325° F.
BEAT eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.
BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.

Pitcher photos by Carol Newman. Recipe photo from http://www.verybestbaking.com/

For more writing tips, writing prompts, and resources, go to www.angelinyourinkwell.com.

To order Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook so you can enjoy the life-affirming fun of life story writing, go to www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html.

All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Let Your Bookcase Be the Boss

2011-08-08T13:22:00.001-05:00

A "Sign" from the Bookshelf - photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

I can't imagine how it happened, but I was just sitting here at the computer and a book fell out of my bookcase. Well, maybe I was talking on the phone and browsing through the books and a book jumped into my hand. Yeah, that's what happened.

When the book, a favorite of mine, Kitchen Table Wisdom 10th Anniversary by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. a counselor for those with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses, fell open to the Introduction, here is what I read: All stories are full of bias and uniqueness; they mix fact with meaning. This is the root of their power. Stories allow us to see something familiar through new eyes. We become in that moment a guest to someone else's life, and together with them sit at the feet of their teacher. The meaning we may draw from someone's story may be different from the meaning they themselves have drawn. No matter. Facts bring us to knowledge, but stories lead us to wisdom. (my emphasis)

Gentleman Friend has recently taken up a genealogical search for his mother's mother's Native American side of the family. Many of the facts have been surprisingly easy to find; however, those facts are not enough. It is the stories he wants, he says. The stories that are, most likely, gone.

~~WRITING PROMPT~~ - LAUNCHING PAD

Full of bias - Know someone who is full of bias? Has that someone ever been you? Is it good to be biased? What the heck is bias anyway? Do you sew? What is that kind of bias? Can you find any wisdom in it?

CHOCOLATE INKWELL - This is another from Family Cookbook Friend. When the email with the recipe arrived, all the subject line showed was "Chocolate Mayonnaise." Now, you know how much I love chocolate, but chocolate mayonnaise was not sounding good. So glad I opened the email and saw the word "cake." I, too, remember this recipe from back in the day.

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
2 t. soda
1 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 c. boiling water
1 t. vanilla

Directions: Mix salad dressing, boiling water, & vanilla. Beat 2 min. Then add dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased 8" layer pans. Bake at 325º -350º for 45 min. Frost as desired. Note from Family Cookbook Friend: An old, old recipe that is extremely moist. Let people guess the secret ingredient.

Don't let your stories be lost to future generations. Use Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook - Second Edition to write your stories. Make'm as biased as you want. You will find the workbook at: www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html

All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Instant Inspiration

2011-08-01T12:09:00.000-05:00

Photo Illustration by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

Last week you read Donna Holman's fun story, written in response to the writing prompt "a step." This week Donna tells us how she used the prompt to consciously recall an event she hadn't thought of in years. Here is what Donna wrote about the process:

It’s difficult to describe a mental process. It took me half an hour to write the paragraphs explaining how I got from “a step” to a story about a ski lift; but the process actually happened in seconds. And…everyone’s process is different.

When I saw the prompt “a step,” nothing came immediately to mind. Then I considered the suggestions Carol provided along with the prompt: Write about a step you took or didn't take. Or write about the front porch steps at your house. Or how about a dance step you learned? What other steps can you think of? Step-ladder. Step-mother [etc.]

So I started doing some word association of my own around the concept. First, on a literal level, as a noun: first steps, back steps, baby steps, broken steps, steep steps, stair steps, step one, step two, step three.

Then I thought about it as a concept: stepping up, stepping out, two stepping, stepping in it, stepping into harm’s way, a step in the right direction, a step in the wrong direction.

And I thought about how we step: we do it barefoot, or in shoes, in flip flops, or in boots…

Ah ha! Somehow, in that mysterious way the mind works, the combination of the words “step” and “boots” brought to mind skis and how awkward it is to step around in them. And that triggered the memory of when I put on a pair of skis and stepped onto a ski lift for the first time. Once I made that connection, the story was there.

Whether a person is an experienced life story writer or a novice, each individual has to experiment until they find what works for them. Something will – journals, daydreams, classes, conversations, quiet contemplation. The thing about writing prompts is they can lead you to unexpected places….like the top of a mountain. The material is there…waiting for you. As Flannery O’Connor said, "… anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days."

Prompts can help take you to your stories. Even if you have to hop on a ski lift to get there.

FOOTNOTE: Several years later, I returned to the ski slopes. Older and wiser, I resolved to give the ski lift another try. In a perfect world, I would have dismounted the lift and glided away for a lovely sashay down the mountain. But, in fact, my second experience was nearly identical to my first: me on the ground with a cracked noggin. Lesson learned.

The photo illustration is a rough (very rough - and not entirely accurate) approximation of how Donna arrived at her topic. This method has various names, including Mind Mapping, and you can look at the illustration and see how it works. Often, however, this entire process will happen in your brain in seconds. If it doesn't, you can rely on the pen and paper method.

Thanks, Donna for a wonderful story and wonderful explanation.

~~WRITING PROMPT~~ - LAUNCHING PAD

In seconds - The mental process described above can happen in seconds. What else can happen or has happened to you in seconds: fall in love, win the lottery, get a life-changing phone call, understand an equation, get an idea? This is the "stuff" of story. Something changes.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL This recipe is from a friend who is preparing a family cookbook. An ice cream dessert sounds just right for this hot, hot, hot weather. No cooking, baking, or heating required.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Dessert

1 pkg. Oreo cookies (crumbled - reserve some for topping)
1 gallon mint chip ice cream
fresh strawberries (optional)

Crumble Oreo cookies and spread in 13"x 9" pan about 1/2" thick. Spread ice cream over crumbs. Freeze. Thaw slightly to cut. Serve with a few Oreo crumbs sprinkled on top & a strawberry for garnish.

Write your life story or memoir with help from Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook - Second Edition.

All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

It is now easier to leave your comments. Click on the word Comments just below. At the "Profile" prompt, enter your first name and click Submit. When the squiggly letters pop up, enter them in the box and click Submit. (The squiggly letters keep spammers out.) It's fun for everyone to see your comments.

Step Out With Your Writing

2011-07-25T14:10:00.000-05:00

Rocky Mountain National Park - Photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

In the July 11, 2011 post, Write Toward the Lake, you were invited to use the word "step" as a Writing Prompt. Do you ever wonder what the heck you're supposed to do with a "Writing Prompt?" Actually, I'm not too crazy about the term myself, but here's how it works. Without thinking too much about it, you let the prompt trigger a memory or connection or reference and then you writer about it. Here's what Donna Holman wrote: (Next week she'll tell us about her thought/writing/editing process for this piece.)

The Lift Stops Here

I watched the seven-year-old boy just ahead of me in line effortlessly jump onto the ski lift.

“Well, if he can do it, I can do it,” I thought.

