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More Grammar: The “They” Issue

“Everyone can find something they like on the menu.” Right or wrong? I hope you don’t mind another grammar discussion as you plug away at writing your memoir.

Today’s column by New York Times blogger Philip B. Corbett tackles the continuing dilemma of the gender-neutral singular pronoun. I’m among those who bristle at pairing the singular “anyone,” “everyone” or “no one” with the plural “they” or “their.” Corbett mostly agrees but also discourages resorting to the old-fashion “he” or the cumbersome “he or she.” I’m guessing he wouldn’t much like “s/he,” either. The problem is that English leaves you no good option. Or does it?

I’ve long advocated for just switching up the sentence. English is a rich language, and it’s not that difficult to say the same thing in a different way. This is Corbett’s solution as well. He tends to simply pluralize everything. For example: Should every student design their own curriculum? He changes that to: Should all students design their own curriculums? That’s good with me, except I would use curricula rather than curriculums, but I prefer his second suggestion: Should every student design an individual curriculum?

When we apply this to the first sentence above, we can come up with a few choices: All diners can find something they like on the menu; Anyone find something on the menu to enjoy; Everyone can find a satisfactory choice on the menu; The menu addresses all tastes and diets. Etcetera!

March 6th, 2012 by admin


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Avoid Redundancy in Your Memoir

Every so often I like to use the blog for a mini grammar lesson. With references to “PIN numbers” and “ATM machines” tossed around all the time, let’s discuss redundancy. You want every page of your memoir to be compelling, and filling space with excess words does not meet that goal. Here are some common redundant phrases you should avoid:

Autobiography of my life. If it’s anyone else’s life, the term is “biography.”
Basic fundamentals. If they’re not basic, they’re not fundamentals.
Completely eliminated. Yes, that’s the meaning of “eliminated.”
Estimated to be about. “Estimated” or “about”—you don’t need both.
Fellow classmates/colleagues. There’s no need for “fellow.”
Free gift. It wasn’t a gift if you had to pay for it.
Future plans. We rarely make plans for the past.
Kneel down. It goes without saying that you’re not kneeling up or laterally.
May/might possibly. The uncertainty is built into the word “may” or “might,” so you can drop “possibly.”
New innovation. An innovation is, by definition, always new.
Pre-planning. How did this ever come into use?
Unintentional mistake. They’re called “mistakes” because they’re unintentional!
Very unique. If you’re correctly using “unique” to indicate something that’s truly one-of-a-kind, you won’t need to qualify it.

And what about your PIN number and the ATM machine? Spell out the acronym, and you’ll see the redundancy: Personal Identification Number number and Automatic Teller Machine machine. Similarly, refer to your GPS system as just a GPS.

February 28th, 2012 by admin


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Memoir Writers: Go Through Your Stuff!

Memoir Writers: Go Through Your Stuff!
A recent newspaper story about former Chicago Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lois Weisberg ends with the information that the octegenarian is working on her memoirs. She was quoted in the Chicago Tribune article as saying that to “aspire to write a book at my age is really kind of insane.”
Here at WriteMyMemoirs we certainly would not consider the endeavor “insane.” At 85, Weisberg is still active and able. Until last year she was working full-time, and now she finally can reflect upon her long career and her family life with four children. As part of former Mayor Daley’s inner circle, she very likely has a lot of juicy tidbits to share. But, just like your memoir, Weisberg’s story won’t write itself. She told the reporter that she attacks it every morning for a few hours, writing in longhand on a legal pad.
“Go through your old boxes,” Weisberg advises people in the process of writing a memoir but having trouble coming up with chapters and topics. “You might find something interesting.” I would add this: go through your email. Even if you didn’t keep old letters, the electronic version of mail may provide more of a record than you think—at least for the past five or ten years. Don’t forget to ask friends and family members whether they’ve saved letters and emails, too. You may not have correspondence from the Daleys, but surely you exchanged notes with people who’ve made an impact on your life.

A recent newspaper story about former Chicago Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lois Weisberg ends with the information that the octegenarian is working on her memoirs. She was quoted in the Chicago Tribune article as saying that to “aspire to write a book at my age is really kind of insane.”