It was my premier visit to the Rocky Mountains. Though having lived the life of a flat-lander on the plains of Kansas, I was a recent transplant to Colorado. And here I was, trying out the state’s favorite sport for the first time.

I watched the people ahead of me in the tow line slide into the lift’s path just a moment before a seat came and whisked them away, into the heavens it seemed, their skis dangling like tiny twigs lashed to their feet, colorful parkas polka-dotting the blue sky above, all like tiny exclamation points punctuating the ski lift’s route up the snow-draped mountain.

“I can do this,” I told myself again.

Soon I’d advanced to the head of the line. I held my breath and took a step. I felt the hard edge of the lift seat hit the back of my thigh and sweep me away.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned to the person seated next to me, a boy, maybe eleven or twelve.

“Where does the lift stop to let us off?” I asked, making polite conversation.

He looked at me blankly. “The lift doesn’t stop,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling a tiny pinprick of panic.

“You just jump off when you get to the top,” he said.

“What!” I exclaimed. “Jump off? On the top of a mountain!”

He must have seen the fear in my face because then he tried to calm me. “Just watch me,” he said. “Do what I do.”

“How can this be?” I thought, incredulous.

The mountain’s peak drew nearer. My stomach flip-flopped. Soon I saw people in the seats ahead stand up, glide away from the lift, and turn smoothly down the snow-packed mountain paths.

“Get ready,” coaxed my young companion. “Slide to the edge of your seat.”

I scooted forward as close as I dared, to the edge of the seat, my heart pounding. The lift that had seemed to be moving so languidly up the mountain now seemed to be racing. The mountain top loomed.

“Now stand up!” urged my coach as the ground came galloping towards us.

I stood up. The surface beneath my feet was ice, pure ice. Thick and gray and merciless. I felt my body listing backwards. Felt my skis slip out from under me. Felt my head crack against the hard, unforgiving ice. A fountain of fireworks exploded behind my eyeballs. As I sprawled on the ground, one ski slipped from my bindings. My goggles twisted to the back of my head.

My lift companion, who had smoothly dismounted his seat, watched in horror. As he reached out to help me, he lost his footing and fell beside me. Then, I felt the sharp prod of a ski tip against my side and the thud of another body falling on top of me. It was the person who’d been in the seat behind us on the lift. Then his lift companion tripped over the boy lying beside me. A ski lift operator rushed from the control booth to drag us out of the way. He grabbed the sleeve of a parka and pulled.

The rest of us – a spectacle of intertwined arms and legs, big boots and errant skis – thrashed and squirmed, attempting to claw our way out of the lift’s icy path. But not quickly enough. Within seconds, the lift’s relentless advancement dumped yet another person onto our human pile of brightly-colored misfortune.

That’s when I heard it…the sound of gears groaning to a halt. Then utter silence. And in that moment, I knew my companion on the way up the mountain had been wrong. The lift does stop.

©Donna Holman 2011

Thank you, Donna. We look forward to reading about how this piece came about from the writing prompt.

~~WRITING PROMPT~~ LAUNCHING PAD

In the opening paragraph, I wrote that I'm not crazy about the term "Writing Prompt." In my writing classes and groups, I don't even use the term. Instead, we have a "Launching Pad." It's a jumping-off place for your writing. You don't have to stick to the prompt, you just jump out there and write about whatever comes to mind. In Donna's story above, you can read an example of how this works. Next week she will give us specifics about how this can work. Meanwhile, this space is officially renamed "Launching Pad." Since this blog is "Angel In Your Inkwell," imagine yourself on a cloud (Is this getting too cute?) and just jump out there with your writing. Don't hold back. In fact, let's use that as this week's Launching Pad: Don't hold back.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL This week's recipe is courtesy of an old magazine in Diagnostic Imaging's waiting room. During a fun-filled routine visit, (all okay for another year) I saw this treat described in either Martha Stewart Living or Real Simple -- can't remember which. Since it was a February issue, the theme was chocolate.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

There was no recipe. The article showed a cup of steaming hot chocolate and a frozen treat on a stick.

Make hot chocolate. Freeze it in individual molds with a stick inserted. I'm guessing you would cool the hot chocolate before freezing it. Unsure. It was a triple-digit day when I saw the photo of these frozen chocolate treats, and the whole hot-to-cold idea made it especially appealing.

Updated and expanded Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook will help you with the fun and life-affirming experience of writing about your life. Order here: www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html/

Find more writing resources at www.angelinyourinkwell.com.

What Great-Grandfather Can Teach Us About Writing

2011-07-18T12:16:00.002-05:00

Great-Grandfather's Journal Photo by Sally Jadlow

WRITING TIP

You may remember a few weeks ago a writer inquired about how to copy her grandmother's diary safely. We came up with some possible ideas, but I also asked if you would like to read a journal of even everyday events.

One writer I heard back from was Sally Jadlow who had the following to say:

Carol, I based my book, The Late Sooner, on my great-grandfather's diary. He wrote one line a day. He participated in the 1889 Land Run into Oklahoma. Attached are pictures of his "diary:" an old ledger book. The picture I sent was a photo I shot at home.

Before I started the book, I went through and typed each line in the journal into my computer. Great-grandfather wrote one line a day in his ledger book. Then I went through and bolded those things that strung the story together. That became my outline for the book. I made scenes with dialogue of the most important points in the outline. What he left out, I fictionalized.

I made two trips to Oklahoma to do research in the Guthrie Historical Society archives, the land office archives, and to walk the actual land. Some of my great-grandfather's terms in his diary were unfamiliar to me. At one point in the diary, he wrote, "Went to the schoolhouse to speak to the government agents about the sufferers." Since they weren't a state and didn't vote, this phrase threw me until I visited the historical society.

I learned that in 1890, the locals called that year, "The Year of the Turnip." The residents suffered extreme drought and prairie fires that year and had nothing to eat but turnips. The population and livestock were on the verge of starvation. The citizens met with the government agents to present their plight.

As a result, the government sent trainloads of wheat for seed and for food to the people and animals. Otherwise everyone would have gone back to where they came from. Up to this point in my research, I had never read anything about this terrible famine that almost derailed the settlement of Oklahoma.

That famine played heavily into the plot of the story.

Did you notice that Sally's great-grandfather wrote only one line per day? One line! I can do it. You can do it. In a few minutes, you will be finished reading this. Then it will be your turn -- write.

(Thanks, Sally.)

WRITING PROMPT

Write about famine. Most of us haven't experienced real famine, although I know from my life story classes that some of you have experienced real famine -- in wartime Russia for instance. However, you may choose to write about a spiritual famine, an emotional famine, or a chocolate famine -- "The Day My Candy Dish Went Empty." Maybe your socks get lost in the laundry and you have a famine of left socks. I don't intend to make light of real suffering, but in your writing, you can choose which way to go -- literal, figurative, or anywhere along the spectrum.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL This no-bake recipe from www.squidoo.com is perfect for this blistering weather. No matter how hot it gets, we still need chocolate.

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups sugar
1/4 pound butter
1/2 cup milk
3 tbs cocoa
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Put the sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and continue to boil for about one minute.
2. Remove from the heat and mix in the vanilla extract and peanut butter. When these are well combined, add the oatmeal and mix together thoroughly.
3. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture on to waxed kitchen paper. Put them in the refrigerator for about and hour until firm.
You can begin writing your life story right now with my expanded and updated Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook, available at www.angelinyourinkwell.com/buy.html/

All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Write Toward the Lake

2011-07-11T15:50:00.001-05:00

Rocky Mountain National Park - Photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

Gentleman Friend and I just returned from a trip north of Denver to Rocky Mountain National Park. More snow than usual this time of year topped the mountains, and with the clouds moving in behind them, when I looked up, the mountains looked almost ominous. I wanted to do some hiking, but the mountains and the weather seemed too rugged.

Our map showed a little valley with a small lake, Lake Sprague. There we found a flat trail, warm sunshine and a cool breeze. We circled the lake once and could have done it again, but we sat to bask in the feat, though minor, that we had accomplished and to look up into the mountains at what we had not attempted.

You know, I think small accomplishments are just fine. Writing life story is like that. Often people see the mountain that they think they have to climb to write about their life and they feel too overwhelmed to look up and start the climb.

That's when I say, look down. Take a little step. Write a couple of sentences. Do it again. And pretty soon you have gathered an entire lake of things from your life. Some places will feel sunny, some will be shady and refreshing, some will be ominous. Look toward the sunny and refreshing. If you feel like someday tackling the ominous, fine. If not, you still will have produced something worthwhile.

WRITING PROMPT

A step . . . Write about a step you took or didn't take. Or write about the front porch steps at your house. Or how about a dance step you learned? What other steps can you think of? Step-ladder. Step-mother - having a step-mother, being a step-mother, being sure your birth mother was really a step-mother because she was so mean and wouldn't let you go on a unchaperoned overnight trip with everyone else when you were in high school. Write about many steps, or one step, or make up something else, like barrel racing.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

This recipe is from Diabetic Everyday Cooking magazine. The carb exchange is 1.5 carbs and the carb choices 1.5.

Black Forest Trifle

1 8-ounce package no-sugar-added low fat chocolate cake mix
1 4-serving-size package sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups fat-free milk
1 pound fresh, dark sweet cherries, pitted -- or one 16-ounce package frozen unsweetened pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed and well drained
2 cups frozen, fat-free whipped dessert topping, thawed
Unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)

1. Prepare cake mix according to package directions in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, remove from pan. Cut into 1-inch pieces.

2. Meanwhile, prepare pudding mix according to package directions using the 2 cups fat-free milk. Cover; chill about 30 minutes or until set.

3. In a 3-quart trifle bowl or glass bowl, layer half of the cake cubes, half of the cherries, half of the chocolate pudding and half of the whipped topping. Repeat the layers. If desired, sprinkle with cocoa powder. Makes 16 (2/3 cup) servings.

Want to write your life story? It's easy with Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook. Now updated and expanded. More tips, more how-to, more before-and-after writing samples, more resoures.

Keep the Story Going

2011-06-13T13:38:00.000-05:00

Journey of the Journal
photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

Last week I had an e-mail from Pam K who took my Life Story Writing class several years ago. She wrote: I am researching my family history before a trip to Montana to find my grandparents homestead from 1910-1924. I have my grandmother's daily journal from 1910. . . . It is a 5/12" X 41/2" leather bound handwritten journal.

She asked for ideas on how to safely copy the journal. The key word here is safely.

And as many of you probably have journals, letters, family Bibles, photo albums, or other items you would like to copy, I wanted to share my discussion with Pam with you.

Depending on the item, ordinary photocopying might be fine. However, scanning makes it possible to save the copy on your computer or some other device or CD. Still, both photocopying and ordinary scanning require the item be opened and pressed flat. A book or album can be damaged by this. Another option would be to simply use a digital camera and tripod and photograph the pages or items. Again, they can be saved to your computer or CD.

Then I suggested Pam contact the following two resources:

www.mymcpl.org/genealogy
The Midwest Genealogy Center (MGC) is one of the nation's preeminent resources for family history. The Genealogy Center features 52,000 square feet of space to house all the resources and technology genealogists need to research. 3440 S. Lee's Summit Road, Independence, MO 64055-1923. Phone: 816-252-7228. Hours: Mon–Thurs 9–9; Fri 9–6; Sat 9–5; Sun 1–5.

www.archives.gov National Archives. Any historical information created or received by the Federal Government. A regional branch of the National Archives is located in Kansas City, Mo., just west of Union Station.

(Additional resources can be found at www.angelinyourinkwell.com/resources.html and in the back of the Second Edition of the Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook.)

On her own, Pam also contacted the University of Missouri, Kansas City's "special collections." That department suggested a company in Lawrence, Kansas, called Scanning America. This company can scan from above without putting pressure on the spine of the journal. It is thirty-five cents a page for a clear digital copy put in a .pdf file which can then be enlarged and/or copied.

I asked Pam if she would let me know what she does so I can share the information with you.

Wouldn't you love to read a journal from 1910? A record of life at the time. Even the most mundane of daily events would be interesting.

You see what I'm working up to with this don't you? One hundred one years from now, your writing could influence a young descendant. Do it now. Start writing. Keep writing.

WRITING PROMPT

The week in review . . . Write a summary of your life in the past week. Make it a story. Mention the weather, world events, political context, popular culture, family, health. You might write about being in the doctor's waiting room to get the staples removed from your head where it was cut in the fall you took last week on an outing with your daughter to Whole Foods where you bought organic grapes. Maybe the woman next to you in the waiting room engaged you in conversation about the latest politician who was caught sending explicit photos of himself.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

Chocolate for Today
photo by Carol Newman

This is the easiest and best chocolate "recipe" yet. Young Advisor clued me in. Actually, you don't even have to make anything -- except a trip to Target where you can find these in the freezer section. I admit the name put me off -- VitaTops. I was sure it must have that funky vitaminy taste. Far from it. Gently warm in the microwave and enjoy the dense, moist chocolate muffin and melty chocolate chips. All for only 100 calories, plus you get 9 grams of fiber. They are great alone or topped with a bit of fat-free frozen yogurt. Now, if the company would just change the name.

All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Red Flag for Writers

2011-06-06T13:30:00.001-05:00

Backyard Iris & Ajuga - Photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

I thought I had a pretty little picture of the hummingbird feeder and iris and ajuga inviting the birds into my backyard. But then I looked closer at the picture. Yikes -- what's that red thing in the bottom third of the photo? Oh great. A sprinkler head marker for the repairmen. Much as I tried to re-shoot, re-frame, crop, or move around, I could not escape that red flag. I thought you might not notice it there among the friendly purple ajuga, but that didn't seem exactly fair.