Here at WriteMyMemoirs we certainly would not consider the endeavor “insane.” At 85, Weisberg is still active and able. Until last year she was working full-time, and now she finally can reflect upon her long career and her family life with four children. As part of former Mayor Daley’s inner circle, she very likely has a lot of juicy tidbits to share. But, just like your memoir, Weisberg’s story won’t write itself. She told the reporter that she attacks it every morning for a few hours, writing in longhand on a legal pad.

“Go through your old boxes,” Weisberg advises people in the process of writing a memoir but having trouble coming up with chapters and topics. “You might find something interesting.” You may have saved ticket stubs, cheap souvenirs from trips and, of course, letters. Also, go through your email. It may provide more of a record than you think—at least for the past five or ten years. Don’t forget to ask friends and family members whether they’ve saved letters and emails, too. You may not have correspondence from the Daleys, but surely you exchanged notes with people who’ve made an impact on your life.

February 21st, 2012 by admin


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Valentine’s Day and Love in Memoirs

Valentine’s Day and Love in Memoirs
Since today is Valentine’s Day, let’s talk about love and romance! This can be a sticky topic in a memoir. How much information is too much?
Consider your audience and your goal. If you’re writing your memoirs primarily for your children, grandchildren and friends, you may want to limit your courtship stories to the person or people who have been important to your family. If you have been married to one person for decades, that person is probably the only one you’ll want to talk about. A couple of charming anecdotes about your courtship and what dating was like during the era you met can form a wonderful chapter in a memoir. Readers will be interested in learning why you were attracted to each other, how you overcame obstacles to being together and a description of your engagement and wedding. Valentine’s Day itself may come up as you reminisce about your years together.
If you have had more than one spouse or important significant other, carefully determine how much you want to share about past relationships. This decision is likely to be shaped by whether you were widowed or divorced. If you express any bitter feelings, read that section over a few times or ask someone you trust how it comes across. Again, your goal becomes important. If you want your memoirs to be a statement of your perspective on everything that has happened to you, all of your major relationships may be pertinent. People’s feelings get easily hurt, so just be careful. And Happy Valentine’s Day!

Since today is Valentine’s Day, let’s talk about love and romance! This can be a sticky topic in a memoir. How much information is too much?

Consider your audience and your goal. If you’re writing your memoirs primarily for your children, grandchildren and friends, you may want to limit your courtship stories to the person or people who have been important to your family. If you have been married to one person for decades, that person is probably the only one you’ll want to talk about. A couple of charming anecdotes about your courtship and what dating was like during the era you met can form a wonderful chapter in a memoir. Readers will be interested in learning why you were attracted to each other, how you overcame obstacles to being together and a description of your engagement and wedding. Valentine’s Day itself may come up as you reminisce about your years together.

If you have had more than one spouse or important significant other, carefully determine how much you want to share about past relationships. This decision is likely to be shaped by whether you were widowed or divorced. If you express any bitter feelings, read that section over a few times or ask someone you trust how it comes across. Again, your goal becomes important. If you want your memoirs to be a statement of your perspective on everything that has happened to you, all of your major relationships may be pertinent. People’s feelings get easily hurt, so just be careful. And Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14th, 2012 by admin


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Two WriteMyMemoirs FAQs

Two Write My Memoirs FAQs
The email we get from our members and also non-members who are browsing various memoir sites reveals a few common concerns. So for those who have wondered:
Q: This can’t really be free. Where are the hidden charges?
A: This can really be free—and it is! You will never be charged for writing your story on the WriteMyMemoirs site and keeping it safe here. Our fee-based services are outlined under the tabs for “Writing Help” and “Publish My Book.” When you want to have a professional editor polish your work, or if you would like us to publish your work into a real book, you will be taken to PayPal for secure payment and we will proceed from there—you don’t have to do anything more!
Q: Why should I fill out the “interview” before I start writing?
A: You can opt out of the interview, but it’s there to help you pinpoint the important dates in your life such as when you started a new job and when your children were born. The information you provide automatically creates a time line that pops up when you start writing a chapter. That’s why we ask you to assign dates to each chapter—our program can then map out the appropriate time line. Because of space restrictions, not everything you mentioned in your interview will show up on the time line, but you’ll have enough to jog your memory, plus you can always look back at your interview to make sure you have your dates straight.
We’ll answer more common questions periodically on the blog, or please use our Contact Us form if you need to ask us something.

The email we get from our members and also non-members who are browsing various memoir sites reveals a few common concerns. So for those who have wondered:

Q: This can’t really be free. Where are the hidden charges?

A: This can really be free—and it is! You will never be charged for writing your story on the WriteMyMemoirs site and keeping it safe here. Our fee-based services are outlined under the tabs for “Writing Help” and “Publish My Book.” When you want to have a professional editor polish your work, or if you would like us to publish your work into a real book, you will be taken to PayPal for secure payment and we will proceed from there—you don’t have to do anything more!

Q: Why should I fill out the “interview” before I start writing?

A: You can opt out of the WriteMyMemoirs interview, but it’s there to help you pinpoint the important dates in your life such as when you started a new job and when your children were born. The information you provide automatically creates a time line that pops up when you start writing a chapter. That’s why we ask you to assign dates to each chapter—our program can then map out the appropriate time line. Because of space restrictions, not everything you mentioned in your interview will show up on the time line, but you’ll have enough to jog your memory, plus you can always look back at your interview to make sure you have your dates straight.

We’ll answer more common questions periodically on the blog, or please use our Contact Us form if you need to ask us something.

February 7th, 2012 by admin


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Political Autobiographies Play a Role in Elections

I happen to be in Florida today, the day of the state’s primary. As you might expect, the local airwaves have been flooded with political ads. They contain a lot of “he said, he said” statements. It makes me wonder why these candidates never penned a memoir to document their own lives and more definitively present their views.

Think back to the last presidential election. In the democratic primary, Hillary Clinton had her husband’s reputation, her four-year record as First Lady and her term as a New York senator. Barack Obama, still only in his 40s, already had two autobiographical books: Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope. The titles became common phrases, and suddenly these books were selling “like hotcakes.” The words were inspirational and trumped any Obama narrative the Clinton opposition and, later in the general election the John McCain campaign, could contrive.

Yet, among the 27 books Newt Gingrich has authored, not one is a memoir. Mitt Romney, with his diverse experience as a businessman, governor and Olympics chief, hasn’t sat down to write his life story. Here in Florida, Romney’s ads do mention an autobiography—Ronald Reagan’s—to use as evidence to counter some of Gingrich’s claims about being the heir to the Reagan legacy. So Mitt realizes the value of a written memoir, yet hasn’t crafted his own. And you know whom he’ll face if he makes it to the next election? The same President Barack Obama who won last time with the power of two very influential autobiographies.

January 31st, 2012 by admin


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Checking In: Still Motivated to Write Your Memoir?

Checking In: Still Motivated to Write Your Memoir?
It’s late January, and your New Year’s Resolution to write that memoir may be melting faster than snow in sunshine. A blogger at zenhabits.net zeroes in on two secrets to staying motivated with any goal: 1) enjoying the task, and 2) answering to outside pressure. Let’s take them one at a time.
To enjoy writing your memoir, first make sure you’re in a comfortable setting. You should be pleased with every aspect—your computer, chair and desk; the temperature in the room; perhaps a view; the level of noise/quiet. Identify the time of day and day(s) of the week you feel creative and you don’t feel guilty for taking time away from other responsibilities. For content, choose the parts of your life you like to remember. If there are painful segments, leave those for later, after you’ve grown accustomed to your writing routine. Bite off little bits so that the project doesn’t overwhelm you. Review your life one anecdote at a time.
The second motivating tool—developing outside pressure—should be easy. Just tell your family and friends that you’re writing a memoir! Give them weekly updates, and have them commit to ask you about it if you forget. As our own memoir writing community, we can be accountable to each other. Leave a comment here about how far you’ve progressed toward your goal, or friend us on Facebook. We’ll start a thread on the Write My Memoirs page for you to leave a comment to motivate yourself as well as everyone!
http://zenhabits.net/the-only-two-secrets-to-motivating-yourself-youll-ever-need/
http

It’s late January, and your New Year’s Resolution to write that memoir may be melting faster than snow in sunshine. A blogger at zenhabits.net zeroes in on two secrets to staying motivated with any goal: 1) enjoying the task, and 2) answering to outside pressure. Let’s take them one at a time.