A few days ago I recieved a call from someone I'll call Irene. Irene had taken one of my classes quite a few years ago but had never written her book. Now, she had renewed her interest in the book and a New York company was very interested in her book and had offered to write a proposal for her for $5,000. Irene didn't know exactly what they were offering or what the proposal would include. Also, after the proposal is written, who would actually write her book as she now wants someone to write it for her. If this company offers to write the book, how much will that cost? Also, she would be making at least one trip, possibly more, to New York City to talk to the person with whom she was dealing. All that was needed was her check for $2,500 right now, and they would begin work on her proposal.

Maybe this is a really great company, but the fee amount and the offer were just like that marker in my garden -- a red flag. I strongly suggestd she do some further investigating by asking more questions, finding out exactly what is being offered, and what happens next.

Also, I suggested she investigate local people who might provide this service at a better price. She might check with the library to find local writing groups and contact the group leader. Look at community college and park department writing class listings and contact those class leaders. Look on the Internet for writing groups and writing teachers. Most newspapers carry book news and listings of local literary events. Look at those listings or attend events.

We all want our book ideas to find instant approval, but getting published is tough these days unless you are a celelbrity. Watch for these red flags: sudden interest, high fees, out-of-town unknowns, and a rush to sign a contract.

WRITING PROMPT

Things I have rushed into. If you're like me, this would be a long, long, long list. You might want to confine your list to three things -- or not. Go on and make that long list. Then write about one or some or all of them. Meanwhile, I am going to write I'll think about it one hundred times so I'll be ready the next time I am about to rush into something.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL This recipe from www.delish.com is really, really quick and easy; but if you want it to be even quicker, just eat the two ingredients and skip the whole melting-mixing-cooling process. Of course, if you need something yummy to serve to others, better make it.

Chocolate Nut Bark

Yields: 3 dozen 1 1/2-inch pieces

Prep Time: 10 min

Ingredients

2 cup(s) semisweet, bittersweet, or milk chocolate chips, melted

1 1/2 cup(s) assorted nuts, such as hazelnuts, almonds, and cashews, plus more for garnish

Directions

1.Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. (Take care to avoid wrinkles.) Combine melted chocolate and nuts in a medium bowl. Scrape the mixture onto the foil and spread it into an approximate 12-by-9-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with additional finely chopped nuts, if desired. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.

2.Transfer the bark and foil to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.

Find more writing tips and writing resources at www.angelinyourinkwell.com.

COMING SOON If you are ready to write your own life story, a new expanded and updated edition of Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks ok Workbook will be availabe in just a few days. Check back here for information.

All rights reserved 2011 There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Learn to Write at a Farmers Market

2011-05-09T15:15:00.001-05:00

Jams made in Jamesport, Missouri - photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

The day before Mother's Day, Gentleman Friend and I took ourselves to the City Market in Kansas City. The place was packed, but in a good way. Everyone a flower-fruit-and-vegetable lover.

We bought jam made in the Jamesport, Missouri Amish community: black raspberry, cherry, and plum.

At breakfast Sunday morning, we had a "serious" discussion about which flavor was best. To help make my point that the raspberry -- no, the plum -- no, the cherry -- was best, I examined the list of ingredients on each jar: fruit, sugar, pectin. That was it. Perfectly simple. Perfectly delicious.

Writing can be like that. Many people who come to a life story writing class "warn" me that neither are they "writers" nor have they had an exciting life. I assure them it doesn't matter. A story honestly told in a straightforward style is deliciously irresistible. Just like homemade jam.

WRITING PROMPT

Three simple ingredients. What are three things you need/love/have to have? Three small things that bring you joy? Three simple gifts you would like to pass on?

CHOCOLATE INKWELL - This is the first thing I ever in my life baked so you won't be surprised to see it is a familiar recipe. The recipe today is from www.eaglebrand.com. Back when I first made it, I found the recipe in a magazine and had no idea what Eagle Brand was. Isn't Eagle Brand wonderful? Perfectly simple yumminess in a can.

Magic Cookie Bars

No-Stick Cooking Spray

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts

Instructions

HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.

COMBINE graham cracker crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with fork.

BAKE 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or diamonds.

For perfectly cut cookie bars, line entire pan with foil, extending foil over edge of pan. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray. After bars have baked and cooled, lift up with edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into bars.

VARIATIONS

SUBSTITUTE chocolate chips or nuts with candy coated pieces, dried cranberries, raisins, mini-marshmallows or butterscotch chips.

Find more writing tips, prompts, and resources at www.angelinyourinkwell.com.

All rights reserved, 2011. There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Will Your Writing Live or Die on the Page?

2011-04-20T12:01:00.000-05:00

Amaryllis in Robert's Jacksonville, Florida Yard
Photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

In Jacksonville, Florida a couple of weeks ago, I was amazed to see amaryllis blooming around all the trees in the front yard of my host, Robert. Who doesn't love amaryllis and, here in Kansas, coax a couple of blooms from a potted one at Christmas time? But blooming by the dozens --outside?

I've been to Florida many times, but never had I seen this.

I had arrived late in the afternoon, and too soon the sun was setting.

Robert seemed to watched in mild bemusement as he tried to carry on a conversation with the others in our party as I dashed back and forth among the amaryllis.

Back home, I was still raving about the amaryllis thriving outside, to someone who has lived in the Jacksonville area. "Oh yes," he said quite calmly. "They do well there."

Of course, I know about planting zones and that plants that flourish in some areas will wither and fail in others. It was just that the blooms were so big and beautiful.

Ah yes -- big and beautiful. Just like the phrases I read in the first draft of a friend's story for children. On the first page some of the words were: matriarch, procrastinated, effervescent, and coif. Great words, but maybe not planted in a story for children.

I had the same problem with a whole paragraph in a story. Young Advisor read the story. "What's this paragraph doing here?" she asked.

"Oh, I like those lines. They're my favorite. The words are so pretty," I said.

"The paragraph has nothing to do with anything," she said. "It makes no sens."

She was right. I did a little wilt of my own and removed the paragraph. Dug it up. But I did save it to be planted somewhere else, somewhere more suited, where it can thrive.

Like amaryllis planted outside in a Kansas winter, it doesn't matter how big and beautiful my words were, if planted in the wrong place, they could not survive. Our words have to fit the audience for which we're writing, the overall toneof the piece, and the type of piece it is -- casual or clinical.

WRITING PROMPT

It is tempting to give the prompt: Bloom where you are planted. But I am weeding that out because it is a cliche, as is my next thought: Big and beautiful. Instead, let's try this: I dashed back and forth.