To enjoy writing your memoir, first make sure you’re in a comfortable setting. You should be pleased with every aspect—your computer, chair and desk; the temperature in the room; perhaps a view; the level of noise/quiet. Identify the time of day and day(s) of the week you feel creative and you don’t feel guilty for taking time away from other responsibilities. For content, choose the parts of your life you like to remember. If there are painful segments, leave those for later, after you’ve grown accustomed to your writing routine. Bite off little bits so that the project doesn’t overwhelm you. Review your life one anecdote at a time.

The second motivating tool—developing outside pressure—should be easy. Just tell your family and friends that you’re writing a memoir! Give them weekly updates, and have them commit to asking you about it if you forget. As our own memoir writing community, we can be accountable to each other. Leave a comment here about how far you’ve progressed toward your goal, or friend us on Facebook. We’ll start a thread on the Write My Memoirs page for you to leave a comment to motivate yourself as well as everyone!

January 24th, 2012 by admin


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Attend a Memoir-Writing Retreat

Attend a Memoir-Writing Retreat
You might want to consider attending an upcoming Memoir Writing Conference 2012, where you can join people like you who are looking for information and motivation to help them write their life stories. This event takes place Saturday, April 28, in Bethlehem, PA, and costs $225 plus $100 if you choose to attend a Friday night dinner. WriteMyMemoirs has no association with this conference and does not receive anything for publicizing this event, but we like to alert you to any tool or experience that might help you write your memoir.
The full day of inspiration features an impressive roster of presenters, all authors themselves who, as a group, represent a diverse range of expertise that reflects the theme for this year’s conference: getting in touch with your five senses to help you recall and describe events in your life.
The keynote speaker is newspaper columnist, blogger and journalism professor Bill White. I love the reason he was asked to speak, as stated on the website: “Bill became interested in memoirs a few years ago when he wrote a piece about a Ukrainian woman who used her dying days to write about her life growing up in the old country, her hardships during World War II, her emigration to the United States and her life here with her husband and children. Bill was struck by how beautifully she told her story, but even more by how much other families, including his own, would appreciate that kind of memoir from our parents and grandparents to share with future generations.” Click here for details about the conference.
https://memoir2012.com/Presenters.php

You might want to consider attending the upcoming Memoir Writing Conference 2012, where you can join people like you who are looking for information and motivation to help them write their life stories. This event takes place Saturday, April 28, in Bethlehem, PA, and costs $225 plus $100 if you choose to attend a Friday night dinner. WriteMyMemoirs has no association with this conference and does not receive anything for publicizing this event, but we like to alert you to any tool or experience that might help you write your memoir.

The full day of inspiration features an impressive roster of presenters, all authors themselves who, as a group, represent a diverse range of expertise that reflects the theme for this year’s conference: getting in touch with your five senses to help you recall and describe events in your life.

The keynote speaker is newspaper columnist, blogger and journalism professor Bill White. I love the reason he was asked to speak, as stated on the website: “Bill became interested in memoirs a few years ago when he wrote a piece about a Ukrainian woman who used her dying days to write about her life growing up in the old country, her hardships during World War II, her emigration to the United States and her life here with her husband and children. Bill was struck by how beautifully she told her story, but even more by how much other families, including his own, would appreciate that kind of memoir from our parents and grandparents to share with future generations.” Click here for details about the conference.

January 17th, 2012 by admin


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New Features on WriteMyMemoirs

We hope you’ve been enjoying the additions to our website. We’ve tried to come up with ways to keep you writing if you get stuck.

You probably have noticed the button, “Don’t know what to write about?” If you click on that, you’ll pull up hints about topics that you might want to include in your memoir. For example, one hint is: “Did you volunteer for charities or other organizations? Did you enjoy that?” That might trigger your memory about being a room mother for your child at school, a coach for your kid’s basketball team or a candy striper when you were younger. Remembering those experiences can lead to interesting anecdotes, so we hope a reminder like that helps to move your life story forward.

Each hint also includes the question, “Was this helpful to you?” You can opt out of answering this, of course, but if you do click on either “yes” or “no” your response becomes part of our database that automatically brings up that particular hint either more frequently or less frequently, depending on whether people have found it helpful.

Through these hints and a few other features we’ll explain in future blogs, we aim to make your experience on WriteMyMemoirs unique. We value all of our members and, when you sign up with us, your goal becomes our goal: we want each of our members to complete a full memoir. Good luck writing!

January 10th, 2012 by admin


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How to Keep Your Memoir-Writing Resolution

How to Keep Your Memoir-Writing Resolution
If you’re here at WriteMyMemoirs because you made a New Year’s Resolution to either start or work harder on your memoir, listen up! Statistics show that 4 out of 5 of us will probably abandon our New Year’s Resolutions within just a couple of weeks. Some suggestions to put yourself in the 20 percent who stick to it:
1. Be specific about your goal. Set up a regular schedule of when you will write.
2. Don’t over-promise, even to yourself. We all burn out easily. Make a realistic schedule that does not let this project monopolize your time. Maybe you’ll get up one hour early three times a week, you’ll write the first hour after dinner on a couple of evenings or you’ll write from 9am-1pm every Sunday.
3. Develop a full plan. Maybe you’ll decide to have a book with six chapters and complete one chapter per month so that your book will be finished by July 1. Then write out the title of each chapter.
4. Start easy. If there’s one chapter, or even just one anecdote, that you can write out effortlessly, get that on “paper” so you’ll have something solid. Then you can tackle the more challenging sections that require research or take an emotional toll on you.
5. Tell people. No matter what the goal, you tend to stay more accountable when you know that friends and family members will be asking about your progress. Maybe you can find a “memoir buddy” who also wants to write a memoir; then you can motivate each other to stay on task.
Much of the technology we’ve developed for WriteMyMemoirs should help you. You can create name all of your chapters, which creates a type of outline. Some of the details will pop up in the time lines that result from our Interview questions, so make sure you fill out your Interview. We may even be able to help you find a memoir buddy. Leave a comment here that you’d be interested in that, and we’ll put you memoir writers in touch with each other.

If you’re here at WriteMyMemoirs because you made a New Year’s Resolution to either start or work harder on your memoir, listen up! Statistics show that 4 out of 5 of us will probably abandon our New Year’s Resolutions within just a couple of weeks. Some suggestions to put yourself in the 20 percent who stick with this one:

  1. Be specific about your goal. Set up a regular schedule of when you will write.
  2. Don’t over-promise, even to yourself. We all burn out easily. Make a realistic schedule that does not let this project monopolize your time. Maybe you’ll get up one hour early three times a week, you’ll write the first hour after dinner on a couple of evenings or you’ll write from 9am-1pm every Sunday.
  3. Develop a full plan. Maybe you’ll decide to have a book with six chapters and complete one chapter per month so that your book will be finished by July 1. Then write out the title of each chapter.
  4. Start easy. If there’s one chapter, or even just one anecdote, that you can write out effortlessly, get that on “paper” so you’ll have something solid. Then you can tackle the more challenging sections that require research or take an emotional toll on you.
  5. Tell people. No matter what the goal, you tend to stay more accountable when you know that friends and family members will be asking about your progress. Maybe you can find a “memoir buddy” who also wants to write a memoir; then you can motivate each other to stay on task.

Much of the technology we’ve developed for WriteMyMemoirs should help you. You can name all of your chapters, which creates a type of outline. Some of the details will pop up in the time lines that result from our Interview questions, so make sure you fill out your Interview. We may even be able to help you find a memoir buddy. Leave a comment here that you’d be interested in that, and we’ll put you memoir writers in touch with each other.

January 3rd, 2012 by admin


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