Give it a try. Send me what you write, and I'll share it with our readers.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL These Chocolate Mini Dessert Burgers are really cute and easy to assemble. They look just like little hamburgers, but the "buns" are vanilla wafers. Good to make with children or for a birthday or slumber party activity. This recipe is from www.verybestbaking.com.

Chocolate Mini Dessert Burgers

Ingredients

1 box (12 oz.) vanilla wafer cookies*, divided
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon water
3 drops green food coloring
Red and yellow decorating gels (for ketchup and mustard)
1 teaspoon melted butter (optional)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

RESERVE 48 wafers for bun tops and bottoms.
PLACE remaining wafers in large resealable bag. Crush into small pieces using a rolling pin. Combine wafer crumbs (about 1 1/2 cups) with powdered sugar and salt in medium bowl.
MICROWAVE morsels and milk in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 45 seconds; STIR. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until smooth.
POUR chocolate mixture into wafer mixture; stir until combined. Cool for 10 minutes. Line baking sheet with wax paper. Roll mixture into 24, 1-inch (about 1 tablespoon each) balls. Place each ball on prepared sheet; flatten slightly to form burger patties.
COMBINE coconut, water and green food coloring in small, resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and shake to coat evenly with color.
TO ASSEMBLE:
PLACE 24 wafers, rounded side down on prepared baking sheet. Top each wafer with 1 burger patty. Top each burger patty with 1 teaspoon colored coconut. Squeeze decorating gels on top of coconut. Top with remaining wafers. Brush tops of wafers with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
* A 12-oz. box of vanilla wafers contains about 88 wafers.
TIPS:
• Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
• Cut apricot fruit rollups into small 1/2-inch squares to create cheese for the mini burgers.

Find more writing resources and life story writing how-to at www.angelinyourinkwell.com

All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2011, There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Through the Garden Gate

2011-04-05T12:02:00.001-05:00

Denver Arboretum - photo by Sally Jadlow

WRITING TIP

Sally Jadlow sent this pretty photo from the Denver Botanical Garden. The blue pots, arch, and curving walkway are so inviting a visitor is drawn to enter. If ever there was a visual reminder of the old adage to writers to "hook the reader," this is it.

What if the garden had been surrounded by a six-foot tall wood fence and visitors had been led up to the garden by a long, barren, asphalt parking lot? No tall cedars, no gate, and no brick edging.

Would we want to venture inside? Nope. Wouldn't matter if the world's largest azalea was in bloom and bearing apples. If we couldn't see something interesting at the beginning, we never would venture inside.

Same with our writing. Put an open gate at the beginning. Add some colorful flowers and a hint of something to come. Watch the readers flock inside.

Sally put this technique to good use in her recent book, God's Little Miracle Book. I gave this book for Christmas presents and received several phone calls from people who had just started reading it and already were hooked. Here are the first three sentences:

The phone rang late one night. It was our eldest daughter Jennifer.
"Mom, get to Children's Mercy downtown. Life Flight is bringing Gunnar in."

Are you hooked? I was. And the stories did not disappoint. Entering the gate and taking the path were well worth it.

WRITING PROMPT

Blue pots. What comes to mind? The photo above? Your grandmother's house? Funny how these mental connections work. I think of the blue pots in the Ten Thousand Villages store in downtown Overland Park, Kansas. I think of summer and visiting the farmers market and then stopping in the store on the way to the car with my bags of tomatoes and baby squash. Blue pots. What do you think of? Something all your own. Write about it.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

This recipe is from Cooks.com. Reader comments say it is "Sinfully good -- and EASY! Everyone wants the recipe when served."

Elaine Warren's Chocolate Nut Dessert

1 pkg. (8) Pillsbury crescent rolls
2/3 c. butter
2/3 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. chopped nuts
12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

Spread crescent rolls (the dough) onto baking sheet. Press edges together, carefully and seal well. Leave small ridge around edge. Bring butter, sugar and nuts to a boil. Pour over flattened rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle 12 ounces chocolate chips over top. Let melt, spread.

Find more writing tips, writing resources, life story writing how-to at http://www.angelinyourinkwell.com/.

All Rights Reserves, 2011 Carol Newman There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Flowery Writing

2011-03-28T13:12:00.004-05:00

Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden 2010
photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

Thinking about spring and gardens, I looked back at photos of favorite gardens.

The first photo is of the Kauffman Garden in Kansas City, Mo. It's a small garden, but, as you can see, it is packed with a variety of flowers and colors and features. That streak across the middle is water from a fountain. Walls, walkways, benches, statues, water features, and trees of various sizes divide the area.

Boston Museum of Fine Art, Spring 2006 - photo by Carol Newman

The next photo was taken in a Japanese garden at the Boston Museum of Fine Art. What a difference! Instead of every space being filled with something, this garden has a large raked sand area with a few boulders.

One garden invites investigation; the other invites contemplation. Which garden is "right"?

These gardens remind me of writing styles. Just as both gardens are enjoyable, various writing styles can work for us as writers. The problem is when we go to extremes.

Suppose the Kauffman garden was so stuffed and overgrown there was no room to walk or sit, then it would be just a tangle of growth. Or, suppose the Japanese garden had only one large rock, no raked design in the sand, and no background plantings. It would be a bare expanse of nothing.

The same is true of our writing. We want enough adjectives, adverbs, metaphors, similes, settings, characters, and plot points to be interesting. We do not want so much overblown, lengthy, detailed, meaningless description that the reader gives up in exhaustion.

It's partly taste, style, experience, and desired effect. Is your garden of writing a garden sparse, excessive, or beautifully balanced?

WRITING PROMPT

Pick a piece of your writing at random. Is it a Kauffman-type garden or a Japanese-type garden? Whichever one you decide it is, try re-writing it in the opposite style. Add some flowery flourishes. Or, pare down. Have some fun with it. Go to extremes.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

This recipe from http://www.hungry-girl.com/ could not be easier or better. Hungry Girl assures there is no yogurt taste. (I love yogurt so even if it did have a yogurt taste, it wouldn't bother me.)

Best Devil's Food Chocolate Cake

One 18.25-oz. box moist-style devil's food cake mix

1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt (such as Fage Total 0%)

1 cup water

Combine cake mix and yogurt in a large bowl. Add 1 cup water. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Refer to cake mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.

Find more writing tips, writing prompts, resources, and life story writing answers at http://www.angelinyourinkwell.com/.

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Write Toward a New Perspective

2011-03-22T11:08:00.001-05:00

Bleak outlook. photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

One week ago today I awoke expecting sunshine and, instead, found the grayest of skies and a blanket of snow. Yeah, yeah, it was a light, fluffy, pretty snow; but I was in no mood for snow.

Fortunately, I have a project to distract me. I am updating my Write Your Life Story in Eights Weeks Workbook. I asked members of the advanced life story writing group for suggestions for the updated workbook. After Millie suggested a page about the benefits of life story writing and wrote a sample paragraph, I asked other members to write about how writing life story had affected them. Their wonderful answers will be included on the first page of the updated workbook. But let me give you a visual preview.

For some, when they think back over their life in its entirety, they feel the same as I did when I opened the curtains last Monday. They feel disappointed and drained by what seems to have been a gray life. And, like me, they wanted something different. Still, they take on the task of writing. And in the writing ,that other life they wished for emerges.

Instead of just standing at the window and surveying the vista, this morning I opened the front door to warm sunshine; I put on flip flops and went out and looked at the daffodils and found a bright spot in my life. I looked closer, and closer still, and saw the iris and hostas are sending up shoots; and I felt better. There are many bright spots in my life.

Hey, it's not so bad. photo by Carol Newman

That's what the writers expressed when they wrote about the benefits of life story writing. When we examine our lives we see the triumphs and successes that, as one writer said, make us "remarkable." Yes, there was snow last week; and, yes, I was disappointed by it. There is no changing events, but it is possible to refocus and gain a new perspective.

WRITING PROMPT

What did you see when you opened the curtains this morning? What did you see literally? What did you see metaphorically? How do you feel about it? What does it mean in your life today? Tomorrow?

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

If you want a girly take on snack chips for March Madness, here is the perfect recipe: Chocolate Nachos. This recipe is from http://www.allrecipes.com/ where one of the reviewers said this is best served warm but can also be served cool. Ha. No danger of these getting cool in my kitchen. Says it serves 4. Maybe. Sounds like one nice serving to me.

Chocolate Nachos

Ingredients:

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup white sugar 8 (6 inch) flour tortillas 1/4 cup melted butter 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 2 teaspoons shortening

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir the cinnamon into the sugar in a small bowl; set aside.

Brush the tortillas with melted butter on both sides. Sprinkle the tortillas evenly with cinnamon sugar; then cut each tortilla into 6 to 8 wedges. Place the tortilla wedges onto baking sheets in a single layer.

Bake the tortillas in the preheated oven until the edges are lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. While the tortillas are baking, melt the chocolate and shortening in a small saucepan over low heat.

Spread half of the tortilla wedges onto a serving plate and drizzle with half of the chocolate mixture. Place the remaining tortilla wedges on top, then drizzle with the remaining sauce.

Find more writing tips, writing prompts, resources, and life story writing information at http://www.angelinyourinkwell.com/.

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Make It Happen On Paper

2011-03-14T14:12:00.001-05:00

It's all in his head. Photo by Carol Newman

We might -- or might not -- be able to guess what this seagull is thinking. My guess is he is thinking he will swoop down and grab my apple as he did the day before when I turned away to take a picture of the swimmers at La Jolla Cove. Or, he might be thinking about what fun it was to make the young woman at the next table scream when he flashed by and grabbed her packet of oatmeal.

But, it still would be a guess. Guessing is fine for observing seagull behavior on a lazy oceanside morning but not so good for a writer. Last week I was like this seagull. I read a story to our advanced life story writing group. I had worked on it off and on for several weeks. Polished, added, subtracted. It began as a fun little Christmas incident, but as I wrote, the story took a darker turn. I wasn't happy about that, but there it was.

I gathered my nerve and read it to the group. Stella asked a question about the ending. I explained as well as I could, but even then, I knew that if I had to explain, something was missing from the writing. The first problem was that I had been like this bird. The story ending was still in my head; I had not put it on the paper. I expected the reader to guess what I was thinking.

I had two problems. First, I thought the story would be more dramatic if I didn't totally spell out everything. However, a story can't be dramatic if the reader is scratching her head and saying, "Huh?" My second, and more important problem, was that I wasn't sure myself what I was thinking. My feelings weren't easy to examine. I wanted the writing and the story to be over. What exactly was I avoiding? I ruminated for a couple of days. Then I re-wrote a couple of sentences, added a couple more sentences, and I think it is better; but I there may be a bit more work to be done.

Be a better writer than the bird in the photo. Read your story word by word. Record it and listen to it. Ask someone to read it aloud to you. Check to see if the conclusion lives up to the buildup. Are the scenes and the feelings on the page?

Maybe the bird in the photo is thinking about his next story. If so, I hope he spends some time getting it on paper instead of just swooping in for a quick swipe.

WRITING PROMPT

In what way are you like a bird? Or maybe, in what way are you unlike a bird? Pick your own bird. Rooster? Eagle? Canary? Hate birds? Make yourself write about it anyway. You will want the writing and the story to be over. Do the hard work. That's where the good writing is.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

Mini Microwave Triple Chocolate Cake   Remember the cake in a mug recipe we had one time? This recipe, from http://www.hungrygirl.com/, is another single serving cake. HungryGirl says, "Yes, this is as good as it sounds."

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Pillsbury Moist Supreme Reduced Sugar Cake Mix, Devil's Food
2 tbsp. Cool Whip Free, thawed
1 tbsp. fat-free vanilla yogurt
1 tbsp. Hershey's Lite chocolate syrup, divided

Directions:

Stir together the whipped topping and half of the syrup, and then place mixture in the freezer to firm up while you prep the rest of your dessert. Next, in a very small microwave-safe dish (like a ramekin), combine cake mix and yogurt. (Don't worry if it seems like a small amount. Your cake will puff up -- we promise!) Stir until smooth and blended. Microwave for 1 minute, and then allow to cool for 5 minutes. Once cake has cooled, remove chocolate topping from freezer, and spoon it over your cake. Finally, drizzle the remaining chocolate syrup on top.

Find more writing tips, writing prompts, life story writing information, and resources at http://www.angelinyourinkwell.com/.

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All rights reserved 2011, There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

A Novel Approach to Telling Your Story

2011-02-28T11:47:00.000-06:00

Pretend-You're-In-Hawaii Palms - photo by Carol Newman

NOTES FROM WRITER-READERS

Paul noticed that the book Three Cups of Tea had been removed from the Favorite Books list and wrote to ask me about it. "Needed the space," I told him. "Removed all older listings."

That book is still a favorite, a well-written inspirational story, so it seemed a shame to remove it , and others, from the Favorite Books list. But there was that space problem. So, a new blog is in the making. I won't tell you the name yet, because it isn't up yet, but it is all books; and you are invited to tell us about your favorite books, too. Meanwhile, Three Cups of Tea has been returned to the list and a couple of new books added.

Another reader note: last week's Writing Prompt was Write your life story in six paragraphs. Debbie wrote that this prompt especially helped her, and Niki wrote that she plans to use it to fulfill an obligation to write about her life for a high school reunion. She said she now knows what she will write: six paragraphs and "keep it decent."

Some time back Linda wrote that she shares the blog with her writing group where they use the writing prompts. If your writing group is writing life story/memoir, your members might want to use Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook.

Thank you Paul, Debbie, Niki, and Linda for letting me and your fellow writers know how you are using the Angel Blog.

WRITING TIP

I just read Honolulu, by Alan Brennert. I liked this book for so many reasons iI couldn't decide whether to write about it here or save it for the new book blog. As my Young Advisor often asks, "Why don't you argue with yourself?" I did just that and decided to include it both places. A win-win for both of me.

The book jacket says "Honolulu is a rich, unforgettable story of a young 'picture bride' who journeys to Hawai'i in 1914 in search of a better life." Born in Korea in the Year of the Rooster, the main character is named Regret by her father. The book covers the years from her birth in 1897 to her sixtieth birthday in 1957. It's a straightforward story, told chronologically, as Regret, who renames herself Jin, recounts her daily routine and experiences in a historically significant time and place. When I began reading, I expected to be transported to balmy sunwashed beaches. Forget that. I was totally caught up in the story we follow Jin to her first homes in a rural area of pineapple plantations -- with every ugly slave image the word plantation brings to mind and later to an area of the city set aside for prostitution, and on to a business section.

How can this book be useful to you in writing your life story? Look at the way author Brennert incorporates details of daily family and social life into the story. Look at the way historical characters and events are incorporated into the story. Even the simplest details of how we were named, how we cook, dress, go to school (or not), work, respond to the daily news, and obtain our food and money can provide great depth and insight for our readers. If you are uncomfortable writing about yourself and your life, do what the author did with Jin. She is a vehicle to move us through historical events of the time. You can do the same with your story.

WRITING PROMPT

What were the various areas or sections of the town where you grew up? What did you think about the people and places in those specific areas. What was your town known for? For example, I grew up in the 40s and 50s in Lawton, Oklahoma, home of Ft. Sill, a large artillery post. Back then, the businesses on both sides of one block of our downtown were bars. The city block west gave way to pawn shops. The first of every month, payday, music and partying young soldiers spilled out of the bars onto the sidewalks and streets. By the end of the month, things were quieter in that block, but business had picked up in the block of pawn shops as the soldiers pawned cameras, radios, luggage, and jewelry as they tried to make it to the next pay day. Good or bad -- what were the things that set your hometown in a special time and place?

CHOCOLATE INKWELL
I have never been crazy about the taste of any brand of biscuit-type baking mix; but I admit, this recipe for coffee cake with coconut, nuts, and chocolate chips might win me over. Besides that, I like the name of the recipe. Puts me in mind of the tu-tu skirts popular now. Put on your tu-tu, swirl around the kitchen, and enjoy this coffee cake. (Recently I was shocked to learn that some people dislike coconut (Hi Judy). If you are one such person, I would just omit the coconut and enjoy the swirl.) This recipe is from Nancy's Kitchen

Swirled Chocolate Coffee Cake

1/3 c. flaked coconut
1/4 c. chopped nuts
1/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp. margarine or butter, divided
2 c. Bisquick baking mix
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2/3 c.milk
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips,melted
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 inch pan. Mix together coconut, nuts, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of the butter or margarine; reserved. In another bowl mix the baking mix, 1/4 cup sugar, the remaining butter or margarine, the egg and milk; beat vigorously 30 seconds. Spread into prepared pan. Spoon melted chocolate over batter; lightly swirl batter several times for marbled effect. Sprinkle with reserved coconut mixture. Bake until light brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Find more writing tips, prompts, resources, and life story writing information at http://www.angelinyourinkwell.com/.

Start (or finish) writing your life story now with the help of Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2011. There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

To Bare All -- or Not

2011-02-21T12:35:00.002-06:00

La Jolla Cove, California - photo by Carol Newman

WRITING TIP

My first writing teacher said that a writer had to be willing to bare all on paper. My young self was shocked. After all, I was still writing in my head, afraid even to put words on paper. Later, I asked Hilary Masters, writer in residence for a year at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, how he could reveal so much about himself and his family in his writing. He gave me a look that said, get over it; and then he essentially said, get over it. By then I was actually putting words on paper, but, as Sarah White wrote in her guest blog here last week, the thought of my mother reading what I might write gave me instant writer's brick wall (that's writer's block magnified).

Although I think Sarah already knows the answer, she posed the question of how to write about living people. It's a question in every life story writing class. Maybe the answer is in the photo above. At first glance, the swimmers appear bare; but they aren't. It's just the arrangement of elements that makes them appear so. When we get past the double-take, do we even want to see suitless swimmers -- of all ages, all degrees of fitness or un-fitness? Probably not.

Same with our writing. We want the reader to take a good look, and look again, closer. That's what the reader wants too -- something attention grabbing. But the reader doesn't want so much grimy detail that she is forced to look away. Even Joyce Carol Oates' new memoir, A Widow's Story, has received some criticism for having too much detail. Friends and I groaned about Paula Deen's memoir, Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cookin' in which she revealed that at a particularly low point in her life, her home had contained bird filth. While we sympathized with her depression, it was TMI -- too much information.

Susan Sanders, author of Quicksand, A Love Story, her self-published memoir, told me she was immobilized as she thought about how to shape her life events chronicled in dozens of journals into one book. She said that the advice in Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook got her unstuck. The workbook advises to Imagine yourself having a conversation with an long-time acquaintance who asks over coffee, "How did you become the person you are today?" This acquaintance is not an intimate, not a family member or mate. Begin with how you would answer that question and add or subtract from that explanation.

In deciding how "bare" to get as you write, clarify your purpose. Are you writing for personal growth, posterity (family), or publication. If you're writing for yourself for personal growth and no one else will see it, spill your guts. If you're writing for posterity, don't avoid topics or fabricate, but couch events in tactful summary. If you're writing for publication, then you will have to take Hilary Masters' implied advice: get over it as Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown did in his memoir, Against All Odds: My Life of Hardship, Fast Breaks, and Second Chances. In a Feb. 21, 2011 front-page story in USA Today, he says he had no intention of revealing as much as he did, but that he found he couldn't keep it hidden. Family and friends have been supportive he says, and family members he wrote about are still on good terms with him.

I haven't had a chance to read the book, but I definitely plan to. I'll be interested to see how he handles potentially uncomfortable details. Maybe reading his book will help you decide how much detail to include.

So just tell what the story needs. A little shock is a good thing, but we don't want to know about the bird poop under your bed.

And last, remember that writing is a three-step process. When you sit down to write the first draft, don't be afraid to strip everything bare. In the re-writing you can always "re-dress" the issues.

WRITING PROMPT

Write your life story in six paragraphs. Just average-length paragraphs. We're not talking six-paragraph book here.(Yes, I got this idea from the popular six-word life stories.) So -- in six paragraphs, what would you include? Yes, you can do it. Think of your purpose. Think of the three-step writing process. Think of a chat over coffee with an acquaintance. There you have it.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

Who doesn't love waffles? Who doesn't love chocolate? You see where this is headed, right? Chocolate Waffles, courtesy of the Hershey website.

Ingredients

1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted 3/4 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk* 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

1 Stir cocoa and butter in bowl until smooth; stir in sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with buttermilk to cocoa mixture. Stir in nuts, if desired.
2 Bake in waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. Carefully remove waffle from iron. Serve warm with HOT FUDGE SAUCE. About ten 4-inch waffles.

* To sour milk: Use 1-1/2 teaspoons white vinegar plus milk to equal 1/2 cup.

NOTE: Leftover waffles can be frozen; thaw in toaster on low heat.

See more writing tips, writing prompts, resources, and life story writing information at http://www.angelinyourinkwell.com/.

Order your own copy of Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook.

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All rights reserved 2011. There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Wrestling with Writing about Living People

2011-02-14T16:04:00.000-06:00

Photo: Google Images

SPECIAL TREAT: Today's blog post is written by Sarah E. White, fellow life story blogger, teacher, and author of Write Your Travel Memoirs: 5 steps to transform your travel experiences into compelling essays. Whether you are an experienced or novice writer, whether you plan to write a travel memoir or not, Sarah's book is full of concise, clear, concrete how-to. She is also a member of Association of Personal Historians a wonderful resource for life story writers. Find her blog at http://www.truestorieswelltold.wordpress.com/.

Below Sarah's post I have put up a Writing Prompt for you and, of course, the CHOCOLATE INKWELL.

Sarah and I are exchanging blog posts this week so you can find my words, It's Okay to Point, on her blog.

Wrestling with Writing about Living People

- Sarah White

I started a blog to give myself a way to stay engaged with memoir during the times when I don’t have a class in session. There’s something missing in my life—I feel it like the absence of a loved one—when I’m not engaged in teaching and learning about life writing. So January 1, 2011, I launched my blog, “True Stories Well Told.” http://www.truestorieswelltold.wordpress.com/

It’s a place for people who read and write about real life. I’ve been publishing writing by some of my memoir students, writing prompts, book reviews, workshop tips, and of course some of my own memoir essays. The blog is fulfilling its purpose—it’s satisfying that feeling of absence in my life when I’m not teaching. Choosing stories from my own memoir to post is giving me new enthusiasm for writing about my life. In many ways, blogging is addictive.

But a problem has surfaced.

I’ve found I can’t post anything I wouldn’t want my mother to read! I haven’t even told her about the blog, but already I feel her looking over my shoulder, reading what I write. And it’s inhibiting me.

So far, I’ve stayed with posting my modest little childhood memories, to avoid dealing with whether I’m ready to go public with the stories that get darker as I get older. But soon I’ll have to decide. Hide parts of myself or accept the consequences of revealing them?

Carol, what’s your advice?
Sarah, I have advice -- did you ever doubt it? I'll post it next week.

WRITING PROMPT

I wouldn't want my mother to . . . We're all adults here, right? Still, we have ideas of what our mothers "should" do. In a recent response to an e-mail joke I had sent, my Young Advisor replied, "I'm surprised a nice little lady like you knows what that means." Had a moment there when I didn't know whether to feel ashamed of myself or amused at her. Settled on both. So -- what restrictions do you mentally impose on your particular mother -- or mothers in general? What is a mother to do? Who is a mother to be?

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

There is still time to whip up a healthful, low-fat chocolate Valentine's Day treat if you use this recipe from http://www.hungry-girl.com/. Three ingredients. Go for four ingredients and slap some Dove heart-shaped chocolates or cinnamon candies on top. No frosting necessary. Recipe notes say this produces a velvety brownie-cake hybrid.

One 18.25 oz. box moist-style devil's food (or other) cake mix (such as Betty Crocker super moist)
1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1 cup water.

Preheat oven. Combine cake mix and yogurt in large bowl and add 1 cup water. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake until knife inserted into center comes out clean. (Refer to cake mix box for pan size and appropriate bake time.)

Find more Writing Tips, Writing Prompts, Resources, and Life Story Writing helps at http://www.angelinyourinkwell.com/.

Ordering information for the workbook I wrote especially for you can be found at Write Your Life Story in Eight Weeks Workbook.

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All rights reserved, 2011. Carol Newman, There's An Angel In Your Inkwell®

Writing With Certainty - or Uncertainty

2011-02-07T10:57:00.001-06:00

Pier Near San Diego, California

WRITING TIP

In a recent Facebook response to a question about short story endings, Nancy Pickard, author of The Scent of Rain and Lightning, said she likes open endings, likes the shock and surprise.

On the other hand, a recent book discussion group found the endings of stories in Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri to be unpleasantly abrupt.

Of course, there is no one answer to what a story ending "should" be. Much depends on the reader as well as the writer. It's like this pier near San Diego. Although I loved the way the water sparkled all around it, I had no desire to walk out on the long pier to the sheer drop and be enveloped in the sparkle. Too much like walking toward "the light." You know, the one seen near death. I would feel much better about it if the tide were in and a boat was approaching.

You can guess which way I lean on the open-ended position. I don't mind finishing the story in my mind, but I want a little something to look toward. Doesn't mean I'm right. Just means I am one reader, one writer.

Which way do you lean on this question? As a reader? As a writer? Think about it as you read. Think about it as you write. Let it inform your writing.

WRITING PROMPT

Would you walk out onto the pier pictured? What have you done in your life that has been a walk into something uncertain? Now write two endings. Spell out how the uncertain event was resolved. In another ending, leave part of the story for the reader to resolve.

CHOCOLATE INKWELL

Found this recipe on the Food Network when I clicked on Valentine's Day. The recipe is from Ellie Krieger of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger. The recipe has only three ingredients, all favorites of mine; but even if you don't like one of the ingredients (we know you like chocolate so it would be either the almonds or cherries), it is a perfect Valentine's Day treat, is easy and makes only 12 candy clusters so they'll be all gone by February 15.

Cherry Almond Chocolate Clusters

Ingredients

1 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
6 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

In a medium bowl, toss together the almonds and the cherries. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Melt half the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over slightly simmering water, over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently. Make sure the water is not touching the top pan. Remove the double boiler from the heat and stir in the rest of the chocolate. Remove the top pan with the chocolate in it, gently wipe the bottom of it and set it aside for a moment. Replace the simmering water in the bottom pan with warm tap water. Put the pan of melted chocolate on top of the warm water. This will keep the chocolate at the right temperature while you make the clusters.

Stir the fruit-nut mixture into the chocolate. Spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized clusters of the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Put them in the refrigerator to set for 15 minutes. Store and serve at room temperature.

Look for more writing tips, writing prompts, resources, and life story writing how-to at http://www.angelinyourinkwell.com/

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All rights reserved 2011 Carol Newman